Project BLACK MAMBA

'Tis the Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, C.O., O.M., O.F.M. Cap. (1567-1622), co-founder of the Visitation Sisters, formally the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary: Doctor-link ūnus, Doctor-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link V.H.M.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

He became noted for his deep faith & his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation.

Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

Francis was destined by his father to be a lawyer so that the young man could eventually take his elder's place as a senator from the province of Savoy in France. For this reason Francis wassent to Padua to study law. After receiving his doctorate, he returned home &, in due time, told his parents he wished to enter the priesthood. Francis was ordained & elected provost of the Diocese of Geneva, then a center for the Calvinists. Francis set out to convert them, especially in the district of Chablais. By preaching & distributing the little pamphlets he wrote to explain true Catholic doctrine, he had remarkable success. His gentle character was a great asset in winning souls. He practiced his own axiom, "A spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar."

'Tis also the feast of Saint Felician of Foligno, Bishop & Martyr (circa 160-250), martyred in the reign of the emperor Decius: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the feast of Blessed Wincenty Lewoniuk & Companions, Martyrs (died 1874, A.K.A. the Martyrs of Pratulin, the Martyrs of Podlasie), martyred in the reign of the emperor Alexander II: Martyr-link Whiskey Lima, Martyrs-link XIII, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
Weekday
The Leter to the Hebrews, chapter ten, verses one thru ten;
Psalm Forty, verses two, four(a,b), seven, eight(a), ten, & eleven;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter three, verses thirty-one thru thirty-five;

or, for St. Francis:
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter three, verses eight thru twelve;
Psalm Thirty-seven, verse thirty(a);
The Gospel according to John, chapter fifteen, verses nine thru seventeen.

Individual Reading
Psalm Fifty-one (verses one thru twenty-one);
Psalm Fifty-two (verses one thru eleven);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-five (verses one thru forty-six).

Commentary: Reading Psalm 51 was my penance from confession yesterday; I read it last night before retiring, as instructed, & again this morning. I cannot overstate my admiration for the work Monsignor Vincke & Father Koenigsknecht are doing over at Holy Family, by offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation every weekday afternoon. "To priest" isn't a verb, but if 'twas, that's how you'd priest!

The Miserere: Prayer of Repentance (Psalm 51); the Deceitful Tongue (Psalm 52); the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew, 25:1-13), the Parable of the Talents (25:14-30), & the Judgment of the Nations (25:31-46).