Saints + Scripture

The Popish Plot
Taco Tuesday: "Reaction to 'Made for Happiness,' Part 1"

'Tis the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels: Angels-link ūnus, Angels-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

Passages in Scripture point to the existence of an angel specifically assigned to each human being to help, guide, & direct him or her through their journey of life. "Behold, I will send My angel, who shall go before three into the place I have prepared" (Exodus, 23:20).

'Tis also the festival of Saint Émilie de Villeneuve, Religious (1811-1854, A.K.A. Jeanne-Emilie), foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Jan Beyzym, Priest, S.J. (1850-1912): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Maria Anna Kratochwil, Religious & Martyr, S.S.N.D. (1881-1942, A.K.A. Maria Antonina Kratochwil), martyred in the reign of the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, one of the One Hundred Eight Blessed Polish Martyrs: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link CVIII & Wikipedia-link CVIII.

Scripture of This Day
Mass Readings—Tuesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Job, chapter three, verses one, two, three, eleven thru seventeen, & twenty thru twenty-three;
Psalm Eighty-eight, verses two & three, four & five, six, & seven & eight;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eighteen, verses one thru five & ten.

Mass Readings—Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels
The Book of Exodus, chapter twenty-three, verses twenty thru twenty-three;
Psalm Ninety-one, verse eleven;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eighteen, verses one thru five & ten.

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

Friends, today we celebrate the feast of our Guardian Angels. Why does God send these spiritual messengers to help us? Well, Aquinas says that each of us, due to our fallen nature, has been assigned a heavenly guide. Is all of this just speculation and conjecture?

One of my favorite stories about angels is this one: two relatively inexperienced pilots found themselves lost on a foggy day. Though they tried desperately to make contact with an airport, they were incapable of doing so. One of them then prayed for protection.

In time, a voice crackled onto the radio. The speaker identified himself as a controller from a small airport. Through very precise instructions, he guided the two pilots through the fog to a landing strip at that airport.

Once they had arrived, to their astonishment they discovered that the airport was closed and that there was no one on duty. A bizarre coincidence? A happy accident? Or perhaps a sign that we are being protected by powers at a higher pitch of ontological perfection? As you know, stories such as this come out of the woodwork once people are given the opportunity to share them.

Video reflection by Father Andrew Lauricella: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Bible Study—The Bible Timeline Reading Plan: Early World
The Book of Genesis, chapter five (verses one thru thirty-two);
The Book of Genesis, chapter six (verses one thru twenty-two);
The Book of Genesis, chapter seven (verses one thru twenty-four);
The Book of Genesis, chapter eight (verses one thru twenty-two).

Commentary: Adam's Descendants to Noah (Genesis, 5:1-32), the Wickedness of Mankind (6:1-10), Noah Makes the Ark as God Commands (6:11-22), the Great Flood (7:1-24), the Flood Subsides (8:1-19), & God's Promise to Noah (8:20-22).

Bible Study—Wisdom Books
The Book of the Proverbs, chapter two (verses one thru Y).

Commentary: The Treasure of Wisdom (Proverbs, 2:1-22).

Proverb o' This Day (Proverbs, 2:21-22)

For the upright will inhabit the land,
and men of integrity will remain in it;
but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

Papal Quote o' This Day

"Holiness is the awareness of being 'watched over,' watched over by God. Saints know very well their frailty, the precariousness of their existence. Yet they are not frightened. They feel secure in spite of all this."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)

Little Flower Quote o' This Day

"May all those on whom faith does not shine at last see the light!"
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' This Day

"The soul speaks: I am called to be the companion of the angels, because I am the living breath that God sent forth into dry clay."
—St. Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church (1098-1179, feast day: 17 September)