Saints of the Day
'Tis the Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest, O.F.M. Cap. (1887-1968, "Padre Pio;" A.K.A. Francesco Forgione), stigmatic: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, Saint-link trēs, & Wikipedia-link; Stigmata-link & Wikipedia-link Stigmata.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Linus, Pope & Martyr (died circa 76), second (II) Bishop of Rome (67-76), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Vespasian: Martyr-link, Martyr-link, & Wikipedia-link; Pontifex-link & Wikipedia-link Pontifex.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Haggai, chapter one, verses one thru eight;
Psalm One Hundred Forty-nine (R/. cf. four[a]), verses one(b) & two; three & four; & five, six(a), & nine(b);
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter nine, verses seven, eight, & nine.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel, we see Herod interested in and perplexed by Jesus. Political rulers don’t come across well in the New Testament. In Luke’s Christmas account, Caesar Augustus is compared very unfavorably to the Christ child. And in Matthew’s account, that child is hunted down by the desperate Herod. Later, Herod’s son persecutes John the Baptist and Jesus himself. More to it, the Jewish authorities are seen in all of the Gospels as corrupt.Video reflection by Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers (U.S. Conf. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
And Pontius Pilate is a typical Roman governor: efficient, concerned for order, brutal. Like the other rulers of the time, he perceives Jesus, quite correctly, as a threat. “So you are a king?” Pilate asks. Jesus says, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.”
This does not mean that Jesus is unconcerned for the realities of politics, with the very “this-worldly” concerns of justice, peace, and right order. When he speaks of his kingdom not belonging to the “world,” he shades the negative side of that term. The “world” is the realm of sin, selfishness, hatred, violence. What he is saying is that his way of ordering things is not typical of worldly powers like Pilate, Caesar, and Herod.
Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Daily Reflection.
Mass Readings—Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina
The Letter to the Galatians, chapter two, verses nineteen & twenty;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-eight (R/. one), verses one & two, three, & four & five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter sixteen, verses Z.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Every burden is light when we are united to Christ, when it is He Who gives us the strength & breath to go on walking. On the other hand, how heavy the burden is when it is carried without Christ!"Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"If we only knew how God regards this Sacrifice, we would risk our lives to be present at a single Mass."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, O.F.M. Cap. (1887-1968, feast: 23 September)
"Money? I never give it a thought. It always comes. We work for Jesus. It is His work & He will provide. He has always taken care of us. If He wants something to be done, He will give us the means. If He does not provide us with the means, then it shows that He doesn't want that particular work. So, I forget about it."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Evil is thus a kind of parasite on goodness. If there were no good by which to measure things, evil could not exist. Men sometimes forget this, & say, there is so much evil in the world that there cannot be a God. They are forgetting that, if there were no God, they would have no way of distinguishing evil from goodness. The very concept of evil admits & recognizes a Standard, a Whole, a Rule, an Order. Nobody would say that his automobile was out of order if he did not have a conception of how an automobile ought to run."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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