Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Maximilian Maria Kolbe, O.F.M. Conv., a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the German death camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II.Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today we celebrate the feast of Maximilian Kolbe, the great saint of Auschwitz. A prisoner from Fr. Kolbe’s barracks escaped, and in retaliation, the Nazi guards picked out ten other prisoners at random for execution. When one of those chosen broke down in tears, protesting that he was the father of a family, Kolbe stepped forward and said, "I am a Catholic priest; take me and spare this man."'Tis also the festival of Saint Eusebius of Rome, Priest (died circa 357), persecuted in the reign of the Roman emperor Constantius II for opposing the Arian heresy; on the site of his house stands the titular church of Sant'Eusebio: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Heresy-link Arianism, Wikipedia-link Arianism, & Wikipedia-link Church.
Priests are called "father" because they are life-givers in the spiritual order. Spiritual fathers protect their children; they teach them; they are there for them; and at the limit, they even give their lives for them. And that’s what we see in today’s great saint.
Jesus gathered around himself a band of Apostles whom he shaped according to his own mind and heart and whom he subsequently sent on mission. Priests, down through the centuries—from Augustine and Aquinas to Francis Xavier and John Henry Newman to John Paul II and your own pastor—are the descendants of those first friends and apprentices of the Lord. They have been needed in every age, and they are needed today, for the kingdom of heaven must be proclaimed, the poor must be served, God must be worshiped, and the sacraments must be administered.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Arnold of Soissons, Bishop & Abbot, O.S.B. (circa 1040-1087; also spelt Arnulf, A.K.A. of Oudenburg), abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Médard, then Bishop of Soissons, then founder of the Abbey of St. Peter: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link, Wikipedia-link, & Wikipedia-link St. Peter.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Antonio Primaldo & Companions, Martyrs (died 1480, A.K.A. the eight hundred thirteen [813, DCCCXIII] Martyrs of Otranto), martyred for refusing to convert to Islam in the reign of the Ottoman emperor Mehmed II the Conqueror: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Aimone Taparelli, Priest, O.P. (circa 1395-1495, also spelt Aimo, Haymo): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Deuteronomy, chapter thirty-four, verses one thru twelve;
Psalm Sixty-six, verses one, two, & three(a), five & eight; & sixteen & seventeen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eighteen, verses fifteen thru twenty.
Commentary: Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Mass Readings—Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe
The Book of Wisdom, chapter three, verses one thru nine;
or, the First Letter of John, chapter three, verses fourteen thru eighteen;
Psalm One Hundred Sixteen, verses ten & eleven, twelve & thirteen, & sixteen(a/c) & seventeen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter fifteen, verses twelve thru sixteen.
Mass Readings—Vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The First Book of Chronicles, chapter fifteen, verses three, four, fifteen, & sixteen & chapter sixteen, verses one & two;
Psalm One Hundred Thirty-two, verses six & seven, nine & ten, & thirteen & fourteen;
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter fifteen, verses fifty-four(b) thru fifty-seven;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter eleven, verses twenty-seven & twenty-eight.
Scripture Study—Day 91: Progeny Point, Day 17
The Book of Genesis, chapter thirty-five, verses sixteen thru twenty.
Commentary: The Birth of Benjamin & the Death of Rachel (Genesis, 35:16-20).
Papal Quote o' the Day
"You must trust God, but also in yourselves. You must trust in the admirable energies that God has given to every person for the development of personality & in a chosen form of life."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John XXIII (1881-1963, feast day: 11 October)
"Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice & is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice there is no love."
—St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941, feast day: 14 August)
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