Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Backlog, Part II

Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord: Annunciation-link ūnus, Annunciation-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:
The feast of the Annunciation of the Lord celebrates the angel Gabriel's appearance to the Virgin Mary, his announcement that the Blessed Virgin had been chosen to be the Mother of Our Lord, & Mary's fiat—her willing acceptable of God's holy plan.
Scripture of the Day (Today)
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-three, verse thirty-three;
The Letter of Jude.

Commentary: The Letter of Jude is not divided into chapters. 'Tis a wee note of just twenty-four verses, but rich in theology. The introductions in my Bible point to Jude as a likely source for much of 2 Peter.

Mass Readings
The Book of Isaiah, chapter seven, verses ten thru fourteen & chapter eight, verse ten;
Psalm Forty, verses seven thru eleven;
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter ten, verses four thru ten;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses twenty-six thru thirty-eight.

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Had 22 March not been a Sunday, we would have remembered Saint Nicholas Owen, S.J. (c. 1562-1606), martyred under King James VI & I: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: St. Nicholas Owen was arrested, tortured, & martyred for building priest holes throughout Elizabethan & Jacobean England. He is also remembered as one of the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales.

Scripture of the Day (Sunday)
Mass Readings
The Book of Jeremiah, chapter thirty-one, verses thirty-one thru thirty-four;
Psalm Fifty-one, verses three & four, twelve thru fifteen;
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter five, verses seven thru nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twelve, verses twenty thru thirty-three;
or,
The Book of Ezekiel, chapter thirty-seven, verses twelve thru fourteen;
Psalm One Hundred Thirty, verses one thru eight;
The Letter to the Roman, chapter eight, verses eight thru eleven;
The Gospel according to John, chapter eleven, verses one thru forty five;
(or, The Gospel according to John, chapter eleven, verses three thru seven, seventeen, twenty thru twenty-seven, thirty-three(B) thru forty-five).

Commentary: I was at St. Michael's, downtown, for the nine o'clock Mass with the Knight of Columbus' Fourth Degree Color Corps for Corporate Communion & then at Holy Redeemer in Burton to sing in the choir at the eleven o'clock. The first set of readings (the Year B readings) were read at St. Mike's while the second set (Year A) was read at Redeemer. 2015 (actually the first Sunday of Advent 2014 thru the Feast of Christ the King 2015, so not precisely the calender year) is Year B, meaning in Ordinary Time the Gospel is principally drawn from Mark, but there are a few Sundays on which the Year A readings, principally Matthew, are permitted; the choice of which to use seems to be at the celebrant's (presiding priest's) discretion.

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23 March was the optional memorial of Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606), bishop & inquisitor: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:
When Turibius undertook the reform of the clergy as well as unjust officials, he naturally suffered opposition. Some tired, in human fashion, to explain God's law in such a way as to sanction their accustomed way of life. The answer from the words of Tertullian, "Christ said, 'I am the truth;' he did not say, 'I am the custom.'"
Scripture of the Day (Monday)
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-three, verse twenty-six;
The Book of Daniel, chapter thirteen, verses ten thru fourteen, eighteen, thirty-one & thirty-two;
The Acts of the Apostles, chapters fifteen & sixteen.

Mass Readings
The Book of Daniel, chapter thirteen, verses one thru nine, fifteen thru seventeen, nineteen thru thirty, thirty-three thru sixty two;
or, The Book of Daniel, chapter thirteen, verses forty-one[C] thru sixty-two;
Psalm Twenty-three, verses one thru six;
The Gospel according to John, chapter eight, verses one thru eleven.

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Mass Journal: Week 5
Sunday, 25 January 2015
The first Christians were not perfect; nor were the saints. They lived in communities that were torn by strife in ways remarkably similar to what we are experiencing today, & they struggled with the brokenness of their own humanity in the same way you & I do. But they were dedicated to the basics. The first Christians intrigued the people of their time. So did the saints, & so do the ordinary people who ambrace the Chrsitian life today. In the great majority of cases they don't do anything spectacular. For the most part they commit themselves to doing simple things spectacularly well & with great love, & that intrigues people. We need to intrigue the people of our time in the same ways. Whom does your life intrigue? Not with spectacular accomplishments, but simply the way you live, love, & work.

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