Saints + Scripture

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

The Popish Plot
"Letter from the Jehovah's Witnesses"

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest, O.L.M. (1828-1898, also spelt Charbel Makhlouf; A.K.A. Youssef Antoun Makhlūf, Joseph Zaroun Makhlūf): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, Saint-link trēs & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Declán of Ardmore, Bishop (fifth century, also spelt Déaglán), inaugural Bishop of Ardmore (Aird Mhór, Árd Mór): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Árd Mór.

'Tis also the festival of Saints Roman & David of Kiev, Martyrs (died circa 1015, A.K.A. Boris & Gleb), martyred in the reign of their brother, the Kievan Rus' prince Sviatopolk the Accursed,: Martyr-link Romeo, Martyr-link Delta, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Sons of St. Vladimir of Kiev [15 July], great-grandsons of St. Olga of Kiev [11 July].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Kinga of Poland, Abbess, O.S.C. (circa 1224-1292; A.K.A. Kunigunde, also spelt Cunegunda, etc.), Grand Duchess of Poland: Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Great-niece of St. Hedwig of Silesia [16 October], niece of Ss. Elizabeth of Hungary [17 November] & Agnes of Prague [2 March], sister of St. Margaret of Hungary [18 January] & Bl. Yolanda of Poland [11 June], & sister-in-law of Bl. Salomea of Poland [17 November].

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Louise of Savoy, Religious, O.S.C. (circa 1461-1503, also spelt Luisa): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Descendant of St. Elizabeth of Hungary [17 November] & so distant kin of St. Kinga of Poland [24 July], et al.; daughter of Bl. Amadeus of Savoy [30 March] & cousin of St. Joan of Valois [4 February].

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Joseph Lambton, Priest & Martyr (circa 1568-1592), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, one of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link England & Wales & Wikipedia-link England & Wales.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Jeremiah, chapter three, verses fourteen thru seventeen;
The Book of Jeremiah, chapter thirty-one, (R/. ten[d]) verses ten, eleven & twelve(a/b/c/d), & thirteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter thirteen, verses eighteen thru twenty-three.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the parable of the sower. This parable is reminiscent of another well-known story of Jesus: that of the shepherd and the lost sheep.

"Which man among you," asks Jesus, "having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?" Can we imagine the shepherds in Jesus’ audience shaking their heads? No shepherd would be so foolish! Which is just the point: God’s love is so extravagant that it breaks all of our categories of what is reasonable.

One of our favorite pastimes is setting limits to the love of God. We say that God loves those who love him, or that God loves those who are in the right church or have the right doctrines. But God does not sow only on the receptive soil; he sows everywhere, even in those places that are least receptive.

Video reflection by Father Praveen Lakkisetti (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor John Bergsma (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhlūf
The Book of Sirach, chapter three, verses seventeen thru twenty-four;
Psalm Fifteen (R/. one), verses two & three(a/b), three(c/d) & four(a/b), & five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter nineteen, verses twenty-seven, twenty-eight, & twenty-nine.

Scripture Study—Day 91: Contentness Plateau, Day 33
The Second Book of Samuel, chapter twelve, verses one thru seven, thirteen, fourteen, & fifteen.

Commentary: Nathan Condemns David, & God Punishes Him (2 Samuel, 12:1-7, 13-15).

Papal Quote o' the Day

"Strong in faith, put up a good fight; the future belongs to the believers & not to the skeptics & doubters. The future belongs to those who love, not to those who hate. The Church's mission in the world, far from being ended or outmoded, goes out to meet new trials & fresh enterprises."
—Pope Ven. Pius XII (1876-1958, r. 1939-1958)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"The moth flies round the flame & falls into it… let your soul be drawn into the divine light & consumed in it."
—St. Paul of the Cross, C.P. (1694-1775, feast: 19 October)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"All of us are called to work in a special way for the sake of peace. In order to bring about that peace, we need to learn from Jesus to be meek & humble of heart. Only humility will lead us to unity, & unity to peace."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"When our Lord does come to use the word qahal—the word used for God’s people—He calls it 'My qahal:' I will found My Church, My people. The bond that Christ establishes with this new qahal is not a bond of law, it is a bond of love. The very best moment for establishing this bond was a banquet where His Twelve sat about Him in love. Just as Moses often sprinkled blood upon the people as a sign of covenant, so He said that He would make a new covenant, a new pact, a new testament. And there was the sprinkling of the blood of goats & bullocks & sheep; He gave His Own Blood & said, 'This is the Blood of the new covenant'—the new testament, the new pact. This is the bond that will unite all of My people together. Now do you see that the Church is not an institution?"
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)