Saints + Scripture

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

'Tis the festival of Our Lady of Beauraing (apparitions 29 November 1932-3 January 1933, A.K.A. the Virgin of the Golden Heart): Madonna-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Brendan of Birr, Abbot (died circa 572, A.K.A. the Elder), founding abbot of the abbey at Birr, one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Birr, & Apostles-link Éire & Wikipedia-link Éire.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Edward Burden, Priest & Martyr (circa 1540-1588), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, one of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link England & Wales & Wikipedia-link England & Wales.

'Tis also the festival of Blesseds George Errington, William Gibson, & William Knight, Martyrs (died 1596), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, three of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link Golf Echo & Wikipedia-link Golf Echo, Martyr-link Whiskey Golf & Wikipedia-link Whiskey Golf, & Martyr-link Whiskey Kilo & Wikipedia-link Whiskey Kilo; Martyrs-link England & Wales & Wikipedia-link England & Wales.

'Tis also the festival of Blesseds Denis of the Nativity, Priest, & Redemptorus of the Cross, Religious; Martyrs, O.C.D. (died 1638, A.K.A. Pierre Berthelot & Tomás Rodrigues da Cunha), martyred in the reign of the Acehnese king Iskandar Thani at the instigation of the Protestant Dutch East India Company: Martyr-link Delta November & Wikipedia-link Delta November, & Martyr-link Romeo Charlie & Wikipedia-link Romeo Charlie.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Francesco Antonio Fasani, Priest, O.F.M. Conv. (1681-1742, A.K.A. Giovanniello Fasani): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Daniel, chapter seven, verses two thru fourteen;
The Book of Daniel, chapter three (R/. fifty-nine[b]), verses seventy-five, seventy-six, seventy-seven, seventy-eight, seventy-nine, eighty, & eighty-one;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-one, verses twenty-nine thru thirty-three.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel passage Jesus speaks of the time when the plan of God will be fulfilled. Some philosophies defend a circular or cyclic understanding of time. They hold that time just continually circles back on itself, repeating like the cycles of the seasons. The modern philosopher Nietzsche spoke of the “eternal return of the same.” That’s a mythic consciousness, and it can be found all over the world.

But the Jews had a very different sense of time, what we might call “linear.” They felt that time was moving somewhere, that it had, under God’s direction, a purpose. The past was not simply there to be repeated endlessly; rather, the past was a preparation for a definitive future. It was an anticipation of what God would do, what God was going to accomplish.

The Lord assures us that the kingdom of God is near and that we must prepare for its coming.

Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 91: Relativism Ridge, Day 25
The Book of Judges, chapter seventeen, verses one thru thirteen.

Commentary: Micah & the Levite (Judges, 17:1-13).

Papal Quote o' the Day

"We are taught by the Divine Word… to prevent the hearts of the simple being perverted, & the innocent secretly wounded by their arrows, & to block that broad road which could be opened to the uncorrected commission of sin."
—Pope Clement XII, on Freemasonry (1652-1740)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"O God, grant that whatever good things I have, I may share generously with those who have not, & whatever good things I do not have, I may request humbly from those who do."
—St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church (1225-1274, feast day: 28 January)

Chesterton Quote o' the Day

"The aim of life is appreciation; there is no sense in not appreciating things; & there is no sense in having more of them if you have less appreciation of them."
—G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)