Saints + Scripture — Saturday, 15 September

The Long Road Back, Part II of III | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saturday, 15 September was the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows: Madonna-link ūna, Madonna-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

Name by which the Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to the sorrows in her life. In common religious Catholic imagery, the Virgin Mary is portrayed in a sorrowful & lacrimating affect, with seven long knives or daggers piercing her heart, often bleeding.

'Twas also the festival of Saints Emilas, Deacon, & Jeremiah, Martyrs (died 852), martyred in the reign of the Umayyad king Abd ar-Rahman II, two of the forty-eight Martyrs of Córdoba: Martyr-link Echo, Martyr-link Juliett, & Wikipedia-link (List); Wikipedia-link Córdoba.

'Twas also the festival of Blessed Anton Maria Schwartz, Priest (1852-1929), founder of the Pious Workers of Saint Joseph Calasanctius of the Mother of God: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Workers.

'Twas also the festival of Blessed Paolo Manna, Priest, P.I.M.E. (1872-1952), founder of the Pontifical Missionary Union: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link P.M.U.

Scripture of That Day
Mass Readings—Saturday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter ten, verses fourteen thru twenty-two;
Psalm One Hundred Sixteen, verses twelve & thirteen, seventeen & eighteen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter nineteen, verses twenty-five, twenty-six, & twenty-seven;
or, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses thirty-three, thirty-four, & thirty-five.

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

Friends, today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. In our Gospel Jesus entrusts care of his mother to St. John. We can see some background for this profound action in The Passion of the Christ, the most provocative and popular religious movie in decades. What I would like to do is simply highlight a theme from the movie that especially struck me when I saw it.

The theme that I would like to emphasize is that of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. We are compelled to see the scenes through her eyes. Early in Luke’s Gospel, we are told that Mary "contemplated these things, reflecting on them in her heart." She is the theologian par excellence, the one who understands. When she sees Jesus being led away, she weeps and then she says "Amen."

In scene after scene, we watch her spiritual comprehension. The wonderful scene where she is marked with the Blood of her son is especially evocative. And then the Pietà depiction at the very end, where we see Mary’s role: to present the sacrifice of her son to us and for us.

Video reflection by Marc DelMonico, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Mass Readings—Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter five, verses seven, eight, & nine;
Psalm Thirty-one, verse seventeen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter nineteen, verses twenty-five, twenty-six, & twenty-seven;
or, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses thirty-three, thirty-four, & thirty-five.

Papal Quote o' That Day

"Mary not only leads us to the Mystery of the Cross like a teacher; she also participates in that Mystery. She suffers with Jesus & suffers with us. With Jesus she also confronts & defeats the powers of evil."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)

Little Flower Quote o' That Day

"There is no joy like that known by the truly poor in spirit."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Atheist Quote o' That Day

"When faith in the Mother of God declines, faith in the Son of God & God the Father declines also."
—Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872)