The Popish Plot
Bonus Episode: "The Wisdom of Santa"
Saturday, 29 December was the fifth day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord, within the Christmastide: Wikipedia-link Octave & Wikipedia-link Christmastide. Merry Christmas!
'Twas the Optional Memorial of Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop & Martyr (circa 1118-1170, A.K.A. of Canterbury), martyred in the reign of the English king Henry II: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights & privileges of the Church & was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral.Wikipedia-link Cathedral
'Twas also the festival of Saint Ebrulf of Ouche, Abbot (circa 517-596, also spelt Evroul), founder of the Abbey of Saint-Evroul: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Abbey.
'Twas also the festival of Blessed Peter the Venerable, Abbot, O.S.B. (circa 1092-1156, A.K.A. of Cluny, of Montboissier), ninth (IX) Abbot of the influential Abbey of Cluny: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Abbey-link, Wikipedia-link Abbey, & Wikipedia-link Abbots.
'Twas also the festival of Blessed William Howard, Martyr (1614-1680), first Viscount Stafford, 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.
Commentary: Grandson of St. Philip Howard [19 October], one of the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales [25 October].
Scripture of That Day
Mass Readings—Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord
The First Letter of John, chapter two, verses three thru eleven;
Psalm Ninety-six, verses eleven(a), one & two(a), two(b) & three, & five(b) & six;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses twenty-two thru thirty-five.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today’s Gospel tells the story of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The Temple was, in practically a literal sense, the dwelling place of the Lord. In the Temple, divinity and humanity embraced, and the human race was brought back online with God.Video reflection by Marc DelMonico, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
But the sins of the nation had, according to the prophet Ezekiel, caused the glory of the Lord to depart from the Temple. Therefore, one of the deepest aspirations of Israel’s people was to reestablish the Temple as the place of right praise so that the glory of the Lord might return. When Joseph and Mary bring the infant Jesus into the Temple, therefore, we are meant to appreciate that the prophecy of Ezekiel is being fulfilled. The glory of Yahweh is returning to his favorite dwelling. And this is precisely what Simeon sees.
The old seer is a symbol of ancient Israel, watching and waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Simeon knew all of the old prophecies; he embodied the expectation of the nation; and the Holy Spirit had given him the revelation that he would not die until he had laid eyes on his Savior.
Papal Quote o' That Day
"Would it not be beautiful if Christmas were to generate the inner Christ within us: a habit of meditation, a living memory of the great Mystery that we have solemnly commemorated; a persuasion of faith, now acquired & confirmed? We must live our lives in union with Christ's life."Little Flower Quote o' That Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)
"God gave me a heart which is so faithful that once it has loved purely, it loves always."Saint Quote o' That Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Imagine a great orchestra on stage. The conductor is before his musicians, & every one of the musicians has music before him, well scored. They are all skilled, but free. One of the musicians decides to strike a sour note. In the face of that discord the director might strike his baton & say, 'Play it over.' But it makes no difference because that sound is traveling out into space at the rate of about twelve hundred feet a second—& on & on that discord goes. So long as the universe endures there is disharmony. Is there any way to stop it? Not in time, for time is irreversible. It could, however, be stopped if someone reached out from eternity & grabbed that wild note in its mad flight.
"Then it would no longer be a disharmony, or rather it would be stopped from spoiling the harmony of the universe. But would it still be a discord? Yes, except on one condition. Suppose that he who stopped it wrote a new symphony & made that sour note the first note in the new melody. Then it would be a sweet note. That is what happened to mankind. Man was free. He struck a sour note, & that sour note infected all humanity. How could we ever have harmony in the universe again? God reached out & raised up a man who was untouched by that sour note—thanks to the Immaculate Conception & the virgin birth—and he started a new humanity."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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