Project BLACK MAMBA

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Hilary, Bishop & Doctor of the Church (circa 310-368): Doctor-link ūnus, Doctor-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

He was Bishop of Poitiers & is a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians." He worked to strengthen the Church in France & Spain. He also rebuilt many Roman churches, & erected the chapel of St. John Lateran. He rebuked the Emperor [Constantius II] for supporting heresy & consolidated the Church in Sandi, Africa, & Gaul.

Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

Raised a pagan, he was converted to Christianity when he met his God of nature in the Scriptures. His wife was still living when he was chosen, against his will, to be the bishop of Poitiers in France. He was soon taken up with battling what became the scourge of the fourth century, Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. When Emperor Constantius ordered all the bishops of the West to sign a condemnation of (St.) Athanasius (2 May), the great defender of the faith in the East, Hilary refused & was banished from France to far off Phrygia. Eventually he was called the "Athanasius of the West."

It irks me that we do not honor all the Doctors of the Church with obligatory Memorials. There are only thirty-six of them, after all, & some of them even share a feast day—Ss. Basil the Great & Gregory of Nazianzus on 2 January, for example; surely this could be made to work!

'Tis also the feast of Saint Mungo, Bishop (circa 518-614, A.K.A. Kentigern): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Let Glasgow flourish.

'Tis also the feast of Blessed Veronica of Milan, Religious (circa 1445-1497): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
Weekday
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter four, verses one thru five & eleven;
Psalm Seventy-eight, verses three, four(b,c), & six(c) thru eight;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter two, verses one thru twelve;

or, for St. Hilary:
The First Letter of John, chapter two, verses eighteen thru twenty-five;
Psalm One Hundred Ten, verse four(b);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter five, verses thirteen thru nineteen.