Project BLACK MAMBA: The Advent Daily Double

Today, 6 December is the Optional Memorial of Saint Nicholas, Bishop (circa 270-343): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, & his concern for sailors & ships. One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value—a dowry. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home, providing the needed dowries. The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas.

Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

Both the Eastern & Western Churches honor St. Nicholas, & it is claimed that after the Blessed Virgin, he is the saint most pictured by Christian artists. And yet, historically, we can pinpoint only the fact that Nicholas was the fourth-century bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor. Perhaps the best-known story about Nicholas concerns his charity toward a poor man who was unable to provide dowries for his three daughters of marriageable age. Rather than se them forced into prostitution, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold through the poor man's window on three separate occasions, thus enabling the daughters to be married. This story helps explain how Saint Nicholas, renowned for his generosity, became Santa Claus in popular imagination.

'Tis also the feast of Blessed Peter Pascual, Bishop & Martyr (circa 1227-1299), martyred in the reign of the sultan Muhammed II al-Faqih: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
Advent Weekday
The Book of Isaiah, chapter forty, verses one thru eleven;
Psalm Ninety-six, verses one, two, three, ten(a,c), eleven, twelve, & thirteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eighteen, verses twelve, thirteen, & fourteen;

or, for St. Nicholas:
The Book of Isaiah, chapter six, verses one thru eight;
Psalm Forty, verses eight(a) & nine(a);
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter ten, verses one thru nine.

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Tuesday, 29 November was the feast of Saint Brendan of Birr, Abbot (died circa 572), one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link XII.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '14.

'Twas also the feast of Blesseds Denis of the Nativity, Priest, & Redemptorus of the Cross, Religious, Martyrs, O.C.D. (died 1638), martyred at the instigation of the Dutch East India Company: Martyr-link Delta & Wikipedia-link Delta, Martyr-link Romeo & Wikipedia-link Romeo.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '15.

'Twas also the feast of Our Lady of Baeuraing (apparitions 1932-1933, A.K.A. Our Lady of the Golden Heart): Our Lady-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The Book of Isaiah, chapter eleven, verses one thru ten;
Psalm Seventy-two, verses one, two, seven, eight, twelve, thirteen, & seventeen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter ten, verses twenty-one thru twenty-four.