Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:
Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He & his disciples preached & converted thousands & began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, & entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick's message. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, & [it] has been associated with him & the Irish since that time.Quoth the program from the Flint St. Patrick's Day Irish Mass & Celebrations at Saint Michael Catholic Church, a lovely affair in the eyes of this namesake of Sts. Michael & Patrick:
St. Patrick (c. 389-461) is the patron Saint of Ireland. At age 16, he was captured by Irish raiders & taken to Ireland as a slave. He tended sheep for 6 years before he escaped & returned to Europe. Filled with love of God, he became a priest & tired to return to Ireland. He even wrote about his dreams in which he heard "the voice of the Irish" calling him. At last, he was made a Bishop & sent to preach the Gospel in Ireland.Scripture of the Day
Although he met with strong opposition from pagan priests who tried several times to have him killed, he finally converted some of the local kings. With their help & protection he was able to preach to the Irish people & baptized thousands of them for Christ. He feast is celebrated in Ireland—and throughout the world—on March17, the day he died.
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-three, verses nine & ten;
The First Letter of Peter, chapter four.
Mass Readings
The Book of Ezekiel, chapter forty-seven, verses one thru nine, twelve;
Psalm Forty-six, verses two & three, five & six, eight & nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter five, verses one thru sixteen.
Mass Journal
At Christmas—just after the beginning of the new liturgical year & just before the beginning of the new civil year—Holy Redeemer passed our Mass Journals from Matthew Kelly's Dynamic Catholic organization. The notion is to bring the journal to Mass & jot down any insights gleaned, especially after making this prayer, printed on the back cover: "God, show me one way in this Mass I can become a better version of myself this week!" There is also a weekly reflection, which your humble narrator intends to start posting on Sundays, as soon as we've caught up with all the Sunday reflection missed since Christmas. Week 1:
There are 1.2 billion Catholics in the world. There are sixty-seven million Catholics in America—that's at least fifteen million more people than it takes to elect an American president. And every single day the Catholic Church feeds, houses, and clothes more people; takes care of more sick people; visits more prisoners; and educates more people than any other institution on the face of the earth could ever hope to.
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