Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
He was a Lebanese monk, born in a small mountain village & ordained in 1858. Devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he spent the last twenty-three years of his life as a hermit. Despite temptations to wealth & comfort, Saint Sharbel taught the value of poverty, self-sacrifice, & prayer by the way he lived.I visited the local Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church this past Sunday, 21 July, for their annual Mid-east Festival (great eats). In the Maronite Church, 21 July is St. Sharbel Makhlūf's feast day & I was fortunate enough to venerate the saint's relics on the altar.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Declán of Ardmore, Bishop (fifth century, also spelt Déaglán), founder of the monastery which gave rise to the town of Ardmore (Aird Mhór): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Aird Mhór.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Kinga of Poland, Abbess, O.S.C. (circa 1224-1292; A.K.A. Kunigunde, also spelt Cunegunda, etc.), Grand Duchess of Poland: Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Great-niece of St. Hedwig of Silesia [16 October], niece of Ss. Elizabeth of Hungary [17 November] & Agnes of Prague [2 March], sister of St. Margaret of Hungary [18 January] & Bl. Yolanda of Poland [11 June], & sister-in-law of Bl. Salomea of Poland [17 November].
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Louise of Savoy, Religious, O.S.C. (1461-1503): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Descendant of St. Elizabeth of Hungary [17 November] & so distant kin of St. Kinga of Poland [24 July], et al.; daughter of Bl. Amadeus of Savoy [30 March] & cousin of St. Joan of Valois [4 February].
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Joseph Lambton, Priest & Martyr (circa 1568-1592), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, one of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link England & Wales & Wikipedia-link England & Wales.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Exodus, chapter sixteen, verses one thru five & nine thru fifteen;
Psalm Seventh-eight, verses eighteen & nineteen, twenty-three & twenty-four, twenty-five & twenty-six, & twenty-seven & twenty-eight;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter thirteen, verses one thru nine.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, our Gospel for today is the parable of the sower and the seed. It has to do with the growth and development of the kingdom of God. We hear that Jesus "went out of the house and sat down by the sea" and that large crowds gathered around him. This is Jesus speaking to the whole world.Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Sitting down, he is, again, in the attitude of the ancient teacher and judge, and he speaks the parable of the sower. The sower sows far and wide, some of the seed landing on the path, where the birds eat it up; some falling on rocky ground, where it is scorched in the sun; some sown among thorns, where the life is choked off; and some sown on rich soil, where it bears thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.
Keep in mind that Jesus himself, in person, is the seed sown. Jesus is the Logos that wants to take root in us. This seed is sown far and wide, through all sorts of means, but in you, let the seed be sown deep, where it can’t be stolen, scorched, or choked.
Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhlūf
The Book of Sirach, chapter three, verses seventeen thru twenty-four;
Psalm Fifteen, verses two & three(a/b), three(c/d) & four(a/b), & five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter nineteen, verses twenty-seven, twenty-eight, & twenty-nine.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Strong in faith,put upa good fight; the future belongs to the believers & not to the skeptics & doubters. The future belongs to those who love, not to those who hate. The Church's mission in the world, far from having ended or outmoded, goes out to meet new trials & fresh enterprises."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Ven. Pius XII (1876-1958)
"The poor & the sick are the heart of God. In serving them, we serve Jesus Christ."
—St. Camillus de Lellis (1551-1614, feast day: 14 July)
No comments:
Post a Comment