Saints + Scripture: Eastertide — Monday, 16 April

The Long Road Back, Part VI of VIII

The Popish Plot
Vlog Post: "Scaring the Hell out of Millennials"

Monday, 16 April was the festival of Saint Turibius of Astorga, Bishop (circa 402-460), who opposed the Priscillian heresy: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Heresy.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Twas also the festival of Saint Magnus of Orkney, Martyr (circa 1075-1115, A.K.A. Magnus Erlendsson), Earl of Orkney, martyred by the order of his cousin, the rival Norwegian earl Haakon Paulsson: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Kinsman of St. Olaf of Norway [29 July].

'Twas also the festival of Saint Drogo, Hermit (1105-1186, of Sebourg; A.K.A. Dreux): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Twas also the festival of Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, Pilgrim, T.O.S.F. (1748-1783, "the Beggar of Perpetual Adoration"): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, Wikipedia-link, & YouTube-link The True Enlightenment, "Saint of the Week".

'Twas also the festival of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, Virgin (1844-1879, A.K.A. Bernadette Soubirous), to whom was revealed the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes (1858): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Madonna.

Scripture of That Day
Mass Readings—Easter Weekday
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter six, verses eight thru fifteen;
Psalm One Hundred Nineteen, verses twenty-three & twenty-four, twenty-six & twenty-seven, & twenty-nine & thirty;
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses twenty-two thru twenty-nine.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the crowd, which he just fed, to believe in him and relate to him personally. Why is this so hard? Well, it is intellectually counter-intuitive. Why would this one figure, this Jesus, be the one and only? Why should I choose to relate to him and not the numerous other religious leaders and philosophers? Are all other religious people just lost or misguided? Wouldn’t it just be easier to relate to Jesus’ ideas and principles, to imitate his style of life? Yes, indeed it would, but that’s not what he says.

Perhaps we could look at it from Jesus’ side. Jesus wants to be friends: “‘I no longer call you servants, but friends,’ says the Lord.” What if there were someone who wanted to be friends with you, and you were to say, “Oh sure! I admire you and would like to imitate your form of life, but I don’t want to spend a lot of time with you.” How would that strike your prospective friend?

What is unique to Christianity is that God is offering us friendship. You don’t mess around with friendship; you don’t turn it into something abstract; you don’t compromise with it. You enter into it fully.

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

Papal Quote o' That Day

"The Church reaffirms the religious & supernatural values of penitence. She invites everyone to accompany the inner conversion of the spirit with the voluntary exercise of external acts of penitence."
—Pope Bl. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)

Little Flower Quote o' That Day

"Yes, all is well when we seek only the will of Jesus."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' That Day

"Do not just be a channel for grace, but a reservoir, an overflowing reservoir. No sooner has a channel received grace than it pours it out. A reservoir waits to be filled up & then offers grace to those who come to draw from its superabundance."
—St. Bernadette of Lourdes (1844-1879, feast day: 16 April)