'Tis also the festival of Saint Avitanus of Rouen, Bishop (died 325, also spelt Avitus), third (III) Bishop of Rouen (311-325): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link Rouen & Wikipedia-link Rouen.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Bibiana, Virgin & Martyr (died circa 361, also spelt Viviana), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate, namesake of Rome's Church of Santa Bibiana, which houses a Bernini statue of the saint: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Santa Bibiana & Wikipedia-link Saint Bibiana.
Commentary: Wayback Machine. Daughter of Ss. Flavian [22 December] & Daffosa [4 January], sister of St. Demetria [21 June].
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Jan of Ruusbroec, Priest, C.R.S.A. (circa 1293-1381; Anglicized as John; town also spelt Ruysbroeck, Ruisbroek): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Rafał Chyliński, Priest, O.F.M. Conv. (1694-1741, A.K.A. Melchor Chyliński): Blessed-link ūnus, Blessed-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Ivan Slezyuk, Bishop & Martyr (1896-1973), martyred in the reign of the Communist dictator Leonid Brezhnev, one of the Martyrs Killed under Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link Eastern Europe.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Monday of the First Week of Advent
The Book of Isaiah, chapter four, verses two thru six;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-two, verses one & two, three & four(b), four(c/d) & five, six & seven, & eight & nine;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eight, verses five thru eleven.
Commentary: Advent Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in our Gospel today a Roman centurion comes to Jesus and says, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully… I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”Advent of Hope Reflection (Array of Hope):
Any objective observer would say, “Well, this is ridiculous! What this man is asking is impossible.” He is not only asking that his servant might be cured; he is asking that he be cured at a distance, with simply a word. He’s at the limit of what he could possibly know or control or measure. And yet he trusts; he has faith.
Søren Kierkegaard defined faith as “a passion for the impossible.” Is God opposed to reason? Absolutely not; God gave us the gift of reason. Does God want us to be unrealistic? No; he wants us to use all of our powers of imagination and analysis. But faith goes beyond reason; it is a passion for what reason can’t see.
That centurion had a passion for the impossible. And that’s why Jesus says to him, in some of the highest praise you’ll find in the Gospel: “In no one in Israel have I found such faith.”
Reflect: What would you like Jesus to “only say the word” for and it will be done? Have you asked him with the faith of the centurion?
Such faith the centurion had! This is true hope lived out in the Gospel. This is what Jesus does for each one of us when we ask Him. So often we are afraid to ask for help or think we are unworthy, but Jesus is not interested in our shortcomings, He is always waiting with open arms for us to call upon Him with faith.“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.”
We know these words and say them before receiving the Eucharist during mass. Jesus’ true presence in the Eucharist serves as a tremendous act of love and strengthens us in our faith. This Advent, receive the Eucharist as much as possible and allow the grace of God to work in your life.
Today, cast your anxieties aside and don’t be afraid to call upon the Lord. No matter what you may be experiencing, hold onto the hope of knowing that He will come to your aid and strengthen you without fail!Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 91: Relativism Ridge, Day 28 (of 28)
The Book of Judges, chapter twenty, verses twelve, twenty, thirty-five, forty-seven, & forty-eight;
The Book of Judges, chapter twenty-one, verse twenty-five.
Commentary: The Tribes of Israel Attack the Benjaminites (Judges, 20:12, 20, 35, 47-48) & the Benjaminites Saved from Extinction (Judges, 21:25).
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Our evangelizing zeal must spring from true holiness of life. In addition, as the Second Vatican Council suggests, preaching must in its turn make the preacher grow in holiness, which is nourished by prayer & by love for the Eucharist."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 29 May)
"Every woman promises a man a love that only God can give. And every man promises a woman a love that only God can give. A finite creature cannot bear its yearning of the infinite love any more than a statue of bronze can rest upon the stem of a flower. Men & women are all looking for another kind of love. Today this causes the breakdown of the marriage covenant. When people leave on marriage & seek another, it is like the addition of zeroes, which never, never brings happiness."Chesterton Quote o' the Day
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
"True contentment is a thing as active as agriculture. It is the power of getting out of any situation all that there is in it. It is arduous & it is rare."
—G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
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