Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The First Book of Kings, chapter nineteen, verses sixteen(b), nineteen, twenty, & twenty-one;
Psalm Sixteen, verses one & two, five, seven & eight, nine & ten, & eleven;
The Letter to the Galatians, chapter five, verses one & thirteen thru eighteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter nine, verses fifty-one thru sixty-two.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus rebukes James and John for their desire for vengeance. We are walking with Jesus and his disciples as they make their way to Jerusalem. As they pass through Samaria, they are refused hospitality, for their destination is Jerusalem, and this annoys the Samaritans. Bothersome? Stupid? Racist? Sure, all of those things. As a result, James and John (the sons of thunder) cry out: “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Can you hear echoes of this cry up and down the ages? Whenever people have been unjustly treated, excluded, looked down upon, they experience, naturally enough, feelings of hatred and a desire to get back. Correctly enough, they will say that their family or their race or their country was offended, and so they, with justification, react.
But Jesus turns only to rebuke them. Why? Because following him and his way of nonviolence is more important than race or country or ethnic group. Our feelings for him have to go beyond even our justified feelings for these good things.
Video reflection by Father Claude Burns (uCatholic): Weekend Reflection with Father Pontifex.
Audio reflection by Scott Hahn, Ph.D. (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Breaking the Bread.
Scripture Study—Day 91: Covenant Crag, Day 14
The Book of Genesis, chapter eleven, verses one thru nine.
Commentary: The Tower of Babel (Genesis, 11:1-9).
Mass Journal: Week 31
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute:
Holines brings us to life. It refines every human ability. Holiness doesn't dampen our emotions; it elevates them. Those who respond to God's call to holiness are the most joyful people in history. They have a richer, more abundant experience of life, & they love more deeply than most people can ever imagine. They enjoy life, all of life. Even in the midst of suffering they are able to maintain a peace & a joy that are independent of the happenings & circumstances surrounding them. Holiness doesn't stifle us; it sets us free. The surest signs of holiness are not how often a person goes to church, how many hours he spends in prayer, what good spiritual books he had read, or even the number of good works he performs. The surest sign of holiness are an insatiable desire to become all God created us to be, an unwavering commitment to the will of God, & an unquenchable concern for unholy people. Living a holy life means letting our decisions be guided by the Holy Spirit. It means allowing each moment to be all it can be.†
Otherwise, 30 June would be the festival of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (died 64), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Nero: Martyrs-link ūnus, Martyrs-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Twould also be the festival of Saint Bertrand of Le Mans, Bishop (circa 553-623, A.K.A. Bertechramnus), Bishop of Le Mans: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Le Mans.
'Twould also be the festival of Blessed Ramon Llull, Martyr, T.O.S.F. (circa 1232-1315, the Doctor Illuminatus ["Enlightened Doctor"], Anglicized as Raymond Lull), martyred by a mob in the reign of the Marinid sultan Abu Sa'id Uthman II: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.
'Twould also be the festival of Blessed Zynoviy Kovalyk, Priest & Martyr, C.Ss.R. (1903-1941; also transliterated Zenon, Zenobius), martyred in the reign of the Communist dictator Joseph Stalin, one of the Martyrs Killed under Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link Eastern Europe.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Remember how the first Christians, most of them simple & humble people, suffering the most cruel persecutions, were successful in spreading Christ's message to all part of the empire. Their only weapons were prayer, the Gospel, & the Cross."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"I will always have to stay little to be worthy of His glances, but I'll grow in virtue under the brightness of this star of Heaven."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"The Father loves the Son & the Son loves the Father. Love is not in one alone; love is not in the other. The love that we have for one another is not just in me & not just in you. Love is always a bond between two or among several. That is why even lovers will speak of our love, something outside of the lovers themselves. So love is not in the Father, love is not in the Son, love is the mysterious bond uniting both. Because we are here dealing with the infinite, that divine love is so deep, so profound that it cannot express itself by canticles, words, or embraces. It can express itself only by that which signifies the fullness arid exhaustion of all giving, namely, a sigh. Something that’s too deep for words. That is why the bond of love between the Father & the Son is called the Holy Breath, the Holy Spirit. As the three angles of the triangle do not make three triangles, but one, so there are three Persons or three relationships in God, but only one God."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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