Project BLACK MAMBA: Eastertide

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chanel, Priest & Martyr, S.M. (1803-1841), martyred in the reign of the king Niuliki: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

St. Peter was a Catholic priest, missionary, & martyr. His group was initially well received by Futuna's king, Niuliki. Fr. Peter struggled to learn the language & mastered it. Despite little apparent success & severe want, he maintained endless patience & courage. When the king's son sough to be baptized, the king instructed for Peter to be killed. The killer, in need of medical attention, went to Chanel for care, & subsequently clubbed him to death.

Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

St. Peter was born in the town of Cuet in France in 1803. After ordination to the priesthood, he was engaged in pastoral work for a few years. he then joined the Marists & journeyed to Oceania to preach the Gospel. Despite many hardships he converted some of the natives to the faith. Out of hatred for the faith, a band of native warriors killed him in 1841 on the island of Futuna.

'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, Priest, T.O.S.D. (1673-1716), founder of the Company of Mary; the Daughters of Wisdom; & the Gabrielite Brothers, formally the Brothers of Christian Instruction of St. Gabriel: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Company, Wikipedia-link Daughters, & Wikipedia-link Brothers.

Commentary: Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

St. Louis Marie was a French Roman Catholic priest & confessor. He was known in his time as a preacher & was made a Missionary Apostolic. St. Louis is known for his particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary & the practice of praying the Rosary. St. Louis is considered as one of the early writers in the field of Mariology.

Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

St. Louis de Montfort was born to a poor family at Montfort-La-Cane in Brittany. Ordained at twenty-seven, he was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. he wrote books such as The Secret of the Rosary & True Devotion to Mary. He founded an order of priests called the Company of Mary & a religious institute of women devoted to the poor, the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Widsom.

Last year, I speculated that there must be some unknown official reason why St. Peter Chanel's optional memorial takes precedence over St. Louis de Montfort's, but I myself did not have a theory. (A theory made "necessary" only to satisfy my vainglory, which insists that BLACK MAMBA's practice of chronologically ordering equally-ranked festivals must be correct.) This year, I do have a theory: St. Peter's martyrdom. There is no higher honor in the Christian faith than to have died for the true confession of that faith; so, St. Peter's optional memorial might, in fact, be of superior rank to St. Louis's, since St. Peter's earthly life earned him a martyr's crown.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Marie Louise Trichet, Religious (1684-1759), co-foundress of the Daughters of Wisdom: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Daughters.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, Confessor (1922-1962): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Easter Weekday
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter five, verses thirty-four thru forty-two;
Psalm Twenty-seven, verses one, four, & thirteen & fourteen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses one thru fifteen.

Commentary: Easter Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron:

Friends, our Gospel today focuses on St. John’s intense meditation on the meaning of the Eucharist. The tone is set with the familiar story of the feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle story mentioned in all four Gospels. This scene deeply affected the first Christians. Jesus instructs the crowd to recline on the grass. Taking the barley loaves and dried fish, Jesus makes a meal that satisfies the enormous crowd. They are hungry, tired, worn out from their exertions, and Jesus gives them sustenance for the day.

For Thomas Aquinas, the great metaphor for the Eucharist is sustenance, food for the journey. Baptism defines us, making us sons and daughters of God; confirmation confirms and deepens this identity; marriage and holy orders seal us in our life’s vocation. These are sacraments offered once at key moments in one’s life.

Then there is the Eucharist, which is daily food, nourishment to get us through the day-to-day. How effective would we be if we never ate, or ate only on special occasions and in a festive environment? Not very. So, in the spiritual life, we must eat and drink or we will not have the strength.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Peter
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter one, verses eighteen thru twenty-five;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter sixteen, verse fifteen;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter one, verses fourteen thru twenty.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Louis
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter one, verses eighteen thru twenty-five;
Psalm Forty, verses eight(a) & nine(a);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-eight, verses sixteen thru twenty.