Friday, November 23, 2018

Saints + Scripture

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Clement I, Pope & Martyr (died circa 101, of Rome), fourth (IV) Bishop of Rome, martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Trajan, author of the First & Second Letters of Clement, one of the Apostolic Fathers: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, Martyr-link trēs, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Pontiff, Wikipedia-link 1 Clement & Wikipedia-link 2 Clement, & Fathers-link & Wikipedia-link Fathers.


Commentary: Wayback Machine. Your humble narrator has read The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. I should read it again. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome, holding office from 88 to his death in 99. He is considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church.
'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Columban, Abbot (543-615, also spelt Columbanus), founder of the Abbey of Luxeuil & the Abbey of Bobbio: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Abbey-link Lima, Wikipedia-link Lima, & Wikipedia-link Bravo.


Commentary: Not to be confused with his contemporary & fellow Irish missionary St. Columba [9 June]. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Columbanus taught an Irish monastic rule & penitential practices for those repenting of sins, which emphasized private confession to a priest, followed by penances levied by the priest in reparation for the sins.
'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, Priest & Martyr, S.J. (1891-1927), martyred in the reign of the Mexican strongman Plutarco Elías Calles, during the Cristero War: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link War.


Commentary: "¡Viva Cristo Rey!" Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Blessed Miguel was a fun-loving young Jesuit, & faced a firing squad. He refused a blindfold & asked only for time to pray. He had offered his life for the faith of Mexican people.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Clement of Metz, Bishop (floruit first century): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Felicitas of Rome, Martyr (circa 101-165, Anglicized as Felicity), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Mother of the Seven Holy Brothers [10 July], also martyrs.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Margaret of Savoy, Religious, T.O.S.D. (1382-1464): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Revelation, chapter ten, verses eight thru eleven;
Psalm One Hundred Nineteen, verses fourteen, twenty-four, seventy-two, one hundred three, one hundred eleven, & one hundred thirty-one;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter nineteen, verses forty-five thru forty-eight.

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel we see Jesus cleansing the Temple. What did it mean for a provincial prophet to come into the holy city of Jerusalem and make a ruckus in the Temple? Well, you can probably imagine. To make matters worse, Jesus says something that is as shocking as His actions. He says, "I will destroy this temple and in three days rebuild it." No wonder that it was precisely this act that led to His crucifixion.

So what was He doing and why? First, in showing His lordship over even this most sacred symbol, He was announcing Who He was. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus acts in the person of God. Secondly, He was instituting a new temple, the temple of His crucified and risen body. Jesus Himself is the place where God dwells, and we, in the measure that we are grafted on to Him, are temples of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is passing judgment on all of the inadequate, corrupt forms of human religion and is establishing the new and eternal covenant, the new temple, in His Own Person.
Video reflection by Doctor Oswald John Nira: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.


Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Clement I
The First Letter of Peter, chapter five, verses one thru four;
Psalm Eighty-nine;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter sixteen, verses thirteen thru nineteen.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Columban
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-two, verses seven thru ten;
Psalm Ninety-six, verse three;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter nine, verses fifty-seven thru sixty-two.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro
The Book of Sirach, chapter fifty-one, verses one thru eight;
Psalm Thirty-one, verse six;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter ten, verses twenty-eight thru thirty-three.

Papal Quote o' the Day
"His death on the Cross is the culmination of that turning of God against Himself in which He gives Himself in order to raise man up & save him. This is love in its most radical form."
—Pope Benedict XVI (born 1927, reigned 2005-2013)
Little Flower Quote o' the Day
"I understood that love comprises all vocations—that love is everything, & because it is eternal, embraces all times & places. My vocation is love. It is You, O my God, who has given it to me. In the heart of the Church, my Mother, I shall be love. Thus I shall be everything & my dream will be realized."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
Saint Quote o' the Day
"To preach the Gospel of forgiveness seems absurd to human politics, because in the natural economy justice does not often permit forgiveness. But in the Christian economy, it is not absurd. Difficult, yes, but not absurd."
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)

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