A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
It's Pollination Day at the Little River Schoolhouse! Each year, the "Butterfly Lady" Heidi Litobar and I put on a presentation about bees and butterflies, most everyone's favorite type of pollinators. For years Heidi has been a dedicated monarch butterfly protector, raising eggs she finds on milkweed leaves in a special container in her laundry room to ensure their survival before releasing the adult butterfly. Heidi's passion for this incredible insect is contagious!
Liturgical: Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
Bishop Barron's Gospel reflections today.
Sanctoral: St. Bartholomew In St. John's Gospel, Bartholomew is known by the name Nathaniel (the liturgy does not always seem aware of this identity). He hailed from Cana in Galilee, was one of the first disciples called by the Lord. On that initial meeting Jesus uttered the glorious compliment: "Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile!" After the Resurrection he was favored by becoming one of the few apostles who witnessed the appearance of the risen Savior on the sea of Galilee (John 21:2). Following the Ascension he is said to have preached in Greater Armenia and to have been martyred there. While still alive, his skin was torn from his body. The Armenians honor him as the apostle of their nation. Concerning the fate of his relics, the Martyrology says: "His holy body was first taken to the island of Lipari (north of Sicily), then to Benevento, and finally to Rome on an island in the Tiber where it is honored by the faithful with pious devotion."
The Church of Armenia has a national tradition that St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew visited the Armenians early in the first century and introduced Christianity among the worshippers of the god Ahura Mazda. The new faith spread throughout the land, and in 302 A.D., St. Gregory the Illuminator baptized the king of Armenia, Dertad the Great, along with many of his followers. Since Dertad was probably the first ruler to embrace Christianity for his nation, the Armenians proudly claim they were the first Christian State.
—Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Human: St. Bartholomew Day
In England, many fairs were held on this day, including the famous St. Bartholomew Fair in Smithfield. Eventually, the saint’s feast day appeared in weather lore, such as “At St. Bartholomew, there comes cold dew,” or “As Bartholomew’s Day, so the whole autumn.” After this date, thunderstorms were said to be more violent.
This day in Roman history:
79 AD – the eruption of Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. The volcanic ash flooded Pompeii, perfectly preserving buildings and objects, which allowed us to get to know quite accurately the appearance of a Roman medium-sized city and the lives of its inhabitants. At that time, Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer and historian, was killed. The other suggested date of the eruption is the 24th of October.
410 AD – the Goths conquered Rome.
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