Saints + Scripture

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

'Tis the festival of Our Lady of Banneux (apparitions 15 January-2 March 1933, A.K.A. Our Lady of the Poor, the Queen of Nations): Madonna-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Paul the First Hermit (circa 226-342; A.K.A. of Thebes, the Anchorite): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Eugippius, Priest (circa 460-535): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Pierre of Castelnau, Religious & Martyr, O.Cist. (died 1208, Anglicized as Peter), martyred by Albigensian heretics (A.K.A. the Cathers), the proximate cause of the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229): Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Heresy-link Albigensianism & Wikipedia-link Albigensianism, & Crusades-link & Wikipedia-link Crusade.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Arnold Janssen, Priest, S.V.D. (1837-1909), founder of the Society of the Divine Word (1875, S.V.D.); the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (1889, S.Sp.S.), the "Blue Sisters"; & the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (1896, S.Sp.S.A.P.), the "Pink Sisters": Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Order-link S.V.D. & Wikipedia-link S.V.D., Order-link S.Sp.S. & Wikipedia-link S.Sp.S., & Wikipedia-link S.Sp.S.A.P.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Nikolaus Groß, Martyr (1898-1945, Anglicized as Gross), martyred in the reign of the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
The First Book of Samuel, chapter three, verses one thru ten, nineteen, & twenty;
Psalm Forty (R/. eight[a] & nine[a]), verses two & five, seven & eight(a), eight(b) & nine, & ten;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter one, verses twenty-nine thru thirty-nine.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus heals many of the townspeople of Capernaum. His healing of physical ailments points to his spiritual healing—to his being the doctor of the soul.

The Gospels are filled with accounts of Jesus' healing encounters with those whose spiritual energies are unable to flow. Much of Jesus’ ministry consisted in teaching people how to see (the kingdom of God), how to hear (the voice of the Spirit), how to walk (overcoming the paralysis of the heart), and how to be free of themselves so as to discover God.

Jesus was referred to in the early Church as the Savior (salvator in Latin). The term speaks of the one who brings healing—indeed, our word salve is closely related to salvus, meaning health. When the soul is healthy, it is in a living relationship with God. When the soul is sick, the entire person becomes ill, because all flows from and depends upon the dynamic encounter with the source of being and life who is God.

We heal the soul by bringing to bear the salvator, the healer, the one who in his person reconciled us with God and opened the soul to the divine power.

Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D. (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Scripture Study—Exodus 90, Day 3
The Book of Exodus, chapter one, verses fifteen thru twenty-two.

Commentary: The Israelites Are Oppressed by the Egyptians (concluded; Exodus, 1:15-22).

Papal Quote o' the Day

"This smile was not a mask, behind which a person can hide himself, nor was it a studied gesture to obtain something, but the expression, unconscious & natural of a soul transparent & luminous to its very depths."
—Pope Benedict XVI (born 1927, reigned 2005-2013) on Pope Servant of God John Paul I (1912-1978, reigned 26 August-28 September 1978)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"There are two verses in scripture, one from Isaiah & the other from the Epistle to the Hebrews, which seem to be contradictory. Isaiah says that our Lord was reckoned with the transgressors, or sinners. The Epistle to the Hebrews says that He was separated from sinners. He was one with them & at the same time not with them. He was reckoned with sinners, inasmuch as in His human nature He took upon Himself all the penalties of sin. He was separated simply because He was God & also because, even in His human nature, He was like us in all things, save sin."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)