Project BLACK MAMBA

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Hedwig, Religious, O.Cist. (1174-1243, of Silesia, of Andechs, A.K.A. Jadwiga): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

Hedwig always helped the poor, the widow, the orphans, founded several hospitals for the sick & the lepers, & donated all her fortune to the Church. She allowed no one to leave her uncomforted, & one time she spent ten weeks teaching the Our Father to a poor woman.

Aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary [17 November] & mother of Servant of God Henry II the Pious.

'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin, V.H.M. (1647-1690), the "Disciple of the Sacred Heart:" Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link; Sacred Heart-link & Wikipedia-link Sacred Heart.

Commentary: Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

Margaret Mary was a French Roman catholic nun & mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Gerard Majella, Religious, C.Ss.R. (1726-1755): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feria
The Letter to the Romans, chapter one, verses one thru seven;
Psalm Ninety-eight, verses one(b,c,d,e), two & three(a,b), & three (c,d) & four;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter eleven, verses twenty-nine thru thirty-two.

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

Friends, in today's Gospel Jesus tells the crowds who seek a sign that they will only receive the sign of Jonah: "Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation."

Jonah is called by God to preach to Nineveh, which is described as an enormously large city. It takes, they say, three days to walk through it. I can't help but think of Nineveh as one of our large, modern cities, a center of all sorts of worldly activity and preoccupation.

What would its conversion look like? A turning back to God as the only enduring good. After hearing the word of Jonah, the Ninevites proclaim a fast, and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. What is the purpose of these ascetic practices? To wean people away from an attachment to worldly pleasures.

Go beyond the mind that you have. Repent. Live as though nothing in this world finally matters. And you will be living in the kingdom of God!

Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun (Telecare T.V.): U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Hedwig
The Book of Sirach, chapter twenty-six, verses one thru four & thirteen thru sixteen;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-eight, verse one;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter three, verses thirty-one thru thirty-five.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter three, verses fourteen thru nineteen;
Psalm Twenty-three, verse one;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eleven, verses twenty-five thru thirty.

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Bible Study—The Bible Timeline, Session 18: Messianic Fulfillment, Part 1 of 3
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter six (verses one thru forty-nine);
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter seven, verses one thru ten;

Commentary: IV. The Ministry in Galilee (4:14-9:50): Debates about the Sabbath (6:1-11), the Mission of the Twelve (6:12-16), Ministering to a Great Multitude (6:17-19), Sermon on the Plain (6:20-26), Love of Enemies (6:27-36), Judging Others (6:37-42), A Tree Known by Its Fruit (6:43-45), the Two Foundations (6:46-49), & the Healing of a Centurion's Slave (7:1-10).

Bible Study—Proverbs in a Month
The Book of Proverbs, chapter sixteen (verses one thru thirty-three).

Commentary: II: First Collection of the Wisdom of Solomon (cont'd, 16:1-33).