Saints + Scripture: Quadragesima

The Popish Plot
vLent 2019: "Memento Mori Monday: The Examen"

'Tis the commemoration of Saint Benedict Crispus of Milan, Bishop (died circa 732), Archbishop of Milan: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Bishops (List) & Wikipedia-link Milan.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the commemoration of Saint Eulogius of Córdoba, Bishop & Martyr (died 859), martyred in the reign of the Andalusian king Muhammad I, one of the forty-eight Martyrs of Córdoba: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Córdoba.

'Tis also the commemoration of Saint Óengus the Culdee, Bishop (died 824; A.K.A. of Tallaght, of Clonenagh, Óengus mac Óengobann; also spelt Aengus; culdee meaning hermit), author of the Martyrology of Tallaght: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Martyrology.

'Tis also the commemoration of Blessed Thomas Atkinson, Priest & Martyr (died 1616), martyred in the reign of the Anglo-Scottish king James VI & I, one of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link England & Wales & Wikipedia-link England & Wales.

'Tis also the commemoration of Blessed John Kearney, Priest & Martyr, O.F.M. (1619-1653, A.K.A. Seán Ó Cearnaigh), martyred in the reign of the English warlord Oliver Cromwell, one of the Irish Martyrs: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link Éire & Wikipedia-link Éire.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Monday of the First Week of Lent
The Book of Leviticus, chapter nineteen, verses one, two, & eleven thru eighteen;
Psalm Nineteen, verses eight, nine, ten, & fifteen (& the Gospel according to John, chapter six, verse sixty-three[b]);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-five, verses thirty-one thru forty-six.

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

Friends, in our Gospel today Jesus tells the crowd that the Son of Man will welcome the righteous into the kingdom, saying: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me." Puzzled, the righteous will ask when they did this, and he will reply, "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."

This is a powerful evocation of Jesus’ teaching about the mutuality of our love for God and neighbor. The absolute love for God is not in competition with a radical commitment to love our fellow human beings, precisely because God is not one being among many, but the very ground of our existence.

Someone who operated very much in the spirit of this teaching was Saint Teresa of Calcutta. A writer was once conversing with her, searching out the sources of her spirituality and mission. At the end of their long talk, she asked him to spread his hand out on the table. Touching his fingers one by one as she spoke the words, she said, "You did it to me."

Reflect: Identify a needy person in your life, whether that need is
a physical or spiritual one. What can you do in the next week for that
person?

Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Scripture Study—Wisdom Books
The Book of the Psalms, psalm nineteen (verses one thru fourteen*);
The Book of the Psalms, psalm twenty (verses one thru nine);
The Book of the Proverbs, chapter eleven (verses one thru thirty-one).

Commentary: God's Glory in Creation & the Law (Psalm 19), Prayer for Victory (Psalm 20), & Wise Sayings of Solomon (cont'd; Proverbs, 11:1-31).

*In the New American Bible (N.A.B.), the translation read at Mass here in the United States, Psalm 19 has fifteen verses; in the Revised Standard Version—Second Satholic Edition (R.S.V.—S.C.E.) translation used in my Great Adventure Bible, Psalm 19 has fourteen verses. The Psalm is the same length, the difference is that the N.A.B. counts as verse one an editorial comment that is not numbered in the R.S.V.: "For the leader. A psalm of David" (N.A.B.)/"To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David" (R.S.V.)

Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 50
The Book of Exodus, chapter twenty-one, verses twelve thru thirty-two.

Commentary: Laws concerning Violence & Harm (Exodus, 21:12-32).

Proverb o' the Day (Proverbs, 11:7)

When the wicked dies, his hope perishes,
and the expectation of the godless comes to nothing.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"The season of Lent keeps inviting us, in a pressing way, to meditate on this great truth: love is of God. This is a living, present reality that we should never forget."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)

Little Flower Quote o' the Day

"O divine Sun! I am happy to feel so small & weak in Your presence, & my heart is at peace."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"Let us prepare ourselves for a good death, for eternity. Let us not lose our time in lukewarmness, in negligence, in our habitual infidelities."
—St. John Vianney (1786-1859, feast day: 4 August)