'Tis also the festival of Saint Marcellus I, Pope & Martyr (died 309), thirtieth (XXX) Bishop of Rome, martyred in the reign of the emperors Maxentius & Maximinus II: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Pontiff.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Berard of Cabrio, Priest, & Companions, Martyrs, O.F.M. (died 1220), martyred personally by the caliph Yusuf II: Franciscan Protomartyrs-link, Martyr-link Bravo, Martyr-link Alpha, Martyr-link Oscar, Martyr-link Papa, & Wikipedia-link V.
Commentary: Also martyred was the lay brother St. Adjutus. Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
In 1219, with the blessing of Saint Francis [4 October], Berard left Italy with Peter, Adjuste, Accurs, Odo, & Vitalis to preach in Morocco. En route in Spain, Vitalis became sick & commanded the other friars to continue their mission without him. They tried preaching in Seville, then in Muslim hands, but made no converts. They went on to Morocco where they preached in the marketplace. The friars were immediately apprehended & ordered to leave the country; they refused. When they began preaching again, an exasperated sultan ordered them executed. After enduring sever beatings & declining various bribes to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ, the friars were beheaded by the sultan himself on 16 January 1220. These were the first Franciscan martyrs.'Tis also the festival of Saint Joseph Vaz, Priest, C.O. (1651-1711), the "Apostle of Ceylon" (Sri Lanka): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feria
The First Book of Samuel, chapter sixteen, verses one thru thirteen;
Psalm Eighty-nine, verses twenty, twenty-one & twenty-two, & twenty-seven & twenty-eight;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter two, verses twenty-three thru twenty-eight.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus calls us to recognize him as Lord. Acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus means that your life has to change. For many this is liberating good news. But for others, it is a tremendous threat. If Jesus is Lord, my ego can’t be Lord. My religion can’t be Lord. My country, my convictions, and my culture cannot be Lord.Video reflection by Sister Peggy Gorman, R.S.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The Resurrection is the clearest indication of the Lordship of Jesus. This is why the message of the Resurrection is attacked, belittled, or explained away. The author of Acts speaks of "violent abuse" hurled at Paul. I have a small taste of this on my YouTube forums. We all should expect it, especially when our proclamation is bold.
This reveals a great mystery: we are called to announce the Good News to everyone, but not everyone will listen. Once we’ve done our work, we should move on and not obsess about those who won’t listen. Why do some respond and some don’t? We don’t know, but that’s ultimately up to God.
†
Bible Study—Wisdom Books
The Book of Psalms, psalm thirty-nine (verses one thru fourteen);
The Book of Proverbs, chapter sixteen (verses one thru thirty-three).
Commentary: The Vanity of Life (Psalm 39) & First Collection of the Proverbs of Solomon (cont'd; Proverbs, 16:1-33).
Bible Study—Pauline Letters
The Letter to the Romans, chapter twelve (verses one thru twenty-one);
The Letter to the Romans, chapter thirteen (verses one thru fourteen).
Commentary: New Life in Christ (Romans, 12:1-8), Marks of the True Christian (12:9-21), Being Subject to Authorities (13:1-7), & Love for One Another (13:8-14).
Proverb o' the Day (16:6)
By kindness & piety guilt is expiated,Saint Quote o' the Day
and by the fear of the LORD man avoids evil.
"To show great love for God & our neighbor we need not do great things. It is how much we put in the doing, that makes our offering something beautiful for God."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta (A.K.A. Mother Teresa, 1910-1997; feast day: 5 September)
No comments:
Post a Comment