Project BLACK MAMBA

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop (circa 354-431): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

St. Paulinus was born in Bordeaux in France in 355. He advanced in the service of the state, married, & had a son. Desirous of an austere life, he received baptism &, having disposed of all worldly goods, began to live the monastic life in 393, at Nola in Campagna. He later was made bishop of that city & promoted the cult of St. Felix (of Nola, 14 January), assisted pilgrims, & diligently alleviated the misfortunes of the day. He also composed poems remarkable for their fine language. St. Paulinus died in 431.

'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saints John Fisher, Bishop, & Thomas More, Martyrs (died 1535), martyred in the reign of the king Henry VIII: Martyr-link Juliett Foxtrot ūnus, Martyr-link Juliett Foxtrot duo, & Wikipedia-link Juliett Foxtrot; Martyr-link Tango Mike ūnus, Martyr-link Tango Mike duo, & Wikipedia-link Tango Mike.

Commentary: Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

St. John Fisher was born in 1469. After completing his theological studies at Cambridge in England, he was ordained to the priesthood. Appointed bishop of Rochester, he led a most austere life & fulfilled his pastoral role by frequently visiting the faithful. He also composed works against the errors of the time. While detained in prison, Bishop Fisher was named a cardinal by Pope Paul III.

St. Thomas More was born in 1477 & was educated at Oxford. He married & had one son & three daughters. While (Lord) Chancellor in the King's Court, he wrote works on governance of the realm & in defense of the Faith. Both he & St. John Fisher were beheaded in 1535 by order of King Henry VIII, whom they had resisted in the matter of his divorce: John Fisher on 22 June & Thomas More on 6 July.

I have seen with my own eyes the famous picture, Portrait of Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein the Younger, at the Frick Collection in Old New Amsterdam: picture-link. A prayer of St. Thomas More's:

Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, & also something to digest.

Grant me a healthy body, & the necessary good humor to maintain it.

Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good & that doesn't frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place.

Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs, & laments, nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called "I."

Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy, & to be able to share it with others. Amen.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Innocent V, Pope, O.P. (circa 1225-1276), one hundred eighty-fifth Bishop of Rome: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Weekday
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter eleven, verses one thru eleven;
Psalm One Hundred Eleven, verses one(b) & two, three & four, & seven & eight;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter six, verses seven thru fifteen.

Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, the Gospel for today is of great significance, for in it the Son of God teaches us to pray. We hear from not just a guru, a spiritual teacher, or religious genius, but from the very Son of God. This is why the Our Father, the Lord’s prayer, is the model of all prayer.

The Lord’s prayer is the prayer for the Christian journey which has been offered up consistently for the past two thousand years. Think for a moment how this prayer links us to all of the great figures in Christian history, from Peter and Paul to Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi, John Henry Newman, G.K. Chesterton, John Paul II, right up to the present day.

Keep in mind that prayer is not designed so much to change God’s mind or to tell God something he doesn’t know. God isn’t like a big city boss or a reluctant pasha whom we have to persuade. Rather, he is rather the one who wants nothing other than to give us good things—though they might not always be the things we want.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter eight, verses nine thru fifteen;
Psalm Forty, verses eight(a) & nine(a);
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twelve, verses thirty-two, thirty-three, & thirty-four.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of Ss. John Fisher & Thomas More
The First Letter of Peter, chapter four, verses twelve thru nineteen;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-six, verse five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter ten, verses thirty-four thru thirty-nine.

Penance
Psalm Ninety-three (verses one thru five).

Commentary: God Is a Mighty King (Ps. 93).