Saints + Scripture: Lent — Better Late Than Never

The Popish Plot
"Prayer Time Out" (Clip Show #2)

'Tis the festival of Saint Olcán, Bishop (died circa 480; also spelt Bolcan, A.K.A. of Derken): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Leo of Catania, Bishop, O.S.B. (circa 709-789, A.K.A. the Thaumaturgus ["Wonder-worker"]), an opponent of Byzantine iconoclasm: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Iconoclasm.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Wulfric of Haselbury, Priest (circa 1080-1154, also spelt Ulfrick, etc.): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saints Jacinta & Francisco Marto, Confessors (1910-1920 & 1908-1919), two of the three to whom were revealed the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima (1917): Saints-link, Saint-link Juliett, Saint-link Foxtrot, & Wikipedia-link; Madonna-link & Wikipedia-link Madonna.

Commentary: Ss. Jacinta & Francisco, the youngest non-martyrs ever canonized, were sainted by Pope Francis on 13 May 2017, the centenary of the first Fátima apparition.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Lenten Weekday
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-five, verses ten & eleven;
Psalm Thirty-four, verses four & five, six & seven, sixteen & seventeen, & eighteen & nineteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter six, verses seven thru fifteen.

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

Friends, the Gospel for today is of great significance, for in it the Son of God teaches us to pray. We hear from not just a guru, a spiritual teacher, or a religious genius, but from the very Son of God. This is why the Our Father, the Lord’s Prayer, is the model of all prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer for the Christian journey which has been offered up consistently for the past two thousand years. Think for a moment how this prayer links us to all of the great figures in Christian history, from Peter and Paul to Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi, John Henry Newman, G.K. Chesterton, John Paul II, and right up to the present day.

Keep in mind that prayer is not designed so much to change God’s mind or to tell God something he doesn’t know. God isn’t like a big city boss or a reluctant pasha whom we have to persuade. Rather, he is the one who wants nothing other than to give us good things—though they might not always be the things we want.

Video reflection by Dennis Mahaney: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"We are called as Christians to proclaim the liberating news that forgiveness for sins committed is possible, that God is greater than our sinfulness, that he freely loves us at all times, that we were made for communion & eternal life."
—Pope Francis, The Hope of Lent

Saint Quote o' the Day

"We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear."
—St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church (1567-1622, feast day: 24 January)