Saints + Scripture: Paschaltide

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

'Tis the Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop & Martyr, O.S.B. (circa 675-754, the "Apostle to the Germans;" of Mainz, of Crediton; A.K.A. Winfrid), martyred by pagan Frisians; he famously cut down Donar's Oak: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Oak.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

Through his efforts to reorganize & regulate the church of the Franks, he helped shape the Latin Church in Europe, & many of the dioceses he proposed remain today. After his martyrdom, he was regarded as a unifier of Europe, & he is seen (mainly by Catholics) as a Germanic national figure.

Quoth Minute Meditations from the Popes:

O Lord, St. Boniface proclaimed the Gospel to the peoples of Germany. Help me to witness to the Faith in the small ways in which I allow Your Gospel to penetrate my every word & action.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Illidius of Clermont, Bishop (died 385), fourth (IV) Bishop of Clermont: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Clermont.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Tudno of Caernarvon (floruit sixth century): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Meinwerk of Paderborn, Bishop (circa 975-1036, the "Builder Bishop"): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Paderborn.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Łucja Szewczyk, Religious, T.O.S.F. (1828-1905, A.K.A. Małgorzata Szewczyk), foundress of the Seraphic Sisters, formally the Daughters of the Sorrowful Mother of God: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter twenty, verses twenty-eight thru thirty-eight;
Psalm Sixty-eight, verses twenty-nine & thirty; thirty-three, thirty-four, & thirty-five(a); & thirty-five(b/c) & thirty-six(a/b);
The Gospel according to John, chapter seventeen, verses eleven(b) thru nineteen.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus prays: "Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one."

The Church is one because its founder is one. Jesus compels a choice precisely because he claims to speak and act in the very person of God. Jesus simply cannot be one teacher among many, and therefore those who walk in his way must be exclusively with him.

Moreover, the God whom Jesus incarnates is one. The Israelite conception of God is fiercely monotheistic and hence it excludes any diversity or syncretism at the level of basic belief: "The Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Joseph Ratzinger commented that the opening line of the Nicene Creed, Credo in unum Deum (I believe in one God), is a subversive statement because it automatically rules out any rival claimant to ultimate concern.

To say that one accepts only the God of Israel and Jesus Christ is to say that one rejects as ultimate any human being, any culture, any political party, any artistic form, or any set of ideas. A Christian is someone who, at the most fundamental level of his or her being, is centered on the one God of Jesus Christ.

Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Mass Readings—Memorial of St. Boniface
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter twenty-six, verses nineteen thru twenty-three;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter sixteen, verse fifteen &
Psalm One Hundred Seventeen, verses one(b/c) & two;
The Gospel according to John, chapter ten, verses eleven thru sixteen.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"We must conform our lives to the Gospel in all its fullness, accepting its demands & trusting its wisdom. Then despite the skepticism of some & the ridicule of others, we shall be drawing many people to Christ."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)

Little Flower Quote o' the Day

"Charity took possession of my soul & filled me with the spirit of self-forgetfulness, & from that time I was always happy."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"He who holds his tongue for a day will speak much more wisely tomorrow."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)