Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
These twenty-two saints from Uganda, Africa*, were martyred between 1886 &1887 be King Mwanga. They had refused to commit sins of impurity & to give up the Catholic faith. Their leader, Charles Lwanga, was burned to death on 3 June after suffering terrible torture. They are the first African martyrs†. St. Charles Lwanga & Companions were canonized during the third session of the Second Vatican Council.*Would such a bulletin hagiography ever say a martyr hailed "from Germany, Europe"? No, of course not. So why "Uganda, Africa," as opposed to just "Uganda"? Might we confuse Uganda, Africa with Uganda, Australia? It irks me that we treat Africa differently than any of the other continents, even in the supposedly enlighened twenty-first century.
†This is the same text as the Holy Family bulletin published last year, & to it I raise the same objection. Was not the virgin & martyr St. Catherine of Alexandria (25 November) from Africa? The Church has been present in Africa since the first century; the Acts of the Apostles (chapter eight) reports the baptism of the eunuch in change of the Ethiopian royal treasury by the deacon St. Philip (11 October) in the first years of the Church. St. Charles Lwanga & his companions may well have been the first sub-Saharan African martyrs &/or the first black African martyrs, but it is ignorant & narrow-minded to call them the "first African martyrs." Richard P. McBrien's The Pocket Guide to the Saints does a better job when it describes the Uganda Martyrs as "the protomartyrs of black Africa."
'Tis also the festival of Saint Juan Grande Román, Religious, O.H. (1546-1600, A.K.A. Juan Grande Pecador, "John the Great Sinner"): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Easter Weekday
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter twenty-eight, verses sixteen thru twenty, thirty, & thirty-one;
Psalm Eleven, verses four, five & seven;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twenty-one, verses twenty thru twenty-five.
Commentary: Easter Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today in the Gospel Jesus rebuffs Peter’s question about the fate of John. “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” The undercurrent here is the promise of eternal life, the union of divinity and humanity, and the call to follow Jesus. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning or wailing or pain for the old order has passed away.”Mass Readings—Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga & Companions
Think of the oceans of tears that have been shed by suffering humanity up and down the ages. Think of the agony caused by sickness, psychological torment, and by the death of loved ones. It will all be swallowed up, washed away, taken up into a higher place.
And what makes all of this possible? Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. He is the reconciliation of divinity and humanity; he is the new Jerusalem; he is the accomplishment of the covenant.
The Second Book of Maccabees, chapter seven, verses one, two, & nine thru fourteen;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-four, verse seven;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter five, verses one thru twelve(a).
Mass Readings—Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday: Vigil
The Book of Genesis, chapter eleven, verses one thru nine;
or, the Book of Exodus, chapter nineteen, verses three thru eight & sixteen thru twenty(b);
or, the Book of Ezekiel, chapter thirty-seven, verses one thru fourteen;
or, the Book of Joel, chapter three, verses one thru five;
Psalm One Hundred Four, verses one & two, twenty-four & thirty-five(c), twenty-seven & twenty-eight, & twenty-nine(b,c) & thirty;
The Letter to the Romans, chapter eight, verses twenty-two thru twenty-seven;
The Gospel according to John, chapter seven, verses thirty-seven, thirty-eight, & thirty-nine.
Mass Readings—Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday: Extended Vigil
The Book of Genesis, chapter eleven, verses one thru nine;
Psalm Thirty-three, verses ten & eleven, twelve & thirteen, & fourteen & fifteen;
The Book of Exodus, chapter nineteen, verses three thru eight & sixteen thru twenty(b);
The Book of Daniel, chapter three, verses fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five, & fifty-six;
or, Psalm Nineteen, verses eight, nine, ten, & eleven;
The Book of Ezekiel, chapter thirty-seven, verses one thru fourteen;
Psalm One Hundred Seven, verses two & three, four & five, six & seven, & eight & nine;
The Book of Joel, chapter three, verses one thru five;
Psalm One Hundred Four, verses one & two, twenty-four & thirty-five(c), twenty-seven & twenty-eight, & twenty-nine(b,c) & thirty;
The Letter to the Romans, chapter eight, verses twenty-two thru twenty-seven;
The Gospel according to John, chapter seven, verses thirty-seven, thirty-eight, & thirty-nine.
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