Project BLACK MAMBA: Late Edition

Mea culpa! Mea culpa! Mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest & Doctor of the Church, O.F.M. Cap. (1559-1619): Doctor-link ūnus, Doctor-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. My personal opinion is that every Doctor of the Church deserves at least an obligatory Memorial, not that anybody in the hierarchy requested my opinion.

Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

He was a Roman Catholic priest & a theologian as well as a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.

Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

He entered the Capuchin friars, taught theology to his fellow religious, & was chosen to fill positions of leadership in his order. St. Lawrence was decalred a Doctor of the Church because he was a great scholar & preacher, gifted in languages, & was a humble & holy administrator with great wisdom, but one of the greatest accomplishments attributed to this saint was the repulsion of the Turks during the Battle of Stuhlweissenburg (1601, A.K.A. Székesfehérvár).

'Tis also the festival of Saint Praxedes, Virgin & Martyr (died circa 165), martyred in the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Daughters of Ss. Pudens [19 May] & Claudia [7 August] & sister of Ss. Prudentia [19 May], Novatus [20 June], & Timotheus [?].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Arbogast, Bishop (died circa 678, of Strasbourg): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feria
The Book of Exodus, chapter eleven, verse ten thru chapter twelve, verse fourteen;
Psalm One Hundred Sixteen, verses twelve & thirteen, fifteen & sixteen(b,c), & seventeen & eighteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twelve, verses one thru eight.

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

Again and again in the Gospels, Jesus is portrayed as violating the sacred command to rest on the seventh day. For example, he often cures on the Sabbath, much to the dismay of the protectors of Jewish law.

And then in today's Gospel, after his disciples pick grain on the Sabbath, Jesus declares himself "Lord of the Sabbath." It's hard to express how breathtaking this claim would be for a first-century Jew to make. Yahweh alone could be assigned the title, "Lord of the Sabbath," so what is Jesus implying?

In short, he is claiming that he is above their rituals, even perhaps the defining practice of pious Jews, because he is the Lord. Thus the rules must be placed in subordination to the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom that the Lord Jesus is ushering in even here and now.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter four, verses one, two, five, six, & seven;
Psalm Forty, verses eight(a) & nine(a);
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter four, verses one thru ten & thirteen thru twenty
(or, the Gospel according to Mark, chapter four, verses one thru nine).

Bible Study—The Bible Timeline: Conquest & Judges, Part 1 of 2
The Book of Joshua, chapter twenty-two (verses one thru thirty-four);
The Book of Joshua, chapter twenty-three (verses one thru sixteen);
The Book of Joshua, chapter twenty-four (of twenty-four; verses one thru thirty-three);
The Book of Leviticus, chapter eighteen (verses one thru thirty);
The Book of Genesis, chapter fifteen, verses fourteen, fifteen, & sixteen;
The Book of Ezekiel, chapter eighteen, verse thirty-two & chapter thirty-three, verse eleven.

Commentary: III. Return of the Transjordan Tribes & Joshua's Farewell: The Eastern Tribes Dismissed (Joshua, 22:1-9), the Altar beside the Jordan (22:10-12), Accusation of the Western Tribes (22:13-20, Reply of the Eastern Tribes (22:21-34), Joshua's Final Plea (23:1-16), Reminder of Divine Goodness (24:1-15), Renewal of the Covenant (24:16-28), & Death of Joshua (24:29-33); the Sanctity of Sex (Leviticus, 18:1-30); excerpt from the Covenant with Abram (Genesis, 15:14-16); & excerpts from Personal Responsibility (Ezekiel, 18:32) & Individual Retribution (33:11).