Saints + Scripture — Wednesday, 27 June

The Long Road Back, Part IV of V | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Wednesday, 27 June was the Optional Memorial of Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop & Doctor of the Church (circa 376-444), a Father of the Church who played a crucial role at the Council of Ephesus (431): Doctor-link ūnus, Doctor-link duo, YouTube-link The True Enlightenment!, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Doctors, Wikipedia-link Fathers, & Wikipedia-link Council.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

He was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence & power within the Roman Empire. Cyril wrote extensively & was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the late fourth & fifth centuries. He was a central figure in the Council of Ephesus in 431.

'Twas also the festival of Our Lady of Perpetual Help: Madonna-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: I quit a FaceSpace group, "Catholic Geeks," after another member commented that the image above, a manga-style rendering of Our Lady of Perpetual help, was "sacrilegious." The Christ commanded His Church to make disciples of all nations, not just those of European stock &/or those who like Byzantine-style iconography. (I don't.) Since the day of Pentecost itself the Gospel has been proclaimed in every language, not just Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, & since ancient times Christians have adapted indigenous artistic & cultural traditions to advance the work of evangelization. If we mistake personal preference or ethnic chauvinism for piety, we hinder the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, to the everlasting peril of our souls.

'Twas also the festival of Saint Ladislaus, Confessor (1040-1095, A.K.A. László), King Ladislus I of Hungary: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of That Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
The Second Book of Kings, chapter twenty-two, verses eight thru thirteen & chapter twenty-three, verses one, two, & three;
Psalm One Hundred Nineteen, verses thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, & forty;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter seven, verses fifteen thru twenty.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus tell us that a tree is known by its fruits. In the fifth chapter of his letter to the Galatians, Paul makes this very specific. He tells us that the fruits of the Holy Spirit are "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control," implying that the Spirit’s presence in one’s life can be read from its radiance in these soul-expanding qualities.

All of Paul’s "fruits of the Holy Spirit" are marks of an outward-looking, expansive magna anima (great soul), which stands in contradistinction to the pusilla anima (the cramped soul) of the sinner. Thus love is willing the good of the other as other; joy is self-diffusive; patience bears with the troublesome; kindness makes the other gentle; self-control restricts the havoc that the ego can cause; etc.

When is the Spirit present? When these attributes are awakened and sustained; when our souls are made great.

Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria
The Second Letter to Timothy, chapter four, verses one thru five;
Psalm Eighty-nine, verse two;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter five, verses thirteen thru nineteen.

Papal Quote o' That Day

"Our religion, which is truth, is Divine reality in human history. It cannot be discovered or invented. it is received &, ancient though it is, it is always alive, always new."
—Pope Bl. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)

Little Flower Quote o' That Day

"I feel that my mission is about to begin—to make others love God as I love Him."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' That Day

"If all the swords in England were pointed against my head, your threats would not move me. I am ready to die for my Lord, that in my blood the Church may obtain liberty & peace."
—St. Thomas Becket (1119-1170, feast day: 29 December)