Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter one, verse two & chapter two, verses twenty-one, twenty-two, & twenty-three;
Psalm Ninety, verses three & four, five & six, twelve & thirteen, & fourteen & seventeen;
The Letter to the Colossians, chapter three, verses one thru five;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twelve, verses thirteen thru twenty-one.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today in our Gospel Jesus tells of a rich man who has been so successful that he doesn’t have space enough to store his harvest. So he tears down his barns and builds bigger ones. But that very night, he dies—and all of it comes to naught. “Thus it will be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
No matter how good, how beautiful a state of affairs is here below, it is destined to pass into nonbeing. That sunset that I enjoyed last night—that radiantly beautiful display—is now forever gone. It lasted only a while. That beautiful person—attractive, young, full of life, creative, joyful—will eventually age, get sick, break down, and die.
An image that always comes to mind when I think of these things is the gorgeous firework that bursts open like a giant flower and then, in the twinkling of an eye, is gone forever. Everything is haunted by nonbeing. Everything, finally, is a bubble.
But this is not meant to depress us; it is meant to redirect our attention precisely to the things that are “above,” to the eternity of God.
Video reflection by Father Claude Burns (uCatholic): Weekend Reflection with Father Pontifex.
Audio reflection by Scott Hahn, Ph.D. (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Breaking the Bread.
Scripture Study—Day 91: Progeny Point, Day 7
The Book of Genesis, chapter twenty-seven, verses one thru twenty-nine.
Commentary: Isaac Blesses Jacob (Genesis, 27:1-29).
Mass Journal: Week 36
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute:
Within each of us there is a light. It is the light of God, & when it shines it reflects not only the wonder of God but also the greatness of the human spirit. We live in difficult times. I pray that we never become fearful, but rather we turn our focus to nurturing the light within us. I hope we allow that light within us to be nourished & to grow. Darkness has one nemey that it can never defeat, & that is light. Let your light shine! The best thing you can do for yourself is to become the-best-version-of-yourself. The best thing you can do for your spouse, your children, your friends, your Church, your nation, & God is to become the-best-version-of-yourself.†
Otherwise, 4 August would be the festival of Saint Sithney, Religious (died circa 529, A.K.A. Senzi): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Twould also be the festival of Saint Euphronius of Tours, Bishop (530-573), Archbishop of Tours: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link Tours & Wikipedia-link Tours.
'Twould also be the festival of Saint Lua, Priest & Abbot (circa 554-609, of Killaloe, of Limerick; also spelt Lughaidh, Molua), founder of a monastery around which arose Killaloe: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Killaloe.
'Twould also be the festival of Blessed William Horne, Religious & Martyr, O.Cart. (died 1540), martyred in the reign of the English king Henry VIII, one of the Carthusian Martyrs of London: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link (List); Martyrs-link Charterhouse & Wikipedia-link Charterhouse.
'Twould also be the festival of Saint John Vianney, Priest (1786-1859, the "Curé d'Ars"): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: "Curé d'Ars" meaning "curate of Ars," curate being a term for a priest as one who has care [cura] for souls.
Quoth Minute Meditations from the Popes:
Lord God, St. John Vianney spent much of his life listening to the confessions of the faithful. May his example teach me to rededicate myself to the reconciliation You are offering.Papal Quote o' the Day
"Confession is an act of honest & courage; an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to a loving & forgiving God. It is an act of the prodigal son who returns to his Father & is welcomed by Him with the gift of peace."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"On the Way of the Cross, you see, my children, only the first step is painful. Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses… We have not the courage to carry our cross, & we are very much mistaken; for, whatever we do, the cross holds us tight—we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses, & make use of them to take us to heaven?"
—St. John Vianney (1786-1859, feast day: 4 August)
No comments:
Post a Comment