'Tis the First Friday o' the month: Wikipedia-link First Friday & Wikipedia-link Sacred Heart.
Saints of the Day
'Tis the festival of Saint Paul the Confessor, Bishop & Martyr (died 350, A.K.A. Paul I of Constantinople), first Archbishop of Constantinople (336-350, twenty-eighth [XXVIII] bishop at Byzantium), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperors Constans & Constantius II, a foe of the Arian heresy: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link & Wikipedia-link Constantinople, & Heresy-link & Wikipedia-link Arianism.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Efflam of Brittany, Hermit & Abbot (circa 448-512): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Illtud the Knight, Abbot (floruit 508; A.K.A. Illtud Farchog; also spelt Illtyd, Eltut, Hildutus, etc.), founding abbot of the monastery at Llantwit Major ("Llan of Illtud"), who re-established the school of Côr Tewdws (508, the "College of Theodosius"): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Llantwit Major & Wikipedia-link Côr Tewdws.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Leonard of Noblac, Hermit & Abbot (died circa 559; A.K.A. of Noblet, of Limoges, of Limousin; also spelt Lienard, Annard, etc.), founding abbot of the abbey at Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat.
Commentary: Brother of St. Lifiard [?].
'Tis also the festival of Saint Winnoc of Flanders, Abbot (circa 640-717, A.K.A. of Wormhout), founding abbot of the monastery at Wormhout: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Barlaam of Khutyn, Hermit & Abbot (died circa 1193; A.K.A. of Novgorod, Alexis Milchalevich; also spelt Varlaam), founding abbot of the Khutyn Monastery of the Savior's Transfiguration & of Saint Varlaam (1192): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Khutyn.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Christina of Stommeln, Religious (1242-1312, A.K.A. Christina Bruso), a Beguine & a stigmatic: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Order-link Beguines & Wikipedia-link Beguines, & Stigmata-link & Wikipedia-link Stigmata.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
The Letter to the Philippians, chapter three, verse seventeen thru chapter four, verse one;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-two (R/. one), verses one & two, three & four(a/b), & four(c/d) & five;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter sixteen, verses one thru eight.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus praises a steward who cheats his master. Now, what do we make of this? It seems so peculiar especially in Luke’s Gospel where Jesus has been teaching the radical message of detachment from worldly goods. But here he is giving his approval to a man who clings to wealth in an immoral way. Well, what gives?Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M. (U.S. Conf. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
Jesus wants us to see that this steward takes a hard look at his situation and decides to do something about it. Now, the Lord is not telling us to imitate his immorality. But what Jesus admires is his resolve. He knows his own weaknesses, he assesses himself honestly, and then he decides to act.
The Lord told the parable to urge us to carefully examine our spiritual condition. His desire is that we choose to renew our relationship with him. He wants us to take stock of our weaknesses and make a firm resolution to acquire necessary strengths to fix them.
If your prayer life is weak, act to give it new life. If you have not been worshiping fervently at Mass, decide to participate more fully. If you have a broken relationship, repair it. And so on. Decide now, then act
Video reflection by Doctor John Bergsma (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"We must nourish in ourselves a personal religious activity. To meditate. To pray. To pray means to ascend; to ascend to the first source of everything; of being, thought, action, enjoyment."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)
"No one can take my faith from me. If in order to spread the love of Jesus among the poor & neglected, there were no alternative but to remain in a country that despises Christianity, I would remain. But I would not renounce my faith. I am prepared to give up my life, but never my faith."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—Bl. Carlo Acutis (1991-2006, feast: 12 October)
"We learn this great mystery before the Eucharistic Lord: to think of our prayer life as embracing all the circumstances & details of life, interpreting them in that hour. I believe that every single person in the world in his heart is either on the cross or underneath it. On the cross with Christ—'I am crucified with Christ,' says Paul. Those of us who are suffering are more physically on the cross. The Blessed Mother & Saint John & the women at the foot of the cross were on the cross by sympathy. So everyone in the world is either on the cross by recognizing the merits of Christ & by sharing that cross, or else under the cross. And many of the faithful today are under it, saying, 'Come down, come down & we will believe.' There is a new disease creeping into the Church, staurophobia. Stauros in Greek is 'cross,' & phobia, 'fear:' staurophobia, fear of the cross. Anything but discipline. The holy hour, therefore, will train you in abandonment & resignation, in acceptance of God's will & in utilizing all of the actions of the day. For on the last day the Lord will say, 'Show me your hands' & we will have to have the scars as He had them. And once we take that one scar of the hour & give it to Him every day, then we can be sure that He will say to us, 'Come, beloved of My Father in heaven.'"
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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