Saints of the Day
'Tis the festival of Saint Thraseas, Bishop & Martyr (died 170), Bishop of Eumenia, martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, in his persecution (166-180): Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Eumenia, & Persecutions-link & Wikipedia-link Marcus Aurelius.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Abraham the Poor, Hermit (died 372; A.K.A. the Child, the Simple): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Frumentius of Ethiopia, Bishop (died circa 383, the "Apostle of Ethiopia;" A.K.A Kesate Birhan ["Revealer of Light"] & Abba Salama ["Father of Peace"]), inaugural Bishop of Axum & Abun of Ethiopian Orthodoxy: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Abun.
Commentary: Brother of St. Aedeius [?].
'Tis also the festival of Saint Oran of Waterford, Bishop & Abbot (died circa 563; A.K.A. of Iona; also spelt Odhrán, Otteranus, etc.), Bishop of Waterford, abbot at Meath: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Colman of Templeshambo, Abbot (died circa 595), abbot of the monastery of Templeshambo: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Abbán of Magh-Armuidhe, Abbot (circa 570-620; also spelt Eibbán, Moabba; A.K.A. Abbán moccu Corbmaic): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Nephew of St. Ibar of Meath [23 April], brother of St. Gobnait [11 February].
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza, Bishop, O.P. (circa 1200-1271, A.K.A. of Braganca), Bishop of Vicenza (1255-1271), Bishop of Nemonicum (1248-1255): Blessed-link ūnus, Blessed-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Vicenza.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter five, verses twenty-one thru thirty-three;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-eight (R/. one[a]), verses one & two, three, & four & five;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter thirteen, verses eighteen thru twenty-one.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus says that the kingdom of God “is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”Video reflection by Father John M. McKenzie (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
What’s the kingdom of heaven? It is God’s way of ordering things. How often the Bible contrasts it to the “world,” which is the way of ordering things that is born of sin. When self-interest, rivalry, egotism, violence, and fear are fundamental, things will get ordered in a certain way—economically, politically, socially.
But the Kingdom of God is the way of ordering things born of love—love for God and love for neighbor. Generosity, peace, nonviolence, and trust will give rise to a new way of ordering things. This is true of a family, a school, a parish, a community, a nation state.
Now how in the world does one get this project off the ground? As should be clear, this never happens all at once overnight. Rather, in small ways, people begin living according to the kingdom. And then, in God’s time, this new community begins to have a leavening effect on the wider society.
Scripture Study—Day 91: Havel Highlands, Day 37
The Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter ten, verses eight thru thirteen.
Commentary: Observations of Wisdom (cont'd; Ecclesiastes, 10:8-13).
Papal Quote o' the Day
"To petition God really means nothing other than to place ourselves entirely in God’s hands."Bonus! Papal Quote o' the Day
—Pope Benedict XVI (b. 1927, r. 2005-2013)
"Sing with your voices, sing with your hearts! Make people understand how beautiful it is to pray singing, as you do, with the Church & for the Church. Spread joy, spread goodness, spread light."Commentary: Among the many evils of our societal overreaction to the plague is that our bishops have forbidden us to sing @ Mass. No joy, no goodness, no light. St. Paul VI, ora pro nobis!
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)
Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
"People die suddenly all the time, so it could happen to us at any moment. Yesterday is gone & tomorrow has not yet come; we must live each day as if it were our last, so that when God calls we are ready to go home to God with a clean heart."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Mortification tames the flesh, weakens inclinations to evil, cuts down occasions of sin, removes enticements, & so on: O holy penance!"Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—St. Claude La Colombière, S.J. (1641-1682, feast: 15 February)
"At the beginning of our Lord's public life, He was led by the Spirit to meet the evil spirit. There are three temptations described in the gospels. I will translate them into modern language. Satan was offering our Lord three shortcuts from the cross. Satan was saying, 'You are here to establish your kingdom; You want to win over the hearts of men. I will give you the secret.'
"The first temptation was to escape from the cross: allow people to follow their id. 'Look at those stones down there. They look like loaves of bread. You have not eaten in forty days; You have a hunger instinct. Others have a sex instinct, or a power instinct. They have an ego instinct. You want to win men; let them follow their drives. Obey the id. Then they will follow You. But not the cross.”
"The second temptation of Satan was technological. Satan was saying, 'People love wonders, miracles, marvels, anything that makes them say, ”Oh!” They will not remember the marvels very long, but give them new wonders. Throw yourself down from the steeple; fly to the moon. They'll not remember your name in three weeks. Give them another wonder. Change nature. Overcome it. Give them a pill. But not a cross.'
"The third temptation was political. As if holding the whole earth like a shiny globe in his hands, Satan said to our Lord, 'All these kingdoms are mine. They're mine.' Was Satan telling the truth for once in his life? Here he suggested to the Lord that theology is politics. 'Forget You are God; You are the Messiah. The mastery of the world & the future will depend entirely on politics. So go into the political arena, & I can help you, for all these kingdoms are mine. But forget about the cross.'
"Satan tried to tempt our Blessed Lord from the cross. This is the essence of the demonic."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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