Saints + Scripture

Better Late than Never | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious, T.O.S.F. (1207-1231, A.K.A. of Thuringia): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Descendant of Ss. Olga of Kiev [11 July] & Vladimir of Kiev [15 July]; niece of St. Hedwig of Silesia [16 October]; mother of Bl. Gertrude of Aldenberg [13 August]; aunt of Ss. Margaret of Hungary [18 January] & Kinga of Poland [24 July], & Bl. Yolanda of Poland [11 June]; & great-aunt of St. Elizabeth of Portugal [4 July].

Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

Married at fourteen, the teenage Elizabeth not only learned about the ideals of [St.] Francis of Assisi [4 October], but started to live them. King Louis was not upset by his wife's charitable efforts, believing that the distribution of his wealth to the poor would bring eternal reward.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Hilda of Whitby, Abbess, O.S.B. (circa 614-680, also spelt Hild), inaugural abbess of Whitby Abbey (A.K.A. Streanæshealh): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Abbey.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, Bishop (circa 213-270, of Pontus, of Neocaesarea; A.K.A. Theodore): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Thaumaturgus is an epithet, meaning "wonder-worker" or "miracle-worker."

'Tis also the festival of Saint Gregory of Tours, Bishop (circa 538-594, A.K.A. Georgius Florentius): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Great-nephew of St. Eustadius [3 January].

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
The Third Letter of John, verses five thru eight;
Psalm One Hundred Twelve, verses one & two, three & four, & five & six;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter eighteen, verses one thru eight.

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

Friends, today’s Gospel exhorts us to pray with persistence. This command is everywhere in the Bible. We see it in Abraham’s steady petition on behalf of the people of Sodom. We see it in today’s account of the persistent widow. We hear it in Jesus’ extraordinary teaching: "Knock and the door shall be opened to you; seek and you will find; ask and it will be given to you."

One reason that we don’t receive what we want through prayer is that we give up too easily. What could be behind this rule of prayer? Augustine said that God sometimes delays in giving us what we want because he wants our hearts to expand. The more ardently we desire something, the more ready we are when it comes, the more we treasure it. The very act of asking persistently is accomplishing something spiritually important. So, when the Lord seems slow to answer your prayer, never give up.

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

Mass Readings—Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary
The First Letter of John, chapter three, verses fourteen thru eighteen;
Psalm Thirty-four, verse two;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter six, verses twenty-seven thru thirty-eight.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"When one has the grace to have a strong experience of God, it is as if one is having an experience similar to that of the disciples during the Transfiguration: a momentary foretaste of what will constitute the happiness of Paradise. These are usually brief experiences that are sometimes granted by God, especially prior to difficult trials."
—Pope Benedict XVI (born 1927, reigned 2005-2013)

Little Flower Quote o' the Day

"It is God's Will that in this world souls shall dispense to each other, by prayer, the treasures of Heaven, in order that when they reach their Everlasting Home they may love one another with grateful hearts."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"The laity, because of their vocation to be the salt of the earth & the light of the world, should be well grounded in the Church's social doctrine. Then, through their presence in public life, they should contribute to strengthening the fabric of society."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)