Saints + Scripture

Better Late than Never | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Margaret of Scotland (circa 1045-1093, "the Pearl of Scotland;" A.K.A. of Wessex), Queen of Scots: Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, Saint-link tria, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '18. Great-niece of St. Stephen of Hungary [16 August], niece of St. Edward the Confessor [13 October], & mother of St. David of Scotland [24 May] & Bl. Edmund of Scotland [3 October].

'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Gertrude, Virgin, O.S.B. (1256-1302, of Helfta; A.K.A. the Great): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, Saint-link tria, & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Africus of Comminges, Bishop (floruit seventh century), Bishop of Comminges: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Comminges.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Othmar of Saint Gall, Priest & Abbot, O.S.B. (circa 689-759, also spelt Audemar), founding abbot of the Abbey of Saint Gall (719-759): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Saint Gall.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Edmund of Abingdon, Bishop (circa 1174-1240; A.K.A. of Canterbury, Edmund Rich), Archbishop of Canterbury (1234-1240), a preacher of the Sixth Crusade (1228-1229): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link, Wikipedia-link Canterbury, & Wikipedia-link Bishops; & Wikipedia-link Crusade.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Edward Osbaldeston, Priest & Martyr (circa 1560-1594), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, one of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link England & Wales & Wikipedia-link England & Wales.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Giuseppe Moscati (1880-1927, the "Doctor of the Poor"): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Revelation, chapter one, verses one thru four & chapter two, verses one thru five;
Psalm One, verses one & two, three, & four & six
(R/. the Book of Revelation, chapter two, verse seventeen);
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter eighteen, verses thirty-five thru forty-three.

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

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus heals a blind man. The Lord asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.”

Taking this story as their inspiration, many of the Fathers of the Church said that it is through Christ’s power and presence that we are able to see the world aright. The problem is that we pretend we are not sinners, we become blind to our blindness. Often the most important step in one’s spiritual development is an awakening to just how lost one is.

Dante’s Divine Comedy opens with the line: “Midway on the journey of our life I awoke to find myself alone and lost in a dark wood, having wandered from the straight path.” Dante’s adventure of the spirit, which will take him from hell to purgatory to heaven, can begin only when he wakes from a slumber of complacency and self-righteousness, only when he comes to the painful realization that he stands in need of grace.

The breakthrough of God’s grace is sometimes a harsh and dreadful thing, especially when it cracks open the defensive shell of our self-righteousness.

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

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

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Margaret of Scotland
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-eight, verses six thru eleven;
Psalm One Hundred Twelve (R/. one; or, "Alleluia"), verses one & two, three & four, five & six, seven & eight, & nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter fifteen, verses nine thru seventeen.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Gertrude
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter three, verses fourteen thru nineteen;
Psalm Twenty-three (R/. one), verses one(b), two, & three(a); four; five; & six;
The Gospel according to John, chapter fifteen, verses one thru eight.

Scripture Study—Day 91: Moor Uncomfortable, Day 9
The Song of Songs, chapter two, verses eight thru eleven.

Commentary: A Springtime Canticle (cont'd; Song, 2:8-11).

Scripture Study—Pierced Hands Bible Reading Plan: Day 65
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter one (of sixteen; verses one thru thirty-one);
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter two (verses one thru sixteen);
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter three (verses one thru twenty-three);
The Book of the Psalms, psalm sixty-five (verses one thru thirteen);
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter three, verses one thru nineteen.

Commentary: Salutation (1 Corinthians, 1:1-9), Dissension in the Church (1 Corinthians, 1:10-17), Christ the Power & Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians, 1:18-31), Proclaiming Christ Crucified (1 Corinthians, 2:1-5), the True Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians, 2:6-16), & On Dissension in the Corinthian Church (1 Corinthians, 3:1-23); Thanksgiving for Earth's Bounty (Psalm 65); & the Man with a Withered Hand (Mark, 3:1-6), a Multitude by the Sea (Mark, 3:7-12), & Jesus Appoints the Twelve (Mark, 3:13-19).

Scripture Study—Pierced Hands Bible Reading Plan: Day 66
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter four (verses one thru twenty-one);
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter five (verses one thru thirteen);
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter six (verses one thru twenty);
The Book of the Psalms, psalm sixty-six (verses one thru twenty);
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter three, verses twenty thru thirty-five.

Commentary: The Ministry of the Apostles (1 Corinthians, 4:1-13), Fatherly Admonition (1 Corinthians, 4:14-21), Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church (1 Corinthians, 5:1-8), Immorality & Judgment (1 Corinthians, 5:9-13), Lawsuits among Believers (1 Corinthians, 6:1-11), & Glorifying God in the Body (1 Corinthians, 6:12-20); Praise for God's Goodness to Israel (Psalm 66); & Jesus & Beelzebul (Mark, 3:20-30) & the True Kindred of Jesus (Mark, 3:31-35).

Papal Quote o' the Day

"Genuine happiness of the home is based on love that gives itself & sacrifices itself simply & perseveringly. This love can be sustained only with the food of faith, & faith is a gift of God that is nourished in prayer & the Sacraments."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"Poverty makes us free. We need to experience the joy of poverty. We choose poverty, we choose not to have things, unlike the poorest of the poor who are forced to be poor. If we do not have something, it is because we choose not to have it. In this, we are free because nothing belongs to us. Our poverty means that we do not have the kind of shoes we may want or the house we may want. We cannot keep things or give anything away or lend anything of value. We have nothing. We own nothing. This is the experience of poverty."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"If I had to advise parents, I should tell them to take great care about the people with whom their children associate… Much harm may result from bad company, & we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse than what is better."
—St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, S.C. (1774-1821, feast: 4 January)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"The peaceful soul does not seek, now, to live morally, but to live for God; morality is only a by-product of the union with Him."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Saints + Scripture

Better Late than Never | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the festival of Memorial of Saint Martha (died circa 80, of Bethany, the "Wonder Worker of Southern Gaul"): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, Saint-link tria, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Sister of Ss. Lazarus & Mary of Bethany [29 July].

Quoth Minute Meditations from the Popes:

Lord Jesus, You taught St. Martha a lesson in the true meaning of love. Help me to realize that You have called me to be Your friend & enable me to respond to that call with all my heart, soul, & strength.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Mary of Bethany (first century): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Sister of Ss. Martha & Lazarus of Bethany [29 July].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Lazarus of Bethany, Bishop & Martyr (died circa 96; A.K.A. Lazarus of the Four Days, the Resurrected), inaugural Bishop of Marseille, martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian, a victim of his persecution (89-96): Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Marseille, & Persecutions-link & Wikipedia-link Persecution.

Commentary: Brother of Ss. Martha & Mary of Bethany [29 July].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Sulien, Abbot (sixth century; also spelt Sulian, Silin), founding abbot of the abbey at Luxulyan: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Luxulyan.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Olaf, Martyr (circa 995-1030, A.K.A. King Olaf II of Norway [1015-1028], the Fat, the Stout, the Big; also spelt Olave, Ólafr Haraldsson), martyred by pagan Vikings, celebrated as the Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae ["Perpetual King of Norway"]: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Urban II, Pope, O.S.B. (1040-1099; A.K.A. Odo, also spelt Otho, Eudes; of Châtillon, of Lagery), one hundred fifty-ninth (CLIX) Bishop of Rome (1088-1099), who called the Council of Piacenza (March 1095), the Council of Clermont (November 1095), & the First Crusade (1096-1099); Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia (1078-1088): Blessed-link ūnus, Blessed-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Ostia; Pontifex-link & Wikipedia-link Pontifex; & Wikipedia-link Piacenza, Wikipedia-link Clermont, & First Crusade-link & Wikipedia-link First Crusade.

'Tis also the festival of Blessed Lek Sirdani, Priest & Martyr (1891-1948), martyred in the reign of the Communist dictator Enver Hoxha, one of the thirty-eight Martyrs of Albania: Martyrs-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Albania.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Jeremiah, chapter fifteen, verses ten & sixteen thru twenty-one;
Psalm Fifty-nine (R/. seventeen[d]), verses two & three, four, ten & eleven, seventeen, & eighteen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter eleven, verses nineteen thru twenty-seven;
or, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter ten, verses thirty-eight thru forty-two.

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die."

Jesus came primarily as a warrior whose final enemy is death. It is easy to domesticate Jesus, presenting him as a kindly moral teacher. But that is not how the Gospels present him. He is a cosmic warrior who has come to do battle with those forces that keep us from being fully alive.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus deals with the effects of death and a death-obsessed culture: violence, hatred, egotism, exclusion, false religion, phony community. But the final enemy he must face down is death itself. Like Frodo going into Mordor, he has to go into death’s domain, get into close quarters with it, and take it on.

Coming to Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus feels the deepest emotions and begins to weep. This is God entering into the darkness, confusion, and agony of the death of sinners. He doesn’t blithely stand above our situation, but rather takes it on and feels it at its deepest level.

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

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

Mass Readings—Memorial of St. Martha
The First Letter of John, chapter four, verses seven thru sixteen;
Psalm Thirty-four (R/. two or nine), verses two & three, four & five, six & seven, eight & nine, & ten & eleven;
The Gospel according to John, chapter eleven, verses nineteen thru twenty-seven;
or, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter ten, verses thirty-eight thru forty-two.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"Lord Jesus, grant that those You have called Your friends may come to know in fullness the joy You have promised. May they know the joy of praising You, the joy of serving their brothers & sisters, the joy of abiding in Your love."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"St. Joseph has the power to assist us in all causes, in every necessity, in every undertaking."
—St. Thomas Aquinas, O.P., Doctor of the Church (1225-1274, feast: 28 January)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"Prayer is necessary as air to breathe, as necessary as the blood in our bodies, as necessary as anything. We think so many things are necessary, but we are wrong. We have been deceived & we deceive ourselves. So few things are necessary, & prayer is one of them."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"There are two ways of knowing: knowing from the outside & knowing from the inside, knowing by study & knowing by communion. Hence, sacred scripture always speaks of the union of husband & wife as 'knowledge.' For example, 'Adam knew Eve, & she conceived.' Mary, 'I know not man.' Paul said, 'Husbands, possess your wives in knowledge.' The Old Testament said, 'Solomon knew her not.' There is a knowledge that comes from the intimate, personal union of husband & wife that transcends any other kind of knowledge. And so in the Eucharist there is another kind of knowledge by communion that is not given to us by study. This is the incorporation to the higher life."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Saints + Scripture

'Tis the festival of Saint Cyngar of Llangefni (circa 488-550, Anglicized as Congar), founding monk at the monastery at Caer Gybi: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Caer Gybi.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Uncle of St. Cybi [8 November], founding abbot of Caer Gybi.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Willibrord of Echternach, Bishop, O.S.B. (circa 658-739, the "Apostle to the Frisians;" A.K.A. Clement), inaugural Bishop of Utrecht: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link Utrecht, & Wikipedia-link Utrecht.

Commentary: Son of St. Wilgis [31 January].

'Tis also the festival of Saint Ernest of Zweifalten, Abbot & Martyr, O.S.B. (died 1148), abbot of the Abbey of Zwiefalten, martyred by Saracens at Mecca during the Second Crusade (1147-1149): Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Zwiefalten, & Crusade-link & Wikipedia-link Crusade.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Engelbert of Cologne, Bishop & Martyr (circa 1185-1225, A.K.A. Count Engelbert II of Berg), Archbishop of Cologne, solider in the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229) against the Cathar heresy (A.K.A. Albigensianism); martyred by his cousin, Count Frederick of Isenberg, in defense of the nuns of the Essen Abbey: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Cologne & Wikipedia-link Essen; & Heresy-link Albigensianism, Wikipedia-link Albigensianism, & Wikipedia-link Crusade.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Vincenzo Grossi, Priest (1845-1917), founder of the Daughters of the Oratory (F.d.O.): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link F.d.O.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
The Letter to the Romans, chapter fourteen, verses seven thru twelve;
Psalm Twenty-seven (R/. thirteen), verses one(b/c/d/e), four, & thirteen & fourteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter fifteen, verses one thru ten.

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, one feature of today’s Gospel passage is the craziness of the shepherd: “What man among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine and go after the lost one until he finds it?” Well, the implied answer is “No one.” Who would take that great a risk, putting the ninety-nine in danger to find the one? It’s just bad economics. Why would God fret over one little soul? Why would he bother?

Well, it’s his nature. It’s what he does. As Catherine of Siena put it, he is pazzo d’amore (crazy in love). God is as crazy for you as if you were the only one in the world.

Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 91: Relativism Ridge, Day 3
The Book of Judges, chapter two, verses one thru five.

Commentary: Israel's Disobedience (Judges, 2:1-5).

Proverb o' the Day (Sirach, 12:13-14)

Who will pity a snake charmer bitten by a serpent,
or any who go near wild beats?
So no one will pity a man who associates with a sinner
& becomes involved in his sins.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"We ask you to go out to meet poor Lazarus, in his hunger & misery. Make yourself his neighbor, so that he can recognize in your eyes the eyes of Christ welcoming him, & in your hands the hands of the Lord sharing His gifts."
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 29 May)

Catholic Quote o' the Day

"Men are not born saints with special gifts & privileges. They fight against the world, the flesh, & the devil, & as they conquer, the Spirit of Jesus begins to shine through with more clarity."
—Mary Angelica of the Annunciation ("Mother Angelica," 1923-2016)

Chesterton Quote o' the Day

"Whatever is it that we are all looking for? I fancy that it is really quite close."
—G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)