Calendar Class of August 21, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

There is a brief amount of time at daybreak when the light and feel of the air is quite magical, before the rising sun burns the mist away. I tried to capture it here but photos never quite do it justice as it is a full sensory experience. Videos are a little better, as you can see the rolling mist over the surface of the water (posted on IG). For the last two days the ridiculously busy squirrels woke me up with their beechnut tree harvest right outside my window. It has given the cats endless hours of fascinating viewing time. This is perhaps my favorite seasonal transition from late Summer to early Fall - the colors, the busy wildlife, the new crispness in the air in the morning and night (while afternoons are still hot enough for swimming). The shift is captured beautifully in this article, "Seasons: the Lessons of Life," which I've posted many times. Worth re-reading at this time of year.

Liturgical: Thursday of the 20th Week of Ordinary Time

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 22:1-14

Sanctoral: Pius X (June 2, 1835 – August 20, 1914)

The second of 10 children in a poor Italian family, Joseph Sarto became Pius X at age 68. He was one of the 20th century’s greatest popes. Interested in politics, Pope Pius encouraged Italian Catholics to become more politically involved. One of his first papal acts was to end the supposed right of governments to interfere by veto in papal elections—a practice that reduced the freedom of the 1903 conclave which had elected him. In 1905, when France renounced its agreement with the Holy See and threatened confiscation of Church property if governmental control of Church affairs were not granted, Pius X courageously rejected the demand. While he did not author a famous social encyclical as his predecessor had done, he denounced the ill treatment of indigenous peoples on the plantations of Peru, sent a relief commission to Messina after an earthquake, and sheltered refugees at his own expense. On the 11th anniversary of his election as pope, Europe was plunged into World War I. Pius had foreseen it, but it killed him. “This is the last affliction the Lord will visit on me. I would gladly give my life to save my poor children from this ghastly scourge.” He died a few weeks after the war began, and was canonized in 1954.

In his eleven-year pontificate he contributed to reforms in papal elections, seminary life, Eucharistic practice, liturgy, biblical studies, the Divine Office, catechesis, the organization of the Roman Curia, and canon law. He was also known as a pastoral pope for encouraging Catholic social action as well as the development of personal holiness, piety, and a daily lifestyle which reflected deep Christian values. He promoted the reading of Sacred Scripture by all the lay faithful, and harshly denounced the evil of Modernism as “the summation of all heresies.” He also lowered the age of First Holy Communion to the age of reason. He was particularly devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Confidence. Pope St. Pius X is the patron of pilgrims and first communicants.

Human: The birthday of Christopher Robin Milne (A. A. Milne’s son who he modeled Christopher Robin after in the Winnie the Pooh stories) – 1920, and Cecilia Dobbs- 2022

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen by a Louvre employee, Vincenzo Peruggia – 1911

Hawaii became the U.S.’s fiftieth state – 1959

Executive Order for a 50-star U.S. flag issued – 1959

Natural: First signs of fall coming to Michigan and Great Lakes region

Italian: Sgarbo (rudeness / discourtesy / slight)

Book of the Day: Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

Quote: "The devotion to the Eucharist is the most noble, because it has God as its object; it is the most profitable for salvation, because it gives us the Author of Grace; it is the sweetest, because the Lord is Sweetness Itself."— St. Pius X