Saints + Scripture: Advent

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

The Popish Plot
Meditation Monday: "1st Week of Advent"

'Tis the Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest, S.J. (1506-1552, the "Apostle to the Far East," A.K.A. Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta), co-founder of the Jesuits, formally the Society of Jesus: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, Saint-link trēs, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link S.J.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

He was a co-founder of the Society of Jesus. Born in Javier, Kingdom of Navarre (present day Spain), he was a companion of Saint Ignatius of Loyola [31 July] & one of the first seven Jesuits who took vows of poverty & chastity at Montmartre, Paris, in 1534.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Cassian of Tangier, Martyr (died 298), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian & Maximian: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Abbo of Auxerre, Bishop & Abbot, O.S.B. (died circa 860) abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Germain d'Auxerre: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Abbey.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Emma of Lesum (circa 975-1038; A.K.A. of Bremen, of Stiepel; also spelt Hemma, Imma): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Mother of the bishop Bl. Meinwerk of Paderborn [5 June].

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Edward Colman, Martyr (1636-1678, also spelt Coleman), martyred in the reign of the Anglo-Scottish king Charles II, a victim of the perjurer Titus Oates's Popish Plot hoax: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Popish Plot-link & Wikipedia-link Popish Plot.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim, Bishop (1777-1860): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Monday of the First Week in Advent
The Book of Isaiah, chapter two, verses one thru five;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-two, verses one & two, three & four(b), & four(c/d) & five, six & seven, & eight & nine;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eight, verses five thru eleven.

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

Friends, today’s Gospel passage acclaims a centurion’s trust in the Lord Jesus. To trust is to have hope, to turn one’s heart to God. It means to root one’s life, to ground and center one’s concerns in God. And, oppositely, to trust and to turn one’s heart to human beings means to root the whole of one’s life, to ground and center one’s concerns, in the things of this world, in wealth, fame, power, honor, or pleasure.

What is the center of gravity of your life? What is your "ultimate concern"? The Bible consistently lays this out as an either/or. Think of the passage in the book of Joshua, when Joshua lays it on the line for the people of Israel: "Do you serve the Lord or some other gods?"

Jesus tells his followers, "Either you are with me or you are against me." Today’s Gospel reminds us that we each have to answer this question with great honesty and clarity.

Video reflection by Msgr. James Vlaun (Telecare T.V.): United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Video reflection by Father Michael Denk (uCatholic): Monday, Advent Week 1.

Mass Readings—Memorial of St. Francis Xavier
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter nine, verses sixteen thru nineteen, twenty-two, & twenty-three;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter sixteen, verse fifteen;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter sixteen, verses fifteen thru twenty.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"The call to prayer must precede the call to action, but the call to action must truly accompany the call to prayer. In prayer we discover the needs of our brothers & sisters & make them our own, because in prayer we discover that their needs are the needs of Christ."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)

Little Flower Quote o' the Day

"It is that much harder to let what belongs to us be taken without asking for it back. But the moment we accept this, we feel how light [the burden] is."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

“Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians.”
—St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552, feast day: 3 December)