Saints + Scripture

The Popish Plot
G. K. Chesterton's The Defendant: "China Shepherdesses"

'Tis the festival of Saint Sulpitius Severus, Priest (circa 363-425): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Sulpitius the Severe, Bishop (died 591, A.K.A. Sulpitius I of Bourges), who attended the Synod of Mâcon (585): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Synod.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Dallán Forgaill, Martyr (circa 530-598), martyred by pirates during a raid on the Inishkeel monastery, author of the hymn "Rop tú mo Baile" ("Be Thou My Vision") & the elegy "Amra Coluim Chille" ("Elegy of Saint Columba"): Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Inishkeel, Wikipedia-link Hymn, & Wikipedia-link Elegy.

We also remember Servant of God Juniper, Religious, O.F.M. (died 1258, the "renowned jester of the Lord"): Servant-link ūnus, Servant-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Francis Taylor, Martyr (circa 1550-1621, A.K.A. Proinnsias Táiliúr), Lord Mayor of Dublin, martyred in the reign of the Anglo-Scottish king James VI & I, one of the Irish Martyrs: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link Irish & Wikipedia-link Irish.

Commentary: Grandson-in-law of the martyr Bl. Margaret Ball [20 June].

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter ten, verses one thru ten;
Psalm Forty, verses two & four(a/b), seven & eight(a), ten, & eleven;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter three, verses thirty-one thru thirty-five.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus identifies us as his disciples. So what do we discover about ourselves? First, that we are a chosen race. As I’ve said many times, our culture puts a huge premium on choice, our choice, personal choice. We care, above all, about freedom, self-direction, and autonomy.

But the Bible is eminently clear that what matters above all is not our choice but God’s choice. We Christians, we followers of Jesus, have been chosen by God for God’s purposes. And this choice is not a matter of reward, as though we are being singled out because of our gifts. Just the contrary.

Your life is not about you. Your will nestles in an infinitely higher will. Your mind is an ingredient in an infinitely more capacious mind. And so the primary question of your life is not, "What do I want?" but rather, "What does God want?"

Video reflection by Father David Baker: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 9
The Book of Exodus, chapter four, verses ten thru seventeen.

Commentary: God Gives Moses Help for His Mission (cont'd; Exodus, 4:10-17).

The Imitation of Christ
Book I: Useful Admonitions for the Spiritual Life
Chapter 13: "On Resisting Temptation"

Papal Quote o' the Day

"Abortion isn't a lesser evil, it's a crime. Taking one life to save another, that's what the Mafia does. It's a crime. It's an absolute evil."
—Pope Francis (born 1936, reigning since 2013)

Little Flower Quote o' the Day

"Do not imagine that love can be found without suffering, for we carry with us our human nature; & yet, what a source of merit it is!"
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"It must be borne in mind that to proceed gradually is the law of life in all its expressions. Therefore, in human institutions, too, it is not possible to renovate for the better except by working from within them, gradually."
—Pope St. John XXIII (1881-1963, feast day: 11 October)