Project BLACK MAMBA

'Tis the Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist (first century): Evangelist-link ūnus, Evangelist-link duo, Evangelist-link trēs, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

The early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel according to Luke & the book of Acts of the Apostles. The authorship of these two books places Luke as having written a plurality of the New Testament, more even than (St.) Paul (25 January, 29 June, etc.).

Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

There are only a few certain facts about St. Luke's life. We know him best as the author of the third gospel & the Acts of the Apostles. A Greek himself, he wrote the story of Jesus & the Christian community for Gentile readers. He also accompanied St. Paul on some of his journeys & shared in his sufferings. Probably a physician, Luke may have pioneered as an early member of the church at Antioch. He aimed his books to persuade Gentiles that the Christian story was true. So he made it more accessible to them by filling his gospel with accounts of Christ's openness & mercy. Tradition says Luke lived a long life without marrying & that he died at age eighty-four.

'Tis also the feast of Saint Justus of Beauvais, Martyr (circa 278-287), martyred in the reign of the emperor Diocletian: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The Second Letter to Timothy, chapter four, verses ten thru seventeen(b);
Psalm One Hundred Forty-five, verses ten thru thirteen, seventeen, & eighteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter ten, verses one thru nine.

Personal Reading
The Second Book of Samuel, chapter twenty-three (verses one thru thirty-nine);
The Second Book of Samuel, chapter twenty-four (of twenty-four; verses one thru twenty-five);
The Book of Sirach (or, Ecclesiasticus), chapter two (verses one thru eighteen).

Commentary: Thus concludes the Books of Samuel: The Last Words of David (23:1-7), David's Warriors (23:8-39), Census of the People (24:1-9), the Pestilence (24:10-17), & Sacrifice of Atonement (24:18-25).

The chapter from Sirach was read on the radio by Father John Riccardo, a parish priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit & an exquisite speaker & apologist. I read along (noting where our translations differed), thrilled by the Lord's command: Duties toward God (2, inclusive).