Scripture of the Week
Mass Readings—Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Book of Proverbs, chapter nine, verses one thru six;
Psalm Thirty-four, verses two & three, four & five, & six & seven;
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter five, verses fifteen thru twenty;
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses fifty-one thru fifty-eight.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today’s Gospel passage is one of the most shocking in the New Testament. Those who heard it were not only repulsed intellectually; they were disgusted, viscerally. For a Jewish man to be insinuating that you should eat his own flesh and drink his blood was about as nauseating and religiously objectionable as you could get.trogein, which indicates the way an animal eats.
So what does Jesus do? Does he soften his rhetoric? Does he offer a metaphorical or symbolic interpretation? Does he back off? On the contrary, he intensifies what he just said: "Amen, amen I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you." As all the scholars point out to us, the verb used here in Greek is
So what do we do? If we stand in the great Catholic tradition, we honor these mysterious and wonderful words of Jesus. We resist all attempts to soften them or explain them away or make them easier to swallow. We affirm, with all of our hearts, the doctrine of the Real Presence.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Video reflection by Father Claude Burns: Weekend Reflection with Father Pontifex.
Audio reflection by Scott Hahn, Ph.D. (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Breaking the Bread.
Bible Study—Pauline Epistles
The Letter to the Romans, chapter six (verses one thru twenty-three).
Commentary: IV. Justification & the Christian Life: Freedom from Sin; Life in God (Romans, 6:1-23).
Mass Journal: Week Thirty-four
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute:
The philosophy of Christ is based on discipline, & it is discipline that our modern culture abhors & has rejected with all its strength. It is true that Jesus came to comfort the afflicted, but as [Servant of God] Dorthy Day, journalist, social activist, & Catholic convert pointed out, He also came to afflict the comfortable. The saints make many modern Catholics uncomfortable because they challenge us to throw off the spirit of the world & to embrace the Spirit of God. Like Jesus, by their example the saints invite us to a life of discipline. Contrary to popular opinion, discipline doesn't stifle or restrict the human person. Discipline isn't something invented by the Church to control or manipulate the masses, nor is it the tool that unjust tyrants & dictators use to make people do things they don't want to do. All these are the lies of a culture completely absorbed in a philosophy of instant gratification. Discipline is the faithful friend who will introduce you to your true self. Discpline is the worthy protector who will defend you from your lesser self. And discipline is the extraordinary mentor who will challenge you to become the-best-version-of-yourself & all God created you to be. What are your habits? Are your habits helping you become a-better-version-of-yourself or are they self-diminishing?†
Otherwise, 19 August would be the festival of Saint Andrew Stratelates, Martyr (died circa 300, A.K.A. the Tribune), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian & Maximian: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine. Stratelates is not St. Andrew's name, but an epithet, meaning "the Commander."
'Twould also be the festival of Saint Bertulf of Bobbio, Abbot (died circa 640, A.K.A. of Luxeuil), abbot of Bobbio Abbey: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Abbey.
Commentary: Kinsman of the bishop St. Arnulf of Metz [18 July].
'Twould also be the festival of Saint Louis of Toulouse, Bishop, O.F.M. (1274-1297, also spelt Ludwig, A.K.A. of Anjou): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Nephew of St. Louis [IX, 25 August] & great-great-nephew of St. Elizabeth of Hungary [17 November].
'Twould also be the festival of Blessed Hugh Green, Priest & Martyr (circa 1584-1642, A.K.A. Ferdinand Brooks, Ferdinand Brown), martyred in the reign of the Anglo-Scottish king Charles I, one of the Martyrs of Douai: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link Douai & Wikipedia-link Douai.
'Twould also be the festival of Saint John Eudes, Priest, C.J.M. (1601-1680), founder of the Eudists, formally the Congregation of Jesus & Mary, & the Order of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge; "father of the liturgical cult" of the Hearts of Jesus & Mary: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Order-link C.J.M., Wikipedia-link C.J.M., & Wikipedia-link O.N.D.C.; Sacred Heart-link & Wikipedia-link Sacred Heart, Immaculate Heart-link & Wikipedia-link Immaculate Heart, & Wikipedia-link Alliance.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"What the world really asks of us is that the Mystery of redemption be accessible to all, especially to the poor, the sick, children, the young, the family. It is precisely through the Eucharist that Christ's Redemption touches each person's heart, transforming the world's history."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"To be without Jesus is a grievous hell, & to be with Jesus a sweet paradise."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"No man lives alone, no man believes alone. God speaks His word to us & in speaking it calls us together, creates a community, His people, His Church. After the return of Jesus to His Father the Church is the sign of His presence in the world."
—St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church (329-379, feast day: 2 January)
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