Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Complex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

The Popish Plot
"The Pope's Prayer Intentions for September 2019"

'Tis the Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church, O.S.B. (circa 540-604, A.K.A. Gregory I, the Dialogist), sixty-fourth (LXIV) Bishop of Rome: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Pontiffs-link & Wikipedia-link Pontiff; & Doctors-link & Wikipedia-link Doctors.


Commentary: Wayback Machine. Great-grandson of Pope St. Felix III [1 March], son of St. Silvia of Rome [3 November], & nephew of Ss. Emiliana [5 January] & Trasilla [24 December].

Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
He is famous for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregorian Mission, to convert the then-pagan Anglo-Saxons in England to Christianity. Gregory is also well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope.
Wikipedia-link Mission


'Tis also the festival of Saint Phoebe of Rome, Deaconess (first century): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Mansuetus of Toul, Bishop (died circa 375, the "Apostle of Lorraine;" also spelt Mansuy), inaugural (I) Bishop of Toul: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link Toul & Wikipedia-link Toul.

'Tis also the festival of Blesseds John of Perugia & Peter of Sassoferrato, Martyrs (died 1231), martyred in the reign of the Almohad king Idris al-Ma'mun: Martyr-link Juliett, Martyr-link Papa, & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Blesseds Bibiane & Angèle-Marie, Religious & Martyrs (died 1995, A.K.A. Dénise Leclerc & Jeanne Littlejohn), martyred by jihadist Muslims of the Armed Islamic Group, two of the nineteen Martyrs of Algeria: Martyr-link Bravo, Martyr-link Alpha-Mike, & Wikipedia-link (List); Wikipedia-link Algeria.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
The First Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter five, verses one thru six, nine, ten, & eleven;
Psalm Twenty-seven, verses one, four, & thirteen & fourteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter four, verses thirty-one thru thirty-seven.

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus teaches in the synagogue at Capernaum. One of the things that he comes to do is to teach, for at the root of our troubles and our suffering is a powerful clouding of the mind. What is it like to be in the same room with Jesus? “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority.”

“Astonished” is a pretty strong word. But we have to understand the tenor of the time. When a Jewish rabbi would speak, he would reference his teacher—another rabbi—who in turn had learned from another rabbi, and he by another, and so on. Finally, appeal would be made, implicitly or otherwise, to Moses, who had received the word and Commandments of God on Mt. Sinai.

What makes Jesus’ teaching so striking—apart from the content, which is striking enough—is his manner of teaching. He doesn’t appeal to “Rabbi so and so” and finally back to Moses. He teaches on his own authority. The Greek word here is instructive (
exousia), meaning “from his own being.” He moves through his public life, Chesterton said, like a lightning bolt.
Video reflection by Sister Peggy Gorman, R.S.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Mass Readings—Memorial of St. Gregory the Great
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter four, verses one, two, five, six & seven;
Psalm Ninety-six, verses one & two(a), two(b) & three, seven & eight, & ten;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-two, verses twenty-four thru thirty.

Papal Quote o' the Day
"Let us at long last place human life itself among those precious assets that deserve our every protection. Doctors & social workers, lawmakers, journalists, & teachers ought to be in conscience bound to call publicly for the legal protection of human life."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
Saint Quote o' the Day
"It is true that in every single system of authoritarianism fear is the basis of obedience. But because we start with the Person of Christ, the basis of our obedience is not fear, it is love. You cannot love dialectical materialism, but you can love a person. Between our Lord & us there is the bond of love. These two are inseparable. That is why our Lord did not communicate to Peter the power of ruling & governing His Church until Peter told our Lord three times that he loved Him. The power to command in the Church comes only from obedience to Christ. Therefore, the submission that we as Catholics make to the Church is something like the submission that we make to one of our most devoted friends. It is like the obedience of a son to a loving father. We do not feel any distance between our Lord & us. As a pupil becomes more & more attached to his teacher by absorbing more of the truths of the teacher, so too, the more we become more & more united to Christ, the more we love Him & also the more truth we absorb. The more we know our Lord, the more we obey the truth manifested through His Church, & the less we fear. That is why scripture says, 'Perfect love casts out fear.' The more His truth abounds, the more we love Him."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

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