Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Saints + Scripture

'Tis the festival of Saints Marcus & Marcellianus, Martyrs (died circa 286), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian & Maximian: Martyr-link Mike-Sierra, Martyr-link Mike-Lima, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Twin brothers, sons of St. Tranquillinus [6 July].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Eadgyth of Aylesbury, Religious (died circa 650, also spelt Edith): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Sister of St. Eadburh of Bicester [18 July].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Elisabeth of Schönau, Abbess, O.S.B. (circa 1126-1164), abbess of Schönau Abbey: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Abbey.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Gregorio Barbarigo, Bishop (1625-1697): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link Bergamo & Wikipedia-link Bergamo; & Wikipedia-link Padua.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter eight, verses one thru nine;
Psalm One Hundred Forty-six, verses two, five & six(a/b), six(c) & seven, & eight & nine(a);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter five, verses forty-three thru forty-eight.

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, once again our Gospel today is taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It is one of the most puzzling texts in the New Testament. It speaks of loving our enemies. Not tolerating them, or vaguely accepting them, but loving them. When you hate your enemy, you confirm him as your enemy. But when you love him in response to his hatred, you confuse and confound him, taking away the very energy that feeds his hatred.

There is a form of oriental martial arts called
aikido. The idea of aikido is to absorb the aggressive energy of your opponent, moving with it, continually frustrating him until he comes to the point of realizing that fighting is useless.

Some have pointed out that there is a great deal of this in Jesus’ strategy of nonviolence and love of the enemy. You creatively absorb the aggression of your opponent, channeling it back against him, to show him the futility of violence. So when someone insults you, send back a compliment instead of an insult.
Video reflection by Father Joseph Rogliano: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Scripture Study—Day 91: Covenant Crag, Day 2
The Book of Genesis, chapter four, verses three thru seven.

Commentary: Cain & Abel (cont'd; Genesis, 4:3-7).

Papal Quote o' the Day
"Love alone makes Jesus the Savior. Only through the ways of love can we approach Him, imitate Him, & bring Him into our souls. Only through the ways of love can we bring Him into the ever dramatic vicissitudes of human history."
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 29 May)
Little Flower Quote o' the Day
"I remember His Love for the prodigal son, I have heard His words to Mary Magdalene, to the woman taken in adultery, to the woman of Samaria. No—there is no one who could frighten me, for I know too well what to believe concerning His mercy & His love."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
Saint Quote o' the Day
"Judas went to the Sanhedrin, to the chief council of the city, & said to them, 'What will you give me?' Everything wrong begins with 'Give me.' The prodigal son when he left home said, 'Give me.' 'What will you give me if deliver Him to you?' They talked among themselves, & they fixed the fee at the price of a slave. What was our Lord worth? About thirty pieces of silver. A slave, He was. The Greek word for 'slave' is doulos. It is used over forty times in the New Testament. A slave does two things: he does hard things, & he does dirty things, even bearing the burden of human sin. So the price was fixed; they gathered together thirty pieces of silver, & they dropped them one by one into that hand that was blessed by the Lord when Judas was called to be an apostle. Judas went out with his thirty pieces of silver. Remember, you can sell the Lord, but you can never buy Him. We get sick of selling the Lord as Judas was, when he brought back his money & flung it into their faces, saying 'I've betrayed innocent blood.' Think about your lives. How many times have you sold Christ?"
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

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