The Pope Video
"July 2020: Our Families"
'Tis the festival of Saints Martinian & Processus, Martyrs (died circa 67, of Rome), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Nero: Martyr-link Mike, Martyr-link Papa, & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Swithun of Winchester, Bishop (circa 800-863, also spelt Swithin), eighteenth (XVIII) Bishop of Winchester (852-863): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link & Wikipedia-link Winchester.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Otto of Bamberg, Bishop (circa 1060-1139, "Apostle of Pomerania"), eighth (VIII) Bishop of Bamberg (1102-1139): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link & Wikipedia-link Bamberg.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Bernardino Realino, Priest, S.J. (1530-1616, the "Apostle of Lecce"): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Jacques Frémin, Priest, S.J. (1628-1691): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Amos, chapter seven, verses ten thru seventeen;
Psalm Nineteen (R/. ten[c/d]), verses eight, nine, ten, & eleven;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter nine, verses one thru eight.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel, the Lord heals a paralytic after first forgiving his sins. Jesus’ initial words to this paralyzed man are, “Your sins are forgiven.” Why does God forgive our sins? Because he wants us alive, he wants us moving, he wants us in action, realizing what we can be.Video reflection by Father Roger Lopez, O.F.M. (U.S.C. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
Jesus comes to liberate us for deeper life, to open a new future to us. Sin is a refusal to live according to God’s purposes and desires. Our obsession with past sins paralyzes us. God is opposed to this obsession with the past, because it renders us unable to move.
I can brood over my past sins to such a degree that I become finally paralyzed, unable to move. “Your sins are forgiven” is another way of saying, “Don’t be paralyzed by sins that you undoubtedly worry about far more than God does.”
After saying your sins are forgiven, Jesus says, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” That’s the way it works: First comes the forgiveness of sins, and that is a liberating power in us. Now I can live for the future.
Video reflection by Becket Ghioto (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.
Scripture Study—Day 91: Contentness Plateau, Day 11
The Second Book of Samuel, chapter three, verses six thru eleven.
Commentary: Abner defects to David (cont'd; 2 Samuel, 3:6-11).
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Friends, do not be afraid of silence or stillness. Listen to God. Adore Him in the Eucharist."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Benedict XVI (b. 1927, r. 2005-2013)
"Let no one be under any delusion. Christ is demanding. Christ's life is the narrow way. To be worthy of Him, we must take up our cross. It is not enough to be religious; it is necessary to carry out the Divine Will in actual fact."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)
"God created the whole world, but He is our Father. The Father loves me, & you. The tenderness of God's love—no one can love as God. He made us. He is our Father."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"God works upon your soul. He does not work like a key in a lock; He works less visibly than a father on a son, but His love speaks to our freedom in the same mysterious words, I & you: as one heart to another. Because God is the very embodiment of love, His love inspires you to be what you are meant to be: a free person in the highest sense of the word. The more you are led by God’s love, the more you become yourself, & it is all done without ever losing your freedom."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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