Scripture of the Week
Mass Readings—Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-eight, verses seven thru ten;
Psalm One Hundred Twelve (R/. four[a]), verses four & five, six & seven, & eight & nine;
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter two, verses one thru five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter five, verses thirteen thru sixteen.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus asks, “If salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?” That question ought to bother us as much today as it did Jesus’ audience long ago. What he means is that a weak Christianity is a disaster for the world, for it depends upon the Christian Church in order to become what it was meant to be.Video reflection by Father Gregory Kelly (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Sunday Reflection.
Consider the truly awful gun violence in the streets of Chicago and other large American cities. A vibrant Christianity would actively get in the way of this affront to human dignity; vibrant Christian churches would rub salt into the earth of this violence; vibrant Christian witness would be a city set on a hill.
Consider the tens of millions of unborn eliminated since Roe v. Wade. I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of the mothers and fathers of these murdered children came from a Christian background. Why wasn’t their Christianity strong enough to function as salt and light? Why wasn’t their faith illuminating enough to shine a light into the darkness of what they were doing?
The clear implication is that, without vibrant Christians, the world is a much worse place.
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—Exodus 90: Day 28
The Book of Exodus, chapter twelve, verses twenty-one thru twenty-eight.
Commentary: The Passover Instituted (concluded; Exodus, 12:21-28).
†
Otherwise, 9 February would be the festival of Saint Apollonia, Virgin & Martyr (died circa 249, of Alexandria), deaconess, martyred by an anti-Christian mob in the reign of the Roman emperors Philip the Arab & Philip the Younger: Martyr-link ūna, Martyr-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link; Deaconess-link, & Wikipedia-link Deaconess.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Twould also be the festival of Saint Ansbert of Rouen, Bishop & Abbot, O.S.B. (died circa 695, A.K.A. of Chaussy), twenty-second (XXII) Bishop of Rouen (684-695), third (III) abbot of the Abbey of Saint Wandrille, A.K.A. Fontenelle Abbey (679-684): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Rouen & Wikipedia-link Fontenelle.
'Twould also be the festival of Blessed Marianus Scotus of Regensburg, Abbot, O.S.B. (died circa 1088; A.K.A. of Ireland, Muiredach mac Robartaig, Muiredach McGroarty), founding abbot of Saint Peter's Cloister in Regensberg (1078-1088): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Twould also be the festival of Blessed Bernardino Caimi, Religious, O.F.M. (1425-1500), founder of the Sacred Mountain of Varallo, the first of the Sacred Mountains (Sacri Monti): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Varallo & Wikipedia-link Sacri Monti.
'Twould also be the festival of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, Virgin, C.R.S.A. (1774-1824), stigmatist: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Stigmata-link & Wikipedia-link Stigmata.
'Twould also be the festival of Saint Miguel Febres Cordero, Religious, F.S.C. (1854-1910, of Ecuador; A.K.A. Francisco Luis Febres-Cordero y Muñoz): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Love cannot stop at half measures, as you well know. Love must be ready to offer itself as far as the very ultimate in generosity."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast day: 22 October)
"This silver crucifix that I wear, I wear in reparation. I was in a Jewish jewelry store one day in New York, where I had known the jeweler for twenty or twenty-five years. He said to me, 'I have some silver crucifixes for you.' And he gave me a bag of silver crucifixes, over a hundred of them.Catholic Quote o' the Day
I said, 'Where did you get them?'
'Oh,' he said, 'from sisters, they brought them in. They told me, "We're not going to wear the crucifix anymore; it divides us from the world. How much will you give us for the silver?"' The jeweler said, 'I weighed them out thirty pieces of silver.' Then he said, 'What s wrong with your Church? I thought that meant something to you?'
So I told him what was wrong. Three months later I received him into the Church."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
"The Resurrection was not simply a happy postscript to a tragic story, the Ascension not simply a spectacular way of showing that Christ had left our earth in triumph. Each was as necessary to the work to be accomplished as the sufferings unto death that preceded them."
—Frank Sheed (1897-1982)
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