Saints + Scripture

The Popish Plot
"The Gunpowder Plot; or, How Not to Help Catholics in England"

Saints of the Day
'Tis the festival of Saints Elizabeth & Zechariah (floruit 1 B.C.): Saints-link Echo & Zulu, Saint-link Echo & Wikipedia-link Echo, & Saint-link Zulu & Wikipedia-link Zulu.

Commentary: Kin of our Lord Jesus Christ [all] & the Blessed Virgin Mary [many], mother & father of St. John the Baptist [24 June, 29 August].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Kea, Bishop & Hermit (floruit fifth-sixth century; also spelt Ke, Quay): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Magnus of Milan, Bishop (died circa 530), Archbishop of Milan (518-530), patron of the Basilica of San Magno in Legnano: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link & Wikipedia-link Milan, & Wikipedia-link San Magno.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Guido Maria Conforti, Bishop (1865-1931), unique Archbishop of Parma (1907-1931), Archbishop of Ravenna (1902-1904), & founder of the Xaverian Missionary Fathers (1895): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Parma; & Diocese-link, Wikipedia-link Ravenna, & Wikipedia-link Bishops.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Narcyz Putz, Priest & Martyr (1877-1942), martyred in the reign of the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, one of the One Hundred Eight Blessed Polish Martyrs: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link (List, № 60); Martyrs-link Polska & Wikipedia-link Polska.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg, Priest & Martyr (1875-1943), martyred in the reign of the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, honored as one of the Righteous among the Nations: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Righteous among the Nations.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Hryhoriy Lakota, Bishop & Martyr (1893-1950, also spelt Gregor), martyred in the reign of the Soviet Communist dictator Joseph Stalin, one of the Martyrs Killed under Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link Eastern Europe & Wikipedia-link Soviet Union.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
The Letter to the Philippians, chapter three, verses three thru eight(a);
Psalm One Hundred Five (R/. three[b]), verses two & three, four & five, & six & seven;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter fifteen, verses one thru ten.

Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, in our Gospel, Jesus tells parables that express his joy over repentant sinners. Christianity is, first and foremost, a religion of the concrete and not the abstract. It takes its power, not from a general religious consciousness, not from an ethical conviction, not from a comfortable abstraction, but from the person of Jesus Christ.

It is Christ—in his uncompromising call to repentance, his unforgettable gestures of healing, his unique and disturbing practice of forgiveness, his provocative nonviolence, and especially his movement from godforsaken death to shalom-radiating Resurrection—that moves the believer to change of life and gift of self. And it is the unique Christ—depicted especially in the lives of the great saints—who speaks transformatively to hearts and souls across the Christian centuries.

The theme of Jesus’ "inaugural address" is conversion: "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." And the motif of his final words is mission: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations." Having been seized by the beauty of revelation, our only proper response is a change of life and a commitment to become a missionary.

Video reflection by Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers (U.S. Conf. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Becket Ghioto (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"Grace is Divine Life in the human soul, fruit of reconciliation, gifts of God in Jesus. It is the beginning of eternal life, that is, of salvation."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"Bring prayer back into your family life & you will experience unity—& a joyful love that will bind you together. Maybe there is suffering in your family, but praying together, sharing together, loving together will help you."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"It all depends on having a quiet little corner where you can talk to God on a daily basis as if nothing else existed… & regarding yourself completely as an instrument, so that you treat your most frequently demanded talents, not as something that you use, but as God working through you."
—St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, O.C.D. (1891-1942, feast: 9 August)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"It very often happens that when we have a little opportunity to do our own will, we can become much closer to the Lord by accepting His. In the book of the prophet Ezra, we read something that we need to dwell on very often. Ezra says: 'We have suffered for our evil deeds & for our great guilt, although our God has punished us less than our iniquities deserve.' Indeed, if we are honest, we will admit that we all receive fewer blows than we deserve."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)