'Tis the Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle (died circa 80): Apostle-link ūnus, Apostle-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Apostles-link & Wikipedia-link Apostles.
Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Matthias was, according to the Acts of the Apostles, the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas' betrayal of Jesus & his subsequent death.'Tis also the Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter: Wikipedia-link.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feast of Saint Mathias
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter one, verses fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, & twenty thru twenty-six;
Psalm One Hundred Thirteen, verses one & two, three & four, six & six, & seven & eight;
The Gospel according to John, chapter fifteen, verses nine thru seventeen.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus announces to his disciples: "I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father."Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Many mysticisms and philosophies of the ancient world—Platonism and Gnosticism come readily to mind—spoke of God or the sacred, but they spoke of it as a force or a value or an ontological source. It was impersonal and at an infinite remove from the world of ordinary experience. These ancient schools find an echo in many modern and contemporary theologies. Think of deism, which was so influential on the founders of the United States, or even the New Age philosophy of our time. These speak of a "divine" principle or power, but one would never dream of addressing such a force as "thou" or of engaging with it in intimate conversation.
Then there is the Bible. The Scriptures obviously present God as the overwhelming, transcendent, uncontrollable, inscrutable Creator of the heavens and the earth, but they insist that this sublime and frightening power is a person who deigns to speak to us, to guide us, and to invite us into his life.
In making that utterance—"I no longer call you slaves, but friends"—Jesus turned all of religious philosophy and mysticism on its head.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Dyfan, Martyr (died circa 180), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Commodus: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Érembert of Toulouse, Bishop, O.S.B. (610-672, A.K.A. of Fontenelle, of Wocourt): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Toulouse.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Giles of Santarém, Religious, O.P. (1185-1265, A.K.A. Gil Rodrigues de Valadares): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Today the Church is alive. Despite all contrary appearances, the Church is united. The Church is & remains the yeast in the dough, the signal among nations."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)
"Our mission as Carmelites is to form evangelical workers who will save thousands of souls."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"What was the liberation Mary stood for? First of all, she stood for life. Here was a young woman who was so poor she had nothing but doves to offer at the temple. There was no housing, so for childbirth she had to go to a stable. There’s the shame associated with a virgin bearing a child. And with all of that poverty & all of that shame, should she have aborted? No, she believed in liberation for life. She also believed in liberation for justice. What greater declaration of justice is there than the Magnificat of Mary? Speaking of exalting the poor, & exalting the humble, this is the liberation of justice."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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