Saints + Scripture — Saturday, 9 February

The Long Road Back, Part IV of V | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saturday, 9 February was the festival of Saint Apollonia, Virgin & Martyr (died circa 249, of Alexandria), martyred by an anti-Christian mob in the reign of the Roman emperors Philip the Arab & Philip the Younger: Martyr-link ūna, Martyr-link duæ & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Twas also the festival of Saint Ansbert of Rouen, Bishop & Abbot, O.S.B. (died circa 695, A.K.A. of Chaussy), Archbishop of Rouen, abbot of the Abbey of Saint Wandrille, A.K.A. Fontenelle Abbey: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Archdiocese & Wikipedia-link Abbey.

'Twas also the festival of Blessed Marianus Scotus of Regensburg, Abbot, O.S.B. (died circa 1088; A.K.A. of Ireland, Muiredach mac Robartaig, Muiredach McGroarty), founding abbot of Saint Peter's Cloister in Regensberg: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Twas also the festival of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, Virgin, C.R.S.A. (1774-1824), stigmatic: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Stigmata-link & Wikipedia-link Stigmata.

'Twas also the festival of Saint Miguel Febres Cordero, Religious, F.S.C. (1854-1910, A.K.A. Francisco Luis Febres-Cordero y Muñoz): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of That Day
Mass Readings—Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter thirteen, verses fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, twenty, & twenty-one;
Psalm Twenty-three, verses one, two, & three9a); three(b) & four; five; & six;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter six, verses thirty thru thirty-four.

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, today’s Gospel shows Jesus’ compassion for the multitude in the desert. “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.”

There is the motif of the people Israel in the desert after their escape from Egypt. Isolated, alone, afraid, and without food, they clamored for something from Moses. Here we see people who are dying to be fed, and a prophet who is under threat of death. This crowd around the threatened Jesus is a metaphor for the Church. We have come to him because we are hungry, and we stay even when things look bleak.

Video reflection by Marc DelMonico, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 20
The Book of Exodus, chapter eight, verses twenty thru thirty-two.

Commentary: The Fourth Plague: swarms of Flies (Exodus, 8:20-32).

Papal Quote o' That Day

"Love cannot stop at half measures, as you well know. Love must be ready to offer itself as far as the very ultimate in generosity."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)

Little Flower Quote o' That Day

"My strength lies in prayer & sacrifice; they are invincible weapons, & touch hearts more surely than words can do, as I have learned by experience."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' That Day

"One of the most exalted descriptions of forgiveness that I have ever read came from a Russian bishop who was sentenced to death by Communist authorities in Russia. His last prayer for his executioners was this: 'Heavenly Father, I offer up for the sins of these men & my own sins, the death of Your Son. But I also forgive my executioners as You forgive me. And so on Judgment Day, when these men stand before You, the angels will ask, "What charge is brought against these men?" There will be no one to charge them with guilt. They are already forgiven.' Thomas More at his death said something similar. There were a couple of fallen priests who came to see him, & he said, 'I will ask the good Lord to forgive you, & then you will not be accused, but we will all meet very merrily in heaven.'"
—Venerable Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979)

Commentary: I respect Archbishop Sheen & reverence his life's work, but I'm not so sure about this one. There is an unsettling whiff of the universalist heresy in this quote; that suspicion could just be the fruit of the bitterness & unforgiveness in my own heart, but methinks I stand on solid ground in light of Revelation, 6:9-10:

Revised Standard Version | Second Catholic Edition
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God & for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy & true, how long before You will judge & avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?"

New American Bible
When He broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God. They cried out in a loud voice, "How long will it be, holy & true Master, before You sit in judgment & avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?"