Commentary: Wayback Machine. Today is a textbook example of how BLACK MAMBA is supposed to work: We started off with St. Thomas of Villanova in 2014, then added St. Maurice in '15, St. Emmeram in '16, & St. Ignatius of Santhià this year; slowly but steadily growing in our knowledge & admiration for the great cloud of witnesses which surrounds us: the Christian all-stars, the Catholic hall of fame, those who by the grace of God competed well for the faith—our brothers & sisters in heaven.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Emmeram of Regenbergs, Bishop & Martyr (died circa 652), martyred by Lantpert of Bavaria while shielding another from Lantpert's wrath: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Thomas of Villanova, Bishop, O.S.A. (1488-1555): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Ignatius of Santhià, Priest, O.F.M. Cap (1686-1770): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feria
The First Letter to Timothy, chapter six, verses two(c) thru twelve;
Psalm Forty-nine, verses six & seven; eight, nine, & ten; seventeen & eighteen; & nineteen & twenty;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter eight, verses one, two, & three.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, our Gospel today celebrates the female disciples of Jesus. One of the principal marks of Jesus' teaching is the overturning of social conventions. In service of what he calls the Kingdom of God, God's way of ordering the world, he says and does all sorts of outrageous things.Video reflection by Paula Trigo-Galan: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
And one of the most striking and surprising of Jesus' moves is a radical inclusion of women. He allows women into his inner circle (practically unheard of for a rabbi). He speaks publicly to the woman at the well. He engages the Syro-Phoenician woman. He forgives the woman caught in adultery. Also, the first witnesses of the Resurrection are women.
Luke, who told this story, was a companion of Paul, and his Gospel reflects many of Paul's themes. Paul famously says, "in Christ, there is no slave or free, no Jew or Greek, no male or female". This was very radical stuff in those times, for these were some of the most basic social divisions of the ancient world. Free men were a lot better off than slaves, Jews had huge advantages over Greeks, and males were seen as superior to females. But not anymore, not in light of the Kingdom of God that Jesus announces.
Bible Study—Proverbs in a Month
The Book of Proverbs, chapter twenty-two (verses one thru twenty-nine).
Commentary: III. Sayings of the Wise (Proverbs, 22:17-29). Apparently (unbeknownst 'til now because we started in the middle of the month), to this point we've been in II. First Collection of the Proverbs of Solomon, which lasts from 10:1-22:16. Who knew?
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