'Tis also the festival of Saint Sosthenes of Colophon, Bishop & Martyr (died circa 68, A.K.A. of Corinth), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Nero: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Tis also the festival of Saint James of the Marches, Priest, O.F.M. (circa 1391-1476, A.K.A. Dominic Gangala), who attended the Council of Florence (1439-1445): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Council.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed James Thompson, Priest & Martyr (died 1582, A.K.A. James Hudson), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, one of the Martyrs of Douai: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link Douai & Wikipedia-link Douai.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Catherine Labouré, Virgin, D.C. (1806-1876, A.K.A. Zoë Labouré), to whom Our Lady revealed the Medal of Our Lady of Graces, A.K.A. the Miraculous Medal: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Medal.
Scripture of This Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Revelation, chapter fifteen, verses one thru four;
Psalm Ninety-eight, verses one, two & three(a/b), seven & eight, & nine;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-one, verses twelve thru nineteen.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today’s Gospel passage describes the persecution Christians face before the end of the world. When will the Church stop being persecuted? When the Lord returns, but not before.Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
From the earliest days until the present, the community of Jesus Christ has been the focus of the world’s violence. The old principle of "killing the messenger" applies here. The Church will announce, until the end of time, that the old world is passing away, that a new world of love, nonviolence, and life is emerging. This announcement always infuriates the world of sin, which explains why the twentieth century was the bloodiest on record—and the one with the most martyrs.
What do we do in the meantime? We maintain a detachment from the world that is passing away, our eyes fixed on the world that will never end. And we speak confidently, boldly, provocatively the message of the Gospel, the dying and rising of the Lord.
Papal Quote o' This Day
"In Jesus Christ, God Himself was made man & allowed us, so to speak, to cast a glance at the intimacy of God Himself. And there we see something totally unexpected.… The mysterious God is not infinite loneliness, He is an event of love.… The Son Who speaks to the Father exists, & they are both One in the Spirit, Who constitutes, so to speak, the atmosphere of giving & loving which makes them one God."Little Flower Quote o' This Day
—Pope Benedict XVI (born 1927, reigned 2005-2013)
"I will always bow down beneath the outpouring of divine grace, knowing that it is the gift of God."Saint Quote o' This Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Such is the charity of the Christians convinced that their possessions have a social function. For they believe that to use what is superfluous to their needs in favor of one who does not have the necessities is not an optional act of generosity but a duty."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' This Day
—Pope St. John XXIII (1881-1963, feast day: 11 October)
"A Christian mystic from India, Sadhu Sundar Singh, several years ago wanted to go into Tibet to evangelize. He hired a Tibetan guide to take him over the Himalayas. They had gone but a short distance when they became tired and sat on the snow and ice. Then Singh said, 'I think I hear someone groaning in the abyss.' The Tibetan said: 'Well, what difference does it make? We're almost dead ourselves.' Singh went down, found a man, and dragged him to the base of the Himalayas to a little village. Refreshed by his act of charity, he came back to find the Tibetan guide frozen to death on the ice."
—Venerable Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979)
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