Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 15

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "The Yellow and Blue" from Hurrah for the Yellow and Blue (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

&

National Aeronautics & Space Administration, "Apollo 15 Excerpt 9" from The Apollo Missions (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest, S.J.

'Tis the Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Saint Quote o' the Day

"Lord, what do I want, what can I want, apart from You?"
—Saint Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (1491-1556, feast: 31 July)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 42 Jahre

The Impossibles, "Plan B" from Asian Man Records's Mailorder Is Fun! complilation (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 15

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "Temptation" from Hurrah for the Yellow and Blue (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Commentary: "You can't have one without the other: Ladies & gentlemen, the 'Hawaiian War Chant'!"

&

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "Hawaiian War Chant" from Hurrah for the Yellow and Blue (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

&

National Aeronautics & Space Administration, "Apollo 15 Excerpt 8" from The Apollo Missions (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

The Popish Plot
"Comment Below"

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop & Doctor of the Church.

'Tis also the local Optional Memorial of Blessed Solanus Casey, Priest, O.F.M. Cap.

Commentary: According to the priest at today's Mass, Blessed Solanus's feast is a local memorial in the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Diocese of Lansing, & the Diocese of Green Bay. Neat!

'Tis the Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Saint Quote o' the Day

"Let us foster confidence in God, & thank Him ahead of time for whatever He chooses to send us."
—Blessed Solanus Casey, O.F.M. Cap. (1870-1957, feast: 30 July)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 42 Jahre

Lit, "My Own Worst Enemy" from A Place in the Sun (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 15

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "I Can't Turn You Loose" from A Saturday Tradition (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

&

National Aeronautics & Space Administration, "Apollo 15 Excerpt 6" from The Apollo Missions (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Stars My Destination: Panic in the Sky

Last week, the Crew-2 astronauts—Shane Kimbrough (N.A.S.A.), Megan MacArthur (N.A.S.A.), Akihiko Hoshide (J.A.X.A.), & Thomas Pesquet (E.S.A.) donned their spacesuits & boarded the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour to transfer from one docking port on the International Space Station's (I.S.S.) Harmony module (forward) to another (zenith). This was done to facilitate an as-yet-unnamed Boeing Starliner's docking with the I.S.S. during the upcoming uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 (O.F.T.-2), scheduled for launch tomorrow, 30 July.

This morning, 29 July, the long-delayed Russian Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module docked with the I.S.S., the most significant expansion of the station in a decade. The Nauka was originally targeted for a 2007 launch, fourteen years hence. In preparation for the Multipurpose Laboratory Module's arrival, the Pirs docking module was disconnected from the I.S.S. by an uncrewed Progress cargo spacecraft & destructively deorbited on 26 July.

Three hours after docking, the Nauka's thrusters began an uncommanded firing, & the I.S.S. lost attitude control before the thrust was countered & corrected by thrusters on the Zvezda Service Module. A space emergency was declared & the Nauka's thrusters changed the space station's attitude by as much as 45º! N.A.S.A. & Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, claim not to know why Nauka's thrusters fired uncommanded, yet also claim that they have issued commands to make sure that cannot happen again. Guys, if you don't know what caused the original malfunction, how can you claim to have corrected that malfunction? That's self-contradictory, A.K.A. a damned, dirty lie.

In light of the ongoing peril that the misbegotten Multipurpose Laboratory Module poses to the cosmonauts & astronauts aboard the International Space Station, as well as to the station itself, the Starliner's O.F.T.-2. has been delayed indefinitely. The next launch window is on 3 August, but given that the cause of the Nauka's malfunction—& the space station's lose of attitude control—is yet unknown, I am extremely dubious that O.F.T.-2 will launch anytime soon.

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Memorial of Saint Martha.

'Tis the Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 42 Jahre

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "I Lost on Jeopardy!" from "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: It's true! I did.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: In Memoriam

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Mr. Popeil" from "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: In Memoriam Ron Popeil (3 May 1935-28 July 2021). Requiescat in pace.

Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 15

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "Varsity" from Hurrah for the Yellow and Blue (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

&

National Aeronautics & Space Administration, "Apollo 15 Excerpt 5" from The Apollo Missions (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Exodus, chapter thirty-four, verses twenty-nine thryu thirty-five;
Psalm Ninety-nine (R/. nine[c]), verses five, six, seven, & nine;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter thirteen, verses forty-four, forty-five, & forty-six.

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

Friends, today Jesus offers two parables about the kingdom of heaven. Let's focus on the first one: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again."

Sometimes God’s love is found that way. There’s a saying: "Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans." Sometimes in the course of our everyday lives, something happens that vividly and surprisingly summons us to union with God. We realize, in a flash, what it’s all about. We weren’t particularly looking for it, but it found us.

That’s what Jesus is getting at today. As you walk through the fields of life, be open to the inrushing of grace when you least expect it. And when it comes, give up anything that holds it back.

Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D. (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

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

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Daily Reflection.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"The Eucharist is the privileged summit of the meeting of Christ's love for us; a love that is made available for each of us, a love that is made to be sacrificial lamb & food for our hunger for life. As the Apostle says, 'He loved me & gave Himself up for me.'"
—Pope Saint Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)

Bonus! Papal Quote o' the Day

"Man only finds his way if he lets himself be led by Him who is both bread & way. Only by walking with the Lord can we survive the pilgrimage of our history."
—Pope Benedict XVI (d. 1927, r. 2005-2013)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"To begin is easy, to persevere is sanctity."
—Saint Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975, feast:)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for degrees & diplomas. Not just to work & accomplish. We have been created to love & to be loved. This is easy to forget amidst the busyness of life. You have been created to love & to be loved. Make love a priority."
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"We cannot get a real satisfaction out of our work unless we pause, frequently, to ask ourselves why we are doing it, & whether its purpose is one (of which) our minds wholeheartedly approve."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Bonus! Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"The twelve apostles that our Lord gathered to Himself were very individualistic. They were very much like the hydrogen & phosphate & sulphur in a laboratory. In fact, we have in the laboratory all the chemicals that enter into the constitution of a baby. Why can we not make a baby? Because we lack that vivifying, unifying power which is a soul. So the apostles, disparate, disconnected, disjointed, could not form this body of Christ. They could be formed only by Christ & His Spirit in them. And as through the physical Body of our Lord, it was God Who taught, it was God Who covered, it was God Who sanctified."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Operation ÖSTERREICH — Please Stand By

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 349.0 lbs.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 42 Jahre

Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, "Mean Old Coot" from Jalopy Go Far (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 42 Jahre

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "First World Problems" from Mandatory Fun (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I am abundantly, overabundantly, absurdly overabundantly blessed. Forgive me, Lord, for murmuring & grumbling instead of reveling in my uncountably numerous blessings.

Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 15

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "Let's Go Blue" from A Saturday Tradition (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

&

National Aeronautics & Space Administration, "Apollo 15 Excerpt 4" from The Apollo Missions (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCXXXI

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 15, Part I
26 July 1971: Apollo 15 lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, with CDR Dave Scott, C.M.P. Al Worden, & L.M.P. Jim Irwin aboard the Command & Service Module Endeavour atop a Saturn V rocket also carrying the Lunar Module Falcon; Apollo 15 was the first "J mission," intended for longer endurance on the lunar surface & more science, & the first mission to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle.

Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 15
The University of Michigan Marching Band, "M Fanfare" from A Saturday Tradition (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Commentary: All three astronauts of Apollo 15 studied at the University of Michigan; so, the U. of M. Marching Band will be accompanying us throughout our voyage from the Earth to the Moon & back again.

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National Aeronautics & Space Administration, "Apollo 15 Excerpt 1" from The Apollo Missions (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Commentary: There are more Apollo 15 excerpts (thirty-three) than there are for any other flight on The Apollo Missions, though none are over 5:35 in length; by contrast, though Apollo 11 has two fewer excerpts (thirty-one), four of them are 10:12 in length or longer.

Semper exploro.

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

The Popish Plot
"Catholic T-Shirt Club Unboxing: Saints Zelie & Louis Martin"

'Tis the Memorial of Saints Joachim & Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

'Tis the Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 42 Jahre

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" from Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Love Their Country (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"This old highway's getting longer,
It seems there ain't no end in sight,
To sleep would be best,
But I just can't afford to rest…

"I am much too young to feel this damn old,
All my cards on the table with no ace left in the hole,
I am much too young to feel so fucking old!…

The R.B.D. Song o' the Lord's Day: XVII Sunday in O.T.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jim Cowan & Tony Melendez, "This Is Jesus" from The Cup of Life (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' This Auspicious Day

Lenka, "We Will Not Grow Old" from Lenka (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"We've got a long, long way to go
To get there, we'll get there,
But, oh, if there's one thing that we know
It's that we will not grow old…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day: 41 Jahre

They Might Be Giants, "It's Not My Birthday" from Then: The Earlier Years (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"It's not my birthday,
It's not today,
It's not my birthday,
So why do you lunge out at me?…"

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

The Popish Plot
"Saint Christina the ASTONISHING!!!"

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest, O.L.M.

'Tis also the Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

'Tis the Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Vic Mizzy, "The Addams Family Theme" from Songs of the Jogging Crowd (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Bridget, Religious, O.Ss.S.

'Tis the Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Michael Giacchino, "A Whole Family of Supers" from The Incredibles: Music from the Motion Picture (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Interrupters featuring Tim Armstrong, "Family" from The Interrupters (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"This is my family (This is my family),
My one crazy family (This is my family),
The ones who understand me (This is my family),
This is my family (This is my family),
Whatever the plan be,
They stand beside me,
This is my family!…"

Saints + Scripture: Saint Mary Magdalene — Stand By

'Tis the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene.

Saint Quote o' the Day

"If you have the courage to imitate Mary Magdalene in her sins, have the courage to imitate her penance."
—Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, O.F.M. Cap. (1887-1968, feast: 23 September)

The Explorers' Club Special

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 60th Anniversary of Mercury-Redstone 4
21 July 1961: Mercury 4 lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying Gus Grissom (1926-1967), U.S.A.F. aboard the Mercury capsule Liberty Bell 7 atop a Redstone rocket for a suborbital flight; the escape hatch blew unexpectedly shortly after splashdown, the Liberty Bell 7 filled with seawater, & sank into the Atlantic Ocean; Grissom was recovered by the U.S.S. Randolph.

Wayback Machine: № DCCLX, "The Space Race—The 59th Anniversary of Mercury-Redstone 4"

Commentary: Grissom was the second American & the third man in space; with Mercury-Redstone 4, the United States claimed its first "first" in the Space Race: the first nation to launch a second astronaut/cosmonaut into space. Just as Yuri Gagarin had beaten Alan Shepard by three weeks in the race to be the first man in space, Gus Grissom beat Gherman Titov by three weeks in the race to be his nation's second man in space.

Semper exploro.

Bonus! Song o' Today

Mittwoch, 21. Juli
Save Ferris, "New Sound" from the Checkered Past E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Not to be confused with The Interrupters's "This Is the New Sound."

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Mittwoch, 21. Juli
The Interrupters, "This Is the New Sound" from The Interrupters (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Not to be confused with Save Ferris's "New Sound."

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saint of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest & Doctor of the Church, O.F.M. Cap. (1559-1619, A.K.A. Giulio Cesare Russo), Vicar General of the Capuchins (1602-1605, O.F.M. Cap.), formally the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin: Doctor-link ūnus, Doctor-link duo, Doctor-link trēs & Wikipedia-link; Doctors-link & Wikipedia-link Doctors; & Order-link & Wikipedia-link O.F.M. Cap.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Exodus, chapter sixteen, verses oen thru five & nine thru fifteen;
Psalm Seventy-eight (R/. twenty-four[b]), verses eighteen & nineteen, twenty-three & twenty-four, twenty-five & twenty-six, & twenty-seven & twenty-eight;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter thirteen, verses one thru nine.

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

Friends, our Gospel for today is the parable of the sower and the seed. It has to do with the growth and development of the kingdom of God. We hear that Jesus "went out of the house and sat down by the sea" and that large crowds gathered around him. This is Jesus speaking to the whole world.

Sitting down, he is, again, in the attitude of the ancient teacher and judge, and he speaks the parable of the sower. The sower sows far and wide, some of the seed landing on the path, where the birds eat it up; some falling on rocky ground, where it is scorched in the sun; some sown among thorns, where the life is choked off; and some sown on rich soil, where it bears thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.

Keep in mind that Jesus himself, in person, is the seed sown. Jesus is the Logos that wants to take root in us. This seed is sown far and wide, through all sorts of means, but in you, let the seed be sown deep, where it can’t be stolen, scorched, or choked.

Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D. (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

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

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Daily Reflection.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter four, verses one, two, five, six, & seven;
Psalm Forty (R/. eight[a] & nine[a]), verses two & four(a/b), seven & eight(a), eight(b) & nine, ten, & eleven;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter four, verses one thru ten & thirteen thru twenty
(or, the Gospel according to Mark, chapter four, verses one thru nine).

Scripture Study—Day 91: False Peak, Day 38
The Book of Jeremiah, chapter thirty-four, verses eight thru twenty-two.

Commentary: Treatment of Hebrew Slaves (Jeremiah, 34:8-22).

Scripture Study—Bishop's Year of the Bible
The Book of Exodus, chapter one (verses one thru twenty-two);

Commentary: The Sons of Israel (Exodus, 1:1-7) & the Israelites Are Oppressed by the Egyptians (Exodus, 1:8-22).

Papal Quote o' the Day

"Christians must restore their spirtual & moral unity. It is not enough to say we are Christians. We must live as Christians. Genuine Christians derive the rule, style, & strength of their life from the Faith."
—Pope Saint Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"Never give up prayer; & should you find dryness & difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, & love is not tried by ease & satisfaction."
—St. John of the Cross, O.C.D., Doctor of the Church (1542-1591, feast: 14 December)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"I have met many famous people, successful people, wealthy people, & powerful people. None of us—not you, or me, or them—ever do great things. But we can all do small things with great love, & together we can do something wonderful."
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"You want perfect life, & perfect truth, & perfect love. Nothing short of the Infinite satisfies you, & to ask you to be satisfied with less would be to destroy your nature… Why do you want Life, Truth, & Love unless you were made for them? How could you enjoy the fractions unless there were a whole?"
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Bonus! Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"In Russia there was a play called Christ in the Morning Coat. On the stage was a simulated altar filled with vodka bottles, with drunken priests & drunken nuns about it. An actor, whose name was Rostovich, came out to ridicule the beatitudes. He began reading, 'Blessed are the poor, blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy, blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God.' And he read on & on in the Gospel of Matthew. At the end he said, 'I believe.' It was the end of the show, & they never played it again. No one knows what has happened to Rostovich. There are holes in the head of each & every one of us, & God's grace can get inside."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday

Dienstag, 20. Juli
The Bruce Lee Band, "Say Goodbye to Yesterday" from the Division in the Heartland E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Stars My Destination: S.T.S.-135

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 10th Anniversary of S.T.S.135
Ten years ago to the day, 21 July 2011, the Space Shuttle Atlantis O.V.-104 landed at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, concluding S.T.S.-135, the final flight of the Space Shuttle program. CDR Christopher Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialist 1 Sandra Magnus, & Mission Specialist 2 Rex Walheim ferried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to & from the International Space Station, delivery supplies & hauling away refuse.

S.T.S.-135 launched on 8 July 2011, the last time a manned spacecraft would lift off from the United States until the launch of the Crew Dragon Endeavour C206 on30 May 2020, the beginning of the SpaceX Demo-2 mission. That nearly nine-year gap between liftoffs was the longest since Alan Shepard became the first American in space on 5 May 1961. At the time, I was disconsolate, my despair masked by inarticulate rage. President Obama had increased N.A.S.A.'s budget, but cancelled the Constellation Program & retired the Shuttle fleet; Constellation's replacement, the Space Launch System (S.L.S.), would not be announced until September 2011, & still has not flown a single piece of hardware as of this writing. (Artemis I, the uncrewed test flight of the S.L.S. rocket, is scheduled for launch in November 2021.) The future of American manned spaceflight looked bleak, & remained uncertain for years.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis landed, concluding S.T.S.-135, the final flight of the Space Shuttle, ten years ago today, 21 July 2011.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-135
They Might Be Giants, "The End of the Tour" from John Henry (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Saint of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Apollinaris, Bishop & Martyr (died circa 79, of Ravenna) inaugural Bishop of Ravenna (64-79), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Vespasian: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link & Wikipedia-link Ravenna.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Exodus, chapter fourteen, verse twenty-one thru chapter fifteen, verse one;
The Book of Exodus, chapter fifteen (R/. one[b]), verses eight & nine, ten & twelve, & seventeen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twelve, verses forty-six thru fifty.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel, someone tells Jesus, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you." Jesus stretches his hand toward his disciples and says, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Family is wonderful. There is nothing in the world wrong with fostering the flourishing of your family. But over and again, the Bible places the goods of the world into question—even something as good as family relationships.

Why? Because family isn’t God. It is not that which you should serve with your whole heart; it doesn’t belong in the center of your life.

Is family the point around which most of your energies revolve? Is it your primary focus as you make your way through the day? Are there times when you feel your family obligations competing with the will of God?

Then remember Jesus’ words: "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?… Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father."

Video reflection by Father John M. McKenzie (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Rob Corzine (Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Daily Reflection.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of Saint Apollinaris
The Book of Ezekiel, chapter thirty-four, verses eleven thru sixteen;
Psalm Twenty-three (R/. one), verses one, two, & three (a); four; five; & six;
The Gospel according to John, chapter 10, verses eleven thru sixteen.

Scripture Study—Day 91: False Peak, Day 37
The Book of Jeremiah, chapter thirty-three, verses fourteen thru twenty-six.

Commentary: Healing after Punishment (cont'd; Jeremiah, 33:14-26).

Scripture Study—Bishop's Year of the Bible
The First Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter five (verses one thru twenty-eight);

Commentary: The Coming of the Lord (cont'd; 1 Thessalonians, 5:1-11) & Final Exhortations, Greetings, & Benediction (1 Thessalonians, 5:12-28).

Papal Quote o' the Day

"How do we picture Christ? What does Jesus seem to be like a first sight? Once again, His own words help us. He said, 'I am meek & humble of Heart.' This is how Jesus wishes to be seen."
—Pope Saint Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"They desire is thy prayers; & if thy desire is without ceasing, the continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer."
—Saint Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church (354-430, feast: 28 August)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean in the whole scheme of things, but not for the people we serve. So, our work may be just a drop in the ocean, but if that drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something."
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"You can quickly become tired of pleasures, but you can never tire of joys."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Bonus! Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"One of the first dialogues in scripture, the first question in sacred Scripture, is God saying to man, 'Adam, where art thou?' Man, why are you hiding? Why do you run from Me? The next dialogue is about the neighbor. God says to Cain, 'Where is thy brother Abel?' God is immersed in the thought of man. Here we find the first two laws of God, love of God & love of neighbor, in the two questions: 'Man where art thou?' & 'Where is thy brother?' It was at the beginning of humanity, we find, therefore, that humanity received a call from God to communion with Himself. God will not let man go."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 11

Operation AXIOM: The 52nd Anniversary of Apollo 11
Public Service Broadcasting, "Go!" from The Race for Space (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

&

National Aeronautics & Space Administration, "Apollo 11 Excerpt 21" from The Apollo Missions (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Apollo 11
№ DCXCVIII: The Fiftieth Anniversary of Apollo 11, Part I
№ DCXCIX: The Fiftieth Anniversary of Apollo 11, Part II
№ DCC: The Fiftieth Anniversary of Apollo 11, Part III
№ DCCII: The Fiftieth Anniversary of Apollo 11, Part IV

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: Gemini X

John Williams, "Journey to the Island" from Jurassic Park: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

No Doubt, "Don't Speak" from Tragic Kingdom (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Overheard this afternoon in the grocery store, & I could not help but sing along.

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

The Popish Plot
"Pope's Prayer Intentions for July 2021"

Social Friendship: We pray that in social, economic, & political situations of conflict, we may be courageous & passionate architects of dialogue & friendship.

'Tis the Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Exodus, chapter fourteen, verses five thru eighteen;
The Book of Exodus, chapter fifteen (R/. one[b]), verses one(b/c) & two, three & four, & five & six;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twelve, verses thirty-eight thru forty-two.

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

Friends, today in our Gospel some Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign. And Jesus replies, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet,” who was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights.

Jonah was called by God to preach conversion to Nineveh, which is described as an enormously large city. It took, they said, three days to walk through it. I can’t help but think of Nineveh as one of our large, modern cities, a center of all sorts of worldly activity and preoccupation.

What would its conversion look like? A turning back to God as the only enduring good. After hearing the word of Jonah, the Ninevites “proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.” What is the purpose of these ascetic practices? To wean people away from an attachment to worldly pleasures.

Go beyond the mind that you have. Repent. Live as though nothing in this world finally matters. And you will be living in the kingdom of God!

Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Curtis Mitch (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Daily Reflection.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"If fear of God is taken away from the soul, the word holiness, the supreme perfection of our being, no longer has any meaning. In addition, the word sin, which is an absurd violation of Divine Law, no longer has any meaning."
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"The Church progresses on her pilgrimage amidst this world’s persecutions & God’s consolation."
—St. Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church (354-430, feast: 28 August)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"I have seen every disease. I have seen people suffer in unimaginable ways. But I tell you, one of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"It is easy to find truth, though it is hard to face it, & harder still to follow it."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCXXX

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 55th Anniversary of Gemini X
18-19 July 1966: Gemini X lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, with Command Pilot John Young & Pilot Michael Collins aboard a Gemini spacecraft atop a Titan II G.L.V. rocket; they docked with their Agena & used its engine to set a new altitude record, & rendezvoused with Gemini VIII's derelict Agena; they splashed down in the Atlantic & were recovered by the U.S.S. Guadalcanal.

Commentary: The batteries of Gemini VIII's Agena Target Vehicle were exhausted, rendering its radar non-functional; Gemini X conducted the only visual rendezvous of the Gemini program. Because the Agena didn't have any power, it was too dangerous for Gemini X to attempt a docking, but Collins was able to spacewalk over & retrieve a Micrometeorite Collector from the Agena that Dave Scott was meant to retrieve, before the emergency that brought Gemini VIII to an early end.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: Gemini X
John Williams, "High-Wire Stunts" from Jurassic Park: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.