Today we remember Saint Silverius, Pope (& Martyr?) (died 537), deposed & exiled by the Byzantine general Belisarius: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: It seems clear to me that Pope St. Silverius is a martyr for the faith. He was consecrated as Bishop of Rome in 536 amidst Belisarius's reconquest of the Italian peninsula for the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire under Justinian the Great, deposed & exiled by Belisarius in 537, & starved to death in exile later that year. Straightforward martyrdom, yet neither of my sources name him a martyr. I wonder if this is due in part to the uncertain role his successor, Pope Vigilius—who is not recognized as a saint—played in St. Silverius's exile.
We also remember Blessed Rafal Chylinski, Priest, O.F.M. Conv. (1694-1741): Blessed-link ūnus & Blessed-link duo (the Wikipedia-link is a list of "saints & blesseds in the 18th century").
Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter five (verses one thru forty-eight).
Commentary: The Beatitudes!
Mass Readings
The Book of Isaiah, chapter twenty-five, verses six thru ten(a);
Psalm Twenty-three, verses one thru six;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter fifteen, verses twenty-nine thru thirty-seven.
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