Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
She is the patroness of musicians. It is written that as the musicians played at her wedding she "sang in her heart to the Lord." She is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.'Tis also the festival of Saints Philemon & Apphia, Martyrs (died circa 68), martyred in the reign of the emperor Nero, recipients of the Letter to Philemon: Martyr-link Papa, Martyr-link Alpha, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Epistle.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Tommaso Reggio, Bishop (1818-1901): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feria
The Second Book of Maccabees, chapter seven, verses one & twenty-one thru thirty;
Psalm Seventeen, verses one(b/c/d), five & six, & eight(b) & fifteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter nineteen, verses eleven thru twenty-eight.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today's Gospel Jesus uses images drawn from the world of business to instruct us in Christian living. And he especially liked the dynamic of investment, risk, and return as a model of the spiritual life. The reason is clear. God exists in gift form. Therefore, if you want his life in you, you have to learn to give it away.Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Think of the coins we read about today as everything that we've received from God—life, breath, being, powers, and so on. Because they come from God, they are meant to become gifts. If you cling to them, in the manner of the third servant, they don't grow; in fact, they wither away.
Notice that the first two servants doubled their wealth precisely in the measure that they risked it. This means that the one who truly has the divine life knows how to make it a gift, and that in turn will make the original gift increase. And the opposite holds true: "From the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." This means that if you try to cling to the divine life, you will, in short order, lose it.
Mass Readings—Memorial of St. Cecilia
The Book of Hosea, chapter two, verses sixteen(b/c), seventeen(c/d), twenty-one, & twenty-two;
Psalm Forty-five, verse eleven;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-five, verses one thru thirteen.
†
Bible Study—Festival of Ss. Philemon & Apphia
The Letter to Philemon (verses one thru twenty-five).
Commentary: Address & Greeting (1-3), Thanksgiving (4-6), Plea for Onesimus (7-22), & Final Greetings (23-35).
Bible Study—Wisdom Books
The Book of Psalms, psalm twenty-two (verses one thru thirty-two);
The Book of Wisdom, chapter one, verses one thru fifteen.
Commentary: The Prayer of an Innocent Person (Psalm 22) & I: The Reward of Justice: Exhortation to Justice, the Key to Life (Wisdom, 1:1-15).
Saint Quote o' the Day
From "Heroes' Words" in 54-Day Basic Training in Holiness by Father Richard Heilman:
"To love God is something greater than to know him."
—St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church (28 January)
No comments:
Post a Comment