Friday, August 28, 2020

Saints + Scripture

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

The Popish Plot
"Year 3: What a Crazy Year It's Been!"

'Tis the Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop & Doctor of the Church (354-430, of Hippo; A.K.A. Aurelius Augustinus), fifth (V) Bishop of Hippo Regius (395-430), also a Father of the Church, & author of the Confessions: Doctor-link ūnus, Doctor-link duo, Doctor-link trēs, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Hippos Regius; Doctors-link & Wikipedia-link Doctors; Fathers-link & Wikipedia-link Fathers; & Confessions-link & Wikipedia-link Confessions.


Commentary: Wayback Machine. Son of St. Monica [27 August].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Hermes of Rome, Martyr (died circa 120), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Brother of St. Theodora of Rome [1 April].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Moses the Black, Priest & Martyr (330-405, of Skete [also spelt Scetis]; A.K.A. the Robber, the Ethiopian, the Strong), one of the Desert Fathers, martyred by pagan Mazices (Berbers): Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Desert Fathers.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Henry Webley, Martyr (circa 1558-1588), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, one of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyr-link England & Wales & Wikipedia-link England & Wales.

'Tis also the festival of Blesseds James Claxton, William Dean, William Gunter, Thomas Holford, Hugh More, & Robert Morton, Priests & Martyrs (died 1588), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, six of the one hundred fifty-eight Martyrs of Douai: Martyr-link Juliett Charlie, Martyr-link Whiskey Delta & Wikipedia-link Whiskey Delta, Martyr-link Whiskey Golf, Wikipedia-link Tango Hotel, Martyr-link Hotel Mike, & Martyr-link Romeo Mike; Martyrs-link Douai & Wikipedia-link Douai.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Thomas Felton, Religious & Martyr, O.F.M. (circa 1566-1588), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, one of the one hundred fifty-eight Martyrs of Douai: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link Douai & Wikipedia-link Douai.

Commentary: Bl. Thomas is a son of the martyr Bl. John Felton [8 August]. Our sources indicate that he was seminarian who had studied for the priesthood at Douai & had not been ordained by the time of his martyrdom; no disrespect is intended if he had indeed been ordained a priest.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Edmund Arrowsmith, Priest & Martyr, S.J. (1585-1628; A.K.A. Brian Arrowsmith, Edmund Bradshaw, Edmund Rigby), martyred in the reign of the Anglo-Scottish king Charles I, one of the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link England & Wales & Wikipedia-link England & Wales.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter one, verses seventeen thru twenty-five;
Psalm Thirty-three (R/. five), verses one & two, four & five, & ten & eleven;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-five, verses one thru thirteen.

Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus recognizes the prudence of the ten wise virgins. In the Middle Ages, prudence was called “the queen of the virtues,” because it enabled one to do the right thing in a particular situation. Prudence is a feel for the moral situation, something like the feel that a quarterback has for the playing field or a politician has for the voters in his district.

Wisdom is, like prudence, a kind of vision, but it is, unlike prudence, a sense of the big picture. It is the capacity to survey reality from the vantage point of God, appreciating the grandest perspective. Without wisdom even the most prudent judgment will be erroneous, short-sighted, inadequate.

The combination, therefore, of prudence and wisdom is especially powerful. Someone who is both wise and prudent will have both a sense of the big picture and a feel for the particular situation.

This is the combination possessed by the saints. This is why so many of the saints could be both ethereal and practical. Think of Mother Cabrini—a woman with a remarkably broad vision who was also capable of negotiating with bankers and real estate brokers.
Video reflection by Father Praveen Lakkisetti (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor John Bergsma (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.


Mass Readings—Memorial of St. Augustine
The First Letter of John, chapter four, verses seven thru sixteen;
Psalm One Hundred Nineteen (R/. twelve), verses nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, & fourteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-three, verses eight thru twelve.

Scripture Study—Day 91: Decapitation Rock, Day 26
The Second Book of Samuel, chapter twenty, verses one, two, & four thru ten.

Commentary: The Rebellion of Sheba (2 Samuel, 20:1-2, 4-10).

Papal Quote o' the Day
"We have our individual personal duty to be good. That does not mean to be weak. It means to be capable of breaking the sad chain of evil by patience & forgiveness. It means to love, that is, to be Christians."
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)
Saint Quote o' the Day
"In my deepest wound I saw Your glory, & it dazzled me."
—St. Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church (354-430, feast: 28 August)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
"If you hear of someone who doesn't want to have her child, who wants to have an abortion, try to convince her to bring the child to me. I will love that child, who is a sign of God's love… I don't think any human heart should dare to take life, or any human hand be raised to destroy life. Life is the life of God in us. Life is the greatest gift that God has bestowed on human beings, & man has been created in the image of God. Life belongs to God, & we have no right to destory it."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

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