'Tis the Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr (225-258, of Rome), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Valerian, a victim of his persecution: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Persecution ūnus, & Wikipedia-link Persecution duo.
Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
He was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome, Italy, under Pope [St.] Sixtus II [7 August] who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258.Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feast of St. Lawrence
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter nine, verses six thru ten;
Psalm One Hundred Twelve, verses one & two, five & six, seven & eight, & nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twelve, verses twenty-four, twenty-five, & twenty-six.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, our Gospel for today contains one of the most beautiful and terrible summations of the Christian message: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit."Video reflection by Deacon Jose Luis Lopez: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
And now this one upon whom the crowds had pinned their hopes is speaking of falling to the earth and dying. And then it gets stranger. "The man who loves his life loses it, while the man who hates his life in this world, preserves it to life eternal." Come again?!
Just when we are raising you up, Jesus, you’re talking about falling down; just when we are seeing how your life has come to its fulfillment, you’re talking about hating this life.
To understand what all this means, we should go back to the grain of wheat that falls to the earth. A seed’s life is inside, yes, but it’s a life that grows by being given away and mixing with the soil around it. It has to crack open, be destroyed.
Jesus’ sign is the sign of the cross, the Death that leads to Transfiguration.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Blane, Bishop (died circa 590): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Nephew of St. Cathan [17 May].
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Amadeus of Portugal, Priest, O.F.M. (1420-1482, João de Menezes da Silva): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Brother of St. Beatrice of Silva [17 August].
'Tis also the festival of Blesseds Franciszek Drzewiecki (F.D.P.) & Edward Grzymała, Priests & Martyrs (died 1942), martyred in the reign of the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, two of the One Hundred Eight Blessed Polish Martyrs: Martyr-link Foxtrot Delta & Wikipedia-link Foxtrot Delta (List, № 21), Martyr-link Echo Golf & Wikipedia-link Echo Golf; Martyrs-link CVIII & Wikipedia-link CVIII.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Christ is absolute Truth; in Him the Father offers human beings the complete answer to all the questions that worry them. In Christ we can discover the full truth about ourselves & about the world."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"When faced by our limitations, we must have recourse to the practice of offering to God the good works of others."Philosophical Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"To believe in a God means to realize that the facts of the world are not the whole story. To believe in a God means to realize that life has a meaning."
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951)
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