Saints + Scripture: Lent

'Tis the festival of Saint Odran, Martyr (died circa 452), St. Patrick's charioteer, martyred by pagans attempting to murder the saintly bishop: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Boniface of Brussels, Bishop, O.Cist. (1183-1260, A.K.A. of Lausanne), who attended the First Council of Lyon (1245): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Council.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Conrad of Piacenza, Hermit, T.O.S.F. (circa 1284-1351; A.K.A. Corrado Confalonieri, of Noto): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed John Sullivan, Priest, S.J. (1861-1933): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Bl. John was declared Venerable (acknowledging a life of heroic virtue) on 7 November 2014. A miracle due to his intercession was approved in 2016 & he was beatified on 13 May 2017. My sources disagree as to whether his festival is observed on the date of his birth, 8 May, or the more traditional date of his death, 19 February; if I err in honoring him this day, I am sorry.

Scripture of This Day
Mass Readings—Lenten Weekday
The Book of Leviticus, chapter nineteen, verses one, two, & eleven thru eighteen;
Psalm Nineteen, verses eight, nine, ten, & fifteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-five, verses thirty-one thru forty-six.

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

Friends, in our Gospel today Jesus tells the crowd that the Son of Man will welcome the righteous into the kingdom, saying: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me." Puzzled, the righteous will ask when they did this, and he will reply, "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."

This is a powerful evocation of Jesus’ teaching about the mutuality of our love for God and neighbor. The absolute love for God is not in competition with a radical commitment to love our fellow human beings, precisely because God is not one being among many, but the very ground of our existence.

Someone who operated very much in the spirit of this teaching was Saint Teresa of Calcutta. A writer was once conversing with her, searching out the sources of her spirituality and mission. At the end of their long talk, she asked him to spread his hand out on the table. Touching his fingers one by one as she spoke the words, she said, "You did it to me."

Video reflection by Msgr. James Vlaun (Telecare T.V.): United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Saint Quote o' This Day

"Charity & devotion differ no more, the one from the other, than the flame from the fire."
—St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church (1567-1622, feast day: 24 January)

Commentary: I praise God for the inspiration, unnoticed by me, that lead to this quote from St. Francis de Sales being paired with today's Gospel, the "Judgment of the Nations" from Matthew. I could not have chosen—not on my best day & not with the most strenuous effort—a Scripture than more brightly illuminated the unity 'twixt charity & devotion.