Project BLACK MAMBA

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr (circa 907-935, A.K.A. Duke Wenceslaus I of Bohemia), martyred by his usurper brother Boleslaus the Cruel: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

He was the duke of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935. His younger brother, Boleslaus the Cruel, was complicit in the murder. His martyrdom & the popularity of several biographies gave rise to a reputation for heroic goodness. Posthumously was a king & came to be seen as the patron saint of the Czech state.

Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:

Wenceslaus was born in Bohemia in 907. His father was killed in battle when Wenceslaus was young. This left the kingdom of Bohemia in the hands of his pagan mother, who favored the anti-Christian factions. Ludmilla, Wenceslaus's grandmother, took over his education. Ludmilla was determined that Wenceslaus would do two things: be a Christian & rule his country. He worked with the Church, ended the persecution of the Christians, brought back exiled priests, & built churches. Wenceslaus set an example all could follow. He gave alms, was just to those who were rich & those who were poor, visited prisoners, & promoted the religious & educational improvement of his people.

'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence Ruiz & Companions, Martyrs (died 1633-1637, A.K.A. the Sixteen Martyrs of Japan), martyred in the reign of the shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu: Martyr-link Lima Romeo ūnus, Martyr-link Lima Romeo duo, & Wikipedia-link Lima Romeo; Martyr-link Alpha Golf & Wikipedia-link Alpha Golf; & Wikipedia-link XVI.

Commentary: Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

St. Lawrence was Chinese-Filipino, he became the country's protomartyr after his execution in Japan by the Tokugawa Shogunate during its persecution of Japanese Christians in the seventeenth century.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Faustus of Riez, Bishop & Abbot (circa 405-495): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Jan of Dukla, Priest, O.F.M. Conv. (1414-1484, Anglicized as John of Dukla): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feria
The Book of Haggai, chapter one, verses one thru eight;
Psalm One Hundred Forty-nine, verses one(b) & two; three & four; & five, six(a), & nine(b);
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter nine, verses seven, eight, & nine.

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, in today's Gospel we see Herod interested in and perplexed by Jesus. Political rulers don't come across well in the New Testament. In Luke's Christmas account, Caesar Augustus is compared very unfavorably to the Christ child. And that child, in Matthew's account is hunted down by the desperate Herod. Later, Herod's son persecutes John the Baptist and Jesus himself. More to it, the Jewish authorities are seen in all of the Gospels as corrupt.

And Pontius Pilate is a typical Roman governor: efficient, concerned for order, brutal. Like the other rulers of the time, he perceives Jesus, quite correctly, as a threat. "So you are a king?" Pilate asks. Jesus says, "My kingdom does not belong to this world."

This does not mean that Jesus is unconcerned for the realities of politics, with the very "this-worldly" concerns of justice, peace, and right order. When he speaks of his kingdom not belonging to the "world", he shades the negative side of that term. The "world" is the realm of sin, selfishness, hatred, violence. What he is saying is that his way of ordering things is not typical of the worldly powers like Pilate, Caesar, and Herod.

Video reflection by Father Don Miller, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Wenceslaus
The First Letter of Peter, chapter three, verses fourteen thru seventeen;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-six, verse five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter ten, verses thirty-four thru thirty-nine.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence Ruiz & Companions
The Book of Wisdom, chapter three, verses one thru nine;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-four, verse seven;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter ten, verses twenty-eight thru thirty-three.

†

Bible Study—Proverbs in a Month
The Book of Proverbs, chapter twenty-eight (verses one thru twenty-eight).

Bonus! Song of the Day
The Irish Rovers, "Good King Wenceslaus" from An Irish Christmas (The Last Angry Man)