Reflection for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This past week, we celebrated three different feast days in our daily Masses, reflection different aspects of our faith.  On Tuesday, we celebrated St Kateri Tekakwitha, a native American woman who lived in the 17th century.  She is known as the Lilly of the Mohawks.  Her family died from a smallpox epidemic, which also left her very scarred.  She converted to Catholicism at the age of 19 and lived out her faith in the midst of many challenges and sufferings.  She died at the young age of 24.  She is the patron saint of ecology and the environment, people in exile, and native Americans.  
St Bonaventure was celebrated on Wednesday.  Born in the 13th century, Bonaventure was a great theologian and philosopher in the medieval period.  A Franciscan priest who lived in the era right after the death of St Francis of Assisi, Bonaventure was the Minister General of the Franciscans and is considered as their second founder.  Bonaventure is recognized as a Doctor of the Church. 
Finally, on Friday, we commemorate the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne, France.   They were 16 members of the Carmelite order who were put to death on July 17, 1794 in the era right after the French Revolution for refuse to vacate their monastery when the new French government was very hostile to the Catholic faith.   The story of the Carmelite martyrs is the subject of a famous opera, Dialogues of the Carmelites, written by French composer Francois Poulenc in 1957.  It is a very popular opera that is performed often by major opera companies throughout the world.   The feast day of the Carmelite martyrs is commemorated the day after the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 
I found these three feast days that we commemorate within the same week to be very reflective of Church and our faith, showing different aspects of our faith from different eras, different cultures, and different walks of life.  We honor those who have come to the faith as converts, such as St Kateri.  We honor the great scholars and theologians of the Church, such as St Bonaventure.  We honor the martyrs of the Church, those who have made sacrifices and who have been willing to give up their lives for the faith. 
Blessings to all of you.  Have a blessed week.