Saints + Scripture: XV Sunday in Tempus per annum

'Tis the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time during the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Week
Mass Readings—Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Book of Deuteronomy, chapter thirty, verses ten thru fourteen;
Psalm Sixty-nine, verses fourteen & seventeen, thirty & thirty-one, thirty-three & thirty-four, & thirty-six & thirty-seven;
or, Psalm Nineteen, verses eight, nine, ten, & eleven;
The Letter to the Colossians, chapter one, verses fifteen thru twenty;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter ten, verses twenty-five thru thirty-seven.

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

Friends, our Gospel today is one of the best-known of Jesus’ parables, the story of the Good Samaritan. Every story, parable, illustration, and exhortation is, at the end of the day, a picture of the Lord.

In one of the great windows of Chartres Cathedral there is an intertwining of two stories, the account of the fall of mankind and the parable of the Good Samaritan. This reflects a connection that was made by the Church Fathers. The Good Samaritan is a symbol of Jesus, himself, in his role as Savior of the world.

Now our task is to be other Christs. "Which of these three was neighbor to the man who fell in with the robbers?" "The one who treated him with compassion." Jesus says to him, "Go and do the same."

We spend our lives now looking for those people stranded by the road, victimized by sin. We don’t walk by, indifferent to them, but rather we do what Jesus did. Even those who are our natural enemies, even those who frighten us. And we bring the Church’s power to bear, pouring in the oil and wine of compassion, communicating the power of Christ’s cross.

Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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 28
The Book of Genesis, chapter nineteen, verses twelve, fourteen thru twenty-one, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, & twenty-nine.

Commentary: Sodom & Gomorrah Destroyed (Genesis, 19:12, 14-21, 24-26, & 29).

Mass Journal: Week 33
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute:

I belive there is a direct relationship between happiness & holiness. This was my first serious observation of the Christian life as a teenager. I must also confess it was the reason I first began to explore Catholicism seriously. As simple as it may sound, I was aware of my yearning for happiness. I had tried to satisfy this yearning in other ways & had been left wanting. I had witnessed a peace & purpose in the lives of a handful of people I knew who were striving to live their faith, & I knew they had something I was yearning for. God calls each of us to holiness. he invites us to be truly ourselves. This call to holiness is in response to our deep desire for happiness. We cry out to God, saying Show us how to find the happiness our hearts are hungry for, & God replies, Walk with me, be all I created you to be, become the best-version-of-yourself. It is a natural & logical conclusion that will never find happiness if we are not ourselves.

†

Otherwise, 14 July would be the festival of Saint Deusdedit of Canterbury, Bishop, O.S.B. (died circa 664; also spelt Adeodatus, A.K.A. Frithona, Frithuwine), sixth (VI) Archbishop of Canterbury: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link Canterbury & Wikipedia-link Canterbury.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Twould also be the festival of Saint Francisco Solano, Priest, O.F.M. (1549-1610, the "Wonder Worker of the New World," Anglicized as Francis Solanus): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Namesake of Bl. Solanus Casey [30 July].

'Twould also be the festival of Blessed Richard Langhorne, Martyr (circa 1624-1679), martyred in the reign of the Anglo-Scottish king Charles II, a victim of the perjurer Titus Oates's "Popish Plot" hoax: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Plot-link & Wikipedia-link Plot.

'Twould also be the festival of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin (1656-1680, the "Lily of the Mohawks"): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"One of the most striking aspects of the public ministry of Jesus was His special love for those who were suffering. He touched, blessed, & healed them. He forgave their sins. He offered them consolation & hope by proclaiming to them the Gospel of salvation."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"Jesus, I love You! (Jesos Konoronkwa!)"
—St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680, feast day: 14 July)