Saints + Scripture

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

'Tis the festival of Saint Onesimus, Bishop (died circa 95), second (II) Bishop of Ephesus, the principal subject of the Letter to Philemon: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Ephesus & Wikipedia-link Epistle to Philemon.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. The letter to St. Philemon [22 November] was written by St. Paul the Apostle [25 January, 29 June].

'Tis also the festival of Saints Faustinus, Priest, & Jovinus, Deacon, Martyrs (died 120, A.K.A. Jovita), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian: Martyr-link Foxtrot, Martyr-link Juliett, & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Berach of Cluain Coirpthe, Abbot & Martyr (died 595; also spelt Barachias, Barry; A.K.A. of Termonbarry, of Kilbarry), founding abbot of an abbey at Termonbarry (Tearmann Bearaigh, "St. Barry's sanctuary"): Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Termonbarry.

Commentary: Nephew of St. Freoch [?] & brother of St. Midabaria [22 February].

'Tis also the festival of Saints Sunaman, Deacon; Unaman, Priest; & Winaman, Subdeacon; Martyrs, O.S.B. (died circa 1040), martyred by pagan Swedes in the reign of the good king Anund Jakob: Martyr-link Sierra, Martyr-link Uniform, Martyr-link Whiskey, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Nephews of St. Sigfrid of Sweden [15 February]; see: below.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Sigfrid of Sweden, Bishop, O.S.B. (died circa 1045, the "Apostle of Sweden;" also spelt Siegfried, Sigurd, etc.; A.K.A. of Växjö, of Wexlow): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Claude de la Colombière, Priest, S.J. (1641-1682), promoter of devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus & foe of the Jansenist heresy; imprisoned (ruinous to his health) & banished from England, a victim of the perjurer Titus Oates's "Popish Plot" hoax: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Sacred Heart-link & Wikipedia-link Sacred Heart; Heresy-link & Wikipedia-link Jansenism; & Popish Plot-link & Wikipedia-link Popish Plot.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Michał Sopoćko, Priest (1888-1975), founder of the Congregation of Sisters of Merciful Jesus, promoter of devotion to the Divine Mercy: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Divine Mercy.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
The First Book of Kings, chapter twelve, verses twenty-six thru thirty-two & chapter thirteen, verses thirty-three & thirty-four;
Psalm One Hundred Six (R/. four[a]), verses six & seven(a/b), nineteen & twenty, & twenty-one & twenty-two;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter eight, verses one thru ten.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus feeds the crowd of four thousand, which is a wonderful biblical illustration of what I have often called the loop of grace.

The constant command of the Bible is this: what you have received as a gift, give as a gift—and you will find the original gift multiplied and enhanced. God’s grace, precisely because it is grace, cannot be held on to; rather, it is had only in the measure that it remains grace—that is to say, a gift given away. God’s life, in a word, is had only on the fly. One realizes this truth when one enters willingly into the loop of grace, giving away that which one is receiving.

At the outset of the story, the disciples refuse to serve the crowd, preferring to send them away to the neighboring towns to fend for themselves. At the climax of the narrative, the disciples become themselves the instruments of nourishment, setting the loaves and fishes before the people. Within the loop of grace, they discover their mission and are themselves enhanced, transfigured.

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

Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 34
The Book of Exodus, chapter thirteen, verse seventeen thru chapter fourteen, verse nine.

Commentary: The Pillar of Cloud & the Pillar of Fire (Exodus, 13:17-22) & Crossing the Red Sea (Exodus, 14:1-9).

Papal Quote o' the Day

"God created man in His own image & likeness: calling him to existence through love, He called him at the same time for love."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"Evil works in us. Love declines. And then we hesitate about changing. St. Thomas says we can hate truth & fear goodness. We can hate truth because it means a change. For that reason we often resent the truth that is told about ourselves. We rationalize what we have done. We will stay away from a doctor, lest he find cancer. We do not want to know the truth. We like to hear about social action & political-moral problems, but we’re not too keen on hearing the truth about ourselves. Truth hurts. We fear goodness because we like to keep our own standards. We have moved away from the standard of Christ to the standard of the world. We do not ask ourselves, 'Does this please Christ?' but 'Does this please the world? So I will dress & act in such a way that I will not be separate from the world; I want to be with it. We marry this age, & we become a widow in the next one. We take on its verbiage, its fashions. This is one reason for so much instability in the Church today: the sand on which we are walking is shifting. We’ve given up the rock which is Christ."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Convert Quote o' the Day

"If you live like the world & you take sin, relationships, our Father, & His Church lightly, you’re saying that Jesus’ death on the cross was in vain. We are to become the new man, renewed in our minds & living in Christ."
—Steve Ray (fl. 2020)