Saint of the Day
'Tis the Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr (circa 225-258, of Rome), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Valerian, a victim of his persecution: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, Martyr-link trēs, & Wikipedia-link; Persecutions-link, Wikipedia-link Valerian ūnus, & Wikipedia-link Valerian duo.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feast of Saint Lawrence
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter nine, verses six thru ten;
Psalm One Hundred Twelve (R/. five), verses one & two, five & six, seven & eight, & nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twelve, verses twenty-four, twenty-five, & twenty-six.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, our Gospel for today contains one of the most beautiful and terrible summations of the Christian message: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit."Video reflection by Deacon Arthur L. Miller (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
And now this one upon whom the crowds had pinned their hopes is speaking of falling to the earth and dying. And then it gets stranger. "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in the world will preserve it for eternal life." Come again?!
Just when we are raising you up, Jesus, you’re talking about falling down; just when we are seeing how your life has come to its fulfillment, you’re talking about hating this life.
To understand what all this means, we should go back to the grain of wheat that falls to the earth. A seed’s life is inside, yes, but it’s a life that grows by being given away and mixing with the soil around it. It has to crack open, be destroyed.
Jesus’ sign is the sign of the cross, the death that leads to transfiguration.
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.
Scripture Study—Day 91: Leo's Ledge, Day 2
The Book of Daniel, chapter one, verses nine thru twenty-one.
Commentary: Four Young Israelites at the Babylonian Court (Daniel, 1:9-21).
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Christ is absolute Truth; in Him the Father offers human beings the complete answer to all the questions that worry them. In Christ we can discover the full truth about ourselves & about the world."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Saint John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"When the Eucharist is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the Divine Victim immolated on the altar."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Saint John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church (347-407, feast: 13 September)
"If you are humble, nothing will touch you. Neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed, you won't be discouraged; if anyone calls you a saint, you won't put yourself on a pedestal."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests & religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops like bishops, & your religious act like religious."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
No comments:
Post a Comment