Churches of the Day
Pictorial Thought for Today
Sep 14 - St Helen: In search of the True Cross
Fr John Murray profiles her life and influence.
This month (September), I have been thinking about Helen. Not Helen of Troy, whose beauty launched a thousand ships and made even Brad Pitt want to capture her! The Helen I am thinking of was the mother of an emperor and a woman the Church later popularly regarded as a saint.
Emperor Constantine
It is the stuff of legend, and not every detail can be regarded as certain, but the story goes roughly like this. After Jesus had returned to the Father and the Church began its first few nervous steps outside Jerusalem, there was persecution. It didn't happen all at once or all the time, but over the next couple of centuries many thousands died. Even pagan historians, like Tacitus, tell us of the cruelty inflicted on the Christians by emperors like Nero around the year AD 64.Constantine - a successful general and leader - had a Christian mother, called Helen. No doubt she influenced him, but he remained a pagan and unbaptised, a politician who sat happily on the fence. Then, in the year 312, the story goes that he had a dream before an important battle, in which he saw a cross in the sky and the words, 'In this sign you will conquer'.
At once he emblazoned the sign of the cross on his soldiers' shields, and won the battle just outside Rome. He became the first Christian Emperor and, after decades of persecution, Christianity became safe and secure and - some would say - began to lose its cutting edge.
Helen, no doubt, had been brought up with the legends and the wonderful stories of the martyrs. She would have heard how Ignatius, before being fed to the lions in the Colosseum, wrote happily to the Roman Christians that he would be 'ground by the teeth of the beasts to be made pure bread for Christ'. She would have known of the courageous maiden, Blandina, who was gored to death by a bull in the amphitheatre in Lyons in 177. She would have remembered the brave martyr and writer, Justin, and Pope Sixtus, beheaded in 165. And many others. They were stories to stir the heart and make one want to follow them, for Jesus' sake.
Soft and flabby
As the years followed her son's victory in 312, Helen saw the Church becoming soft and flabby, no longer focused on the cross of Christ, making excuses for sin, no longer a leaven in society. It even began to be safe and profitable for some to be a Christian in this world.
The legend says that in 326 - just a year after the great Council of Nicea which defended the divinity and humanity of Christ against the heresy of Arius – she raised an expedition to search for the lost cross of Jesus in Jerusalem. Tradition has it that she was successful, and that she restored it to a new basilica built in Jerusalem by her son, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Not everyone in the long history of Christianity understands or appreciates the place of relics in the Church. In his play, Luther, John Osborne has Martin Luther poke fun at the over-emphasis on sacred things at that time in the early sixteenth century: 'a scrap of swaddling clothes, eleven pieces from the original crib, one wisp of straw from the manger, as well as the remains of the loaf at the Last Supper'. Critics weren't slow to point out that if all the slivers of the 'true cross' were assembled, there would be enough wood to build a large ship!
Fading Values
Yet, I think Helen was less concerned about the value of the relic than the place of the cross in the life of the Church. Would she be just as concerned if she were to search for the 'lost cross' in Ireland? Ireland is no longer the land of the Penal days, with hunted priests and Mass rocks in the glens, the island of saints and scholars. It is the land of the Celtic Tiger and moral relativism. Many would say that as a nation we have become soft and flabby, like the Church of Constantine.
On Good Friday this year, for instance, out of the hundreds of television programmes on offer for Irish and British viewers, there was only one to remind us that this was one of the most important days in the history of the world!
Perhaps there is a second reason Helen discovered the cross and restored it to its place at the heart of the Church. The age of martyrdom was over, at least for the time being, though it would return again and again in many parts of the world throughout the next two thousand years.
But men and women continue to suffer: in illness and disease, through life's frustrations and disappointments, at the hands of others, and because of their own sin. By 'looking on the One whom they have pierced', generations have drawn strength and grace to carry on, to bear the cross, to walk with Christ. Did not the late Pope John Paul teach us that by his dying, as well as by his inspiring life? When he could no longer speak a word, he preached a most eloquent sermon by his silent suffering.
Exaltation of the Cross
I haven't said a lot about Helen herself. Really, not much is known, other than that she travelled extensively and saw to it that churches were built in Rome and Constantinople, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. She was determined to avail of the new-found freedom that Christians were enjoying under the direction of her son. We do know that she died about 330, for her image ceased to appear on coins after that time.
Helen would no doubt be glad that the focus is not on her, but on the cross. The Church today doesn't expect Catholics to believe every detail of her story, but she would be happy to know that we celebrate a feast called 'The Exaltation of the Cross' on 14 September every year, and that every time we pray we begin with the sign of the cross. Her son's dream has come true, in a deeper way than he could ever have expected: In short
'In this sign you will conquer.'
This article first appeared in The Messenger (September 2005), a publication of the Irish Jesuits. c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop
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Memorable Saying for Today
"Let the sign of the cross be continually made on the heart,
on the mouth, on the forehead, at table, at the bath, in bed,
coming in and going out, in joy and sadness, sitting, standing, speaking, walking — in short, in all our actions.
~St. Gaudentius ~
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09-14 ;The Exaltation (Triumph) of the Holy Cross
c/f A short history of today’s Feast can be found below today’s Readings and Reflection.
FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of Numbers 21:4-9
If anyone is bitten by a serpent, let them look at the bronze serpent and live.
On the way through the wilderness the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, 'Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness?
For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.'
At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel.
The people came and said to Moses, 'We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.'
Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him,
'Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, they shall live.'
So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, looked at the bronze serpent and lived.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 77: 1-2. 34-38. R/v 7
Response Never forget the deeds of the Lord.
1. Give heed, my people, to my teaching; turn your ear to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable and reveal hidden lessons of the past. Response
2. When he slew them then they would seek him, return and seek him in earnest.
They would remember that God was their rock, God the Most High their redeemer. Response
3. But the words they spoke were mere flattery; they lied to him with their lips.
For their hearts were not truly with him; they were not faithful to his covenant. Response
4. Yet he who is full of compassion forgave their sin and spared them.
So often he held back his anger when he might have stirred up his rage. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians 2: 6-11
He humbled himself therefore God raised him high.
The state of Jesus Christ was divine,
yet he did not cling to his equality with God
but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave,
and became as men are; and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.
But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names
so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
because by your cross you have redeemed the world.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 3:13-17 Glory to you, O Lord.
The Son of Man must be lifted up.
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
'No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven;
and the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.'
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Reflection Sept.14 The Exaltation of the Holy Cross John 3:13-17
Today’s feast of the exaltation or triumph of the Holy Cross is not like Good Friday. Our focus is not so much on the sufferings of Jesus. Rather, we celebrate what the gospel reading refers to as the 'lifting up' of the Son of Man. The term ‘lifting up’ suggests not just his being lifted up physically on the cross but also his being lifted up 'in glory'. There are some depictions of the cross which highlight this double sense of Jesus being lifted up, where the body of Jesus on the cross is almost glorified. You may be familiar with the cross of San Damiano in Assisi. When Saint Francis was praying before it, he heard the Lord call on him to rebuild the church.
The image of Jesus that is painted on that cross has a glorious, luminous, quality. It is that kind of depiction of the cross that reflects the meaning of today’s feast, which is the feast of the triumph or exaltation of the cross. In what sense was the crucifixion of Jesus a triumph? It was firstly the triumph of love over hatred, the triumph of God’s love over human sin.
All authentic love is life-giving and God’s love is supremely life-giving. That is why the crucifixion of Jesus was a triumph in another sense, the triumph of life over death,
of God’s life over human death, a triumph in which we can all share.
That verse in today’s gospel reading ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him’. has spoken to believers down the centuries really sums up the meaning of today’s feast,
Today we are invited to look upon the cross as the explosion of God’s life-giving love for us all and then to allow ourselves to be drawn into that love so that we can reflect it to others through our lives.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers. http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from his book Reflections on the Weekday Readings : The Word is near to you, on your lips and in your heart by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/
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Click here for details on this feastday: https://www.catholicireland.net/saintoftheday/the-triumph-of-the-holy-cross/
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Feast of the Day : Sept 14 Exaltation of the Holy Cross
St Helen was the mother of the Emperor Constantine (285-337 AD). She is famous for her discovery of the Holy Cross which led to the great feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on 14th September.
Fr John Murray profiles (St Helen) her life and influence on this feast .
This month (Sept.), I have been thinking about Helen. Not Helen of Troy, whose beauty launched a thousand ships and made even Brad Pitt want to capture her! The Helen I am thinking of was the mother of an emperor and a woman the Church later popularly regarded as a saint.
Emperor Constantine
It is the stuff of legend, and not every detail can be regarded as certain, but the story goes roughly like this. After Jesus had returned to the Father and the Church began its first few nervous steps outside Jerusalem, there was persecution. It didn't happen all at once or all the time, but over the next couple of centuries many thousands died. Even pagan historians, like Tacitus, tell us of the cruelty inflicted on the Christians by emperors like Nero around the year AD 64.Constantine - a successful general and leader - had a Christian mother, called Helen. No doubt she influenced him, but he remained a pagan and unbaptised, a politician who sat happily on the fence. Then, in the year 312, the story goes that he had a dream before an important battle, in which he saw a 'cross' in the sky and the words, 'In this sign you will conquer'.
Constantine and Legends
The legend says that in 326 - just a year after the great Council of Nicea which defended the divinity and humanity of Christ against the heresy of Arius – she raised an expedition to search for the lost cross of Jesus in Jerusalem. Tradition has it that she was successful, and that she restored it to a new basilica built in Jerusalem by her son, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Not everyone in the long history of Christianity understands or appreciates the place of relics in the Church. In his play, Luther, John Osborne has Martin Luther poke fun at the over-emphasis on sacred 'things' at that time in the early sixteenth century: 'a scrap of swaddling clothes, eleven pieces from the original crib, one wisp of straw from the manger, as well as the remains of the loaf at the Last Supper'. Critics weren't slow to point out that if all the 'discovered' slivers of the 'true cross' were assembled, there would be enough wood to build a large ship!
Fading Values
Yet, I think Helen was less concerned about the value of the relic than 'the place of the cross in the life of the Church.' Would she be just as concerned if she were to search for the 'lost cross' in Ireland? Ireland is no longer the land of the Penal days, with hunted priests and Mass rocks in the glens, the island of saints and scholars. It is the land of the Celtic Tiger (now just a distant memory) and of moral relativism. Many would say that as a nation we have become soft and flabby, like the Church of Constantine. Even on Good Friday nowadays, for instance, out of the hundreds of television programmes on offer for Irish and British viewers, there may be only one or two 'holy' programmes to remind us that this was one of the most important days in the history of the world!......
Perhaps there is a second reason Helen discovered the cross and restored it to its place at the heart of the Church. The age of martyrdom was over, at least for the time being, though it would return again and again in many parts of the world throughout the next two thousand years. But men and women continue to suffer: in illness and disease, through life's frustrations and disappointments, at the hands of others, and/or because of their own sin. By 'looking on the One whom they have pierced', generations have drawn strength and grace to carry on, to bear the cross, to walk with Christ. Did not the late Pope St John Paul II teach us that by his dying, as well as by his inspiring life? When he could no longer speak a word, he preached a most eloquent sermon by his silent suffering.
Exaltation of the Cross
I haven't said a lot about Helen herself. Really, not much is known, other than that she travelled extensively and saw to it that churches were built in Rome and Constantinople, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. She was determined to avail of the new-found freedom that Christians were enjoying under the direction of her son. We do know that she died about 330, for her image ceased to appear on coins after that time.
Helen would no doubt be glad that the focus is not on her, but on the cross. The Church today doesn't expect Catholics believe every detail of her story, but she would be happy to know that we celebrate a feast called 'The Exaltation of the Cross' on 14 September every year, and that every time we pray we begin with the sign of the cross. Her son's dream has come true, in a deeper way than he could ever have expected: In short 'In this sign you will conquer.'
This article first appeared in The Messenger , a publication of the Irish Jesuits. c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop
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Memorable wisdom for Today
"Let the sign of the cross be continually made
on the heart, on the mouth, on the forehead,
at table, at the bath, in bed, coming in and going out,
in joy and sadness, sitting, standing, speaking, walking —
in short, in all our actions.
~St. Gaudentius~
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Sliocht as an Leabhar Uimhreacha 21:4-9
Nuair a chuireadh nathair cealg i nduine, d’fhéachadh sé ar an nathair chré-umha agus mhaireadh.
D’fhág na hIsráélítigh ó Sliabh Hor ar feadh bhealach Mhuir Shúf, ag gabháil timpeall chríocha Eadóm. Bhris ar an bhfoighne ag an bpobal ar an tslí. Labhraíodar in aghaidh Dé agus in aghaidh Mhaois: “Cad ab áil libh dár dtabhairt amach as an Éigipt chun bás a fháil san fhásach?Óir tá an áit seo gan arán, gan uisce, agus is gráin linn an bia gan mhaith seo.”
Ansin sheol Dia nathracha tintí i measc an phobail, agus chuireadar a gcealg sa phobal, agus fuair a lán in Iosrael bás. Tháinig an pobal go Maois agus dúradar:
“Pheacaíomar lenár gcaint in aghaidh an Tiarna agus i d’aghaidhse.
Guigh chun an Tiarna á iarraidh air na nathracha a thógáil dínn.”
Ghuigh Maois ar son an phobail. Dúirt an Tiarna le Maois:
“Déan nathair thintí agus cuir ar chuaille í, agus gach duine ina gcuirfear cealg, nuair a fhéachfaidh sé uirthi, mairfidh sé.”
Dhealbhaigh Maois nathair chré-umha dá bhrí sin agus chuir ar chuaille í,
agus nuair a chuireadh nathair cealg i nduine, d’fhéachadh sé ar an nathair chré-umha agus mhaireadh.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 77: 1-2. 34-38. R/v 7
Freagra Na déanaigí dearmad ar oibreacha Dé.
I. Éist, a phobal, le mo theagasc, claonaigí bhur gcluasa chun briathra mo bhéil.
Osclóidh mé mo bhéal chun parabal a insint, labhróidh mé rundiamhra na seanaimsire. Freagra
2. Nuair a bhíodh sé á máru, is ansin a bhídís á iarraidh; thiontaídís agus bhídís ag lorg Dé.
Chuimhnídís ansin gurb é Dia a gcarraig agus gurb é an Dia is Airde a bhfuascailteoir. Freagra
3.Ach mheallaidís é le briathra a mbéil agus d'insídís bréaga dó lena dteanga.
Ní raibh a gcroí go díreach leis, ná ní raibh siad dílis d’a chonradh. Freagra
4.Más ea, toise é bheith trócaireaeh, mhaitheadh sé a gcoir agus ní dhéanadh sé iad a scrios.
Agus is minic a chuir sé srian lena fhearg, agus níor dhoirt sé a chuthach uile orthu. Freagra
DARA LÉACHT
Sliocht as an Litir Naomh Pól chuig na Filipigh 2:6-11
Lom sé é féin. Sin é an fáth ar ardaigh Dia thar na bearta é.
Cé go raibh an nádúr diaga ó bhun in Íosa Críostníorbh éadáil leis bheith ar chomhchéim le Dia, Ach lom sé é féin.
Agus chuir áir riocht an sclábha agus tháinig chun bheith ina dhuine mar chách eile.
Agus ar theacht ann dó i gcló daonna, d’ísligh sé é féin agus bhí umhal go bás – go bás na croise féin.
Sin é an fáth ar ardaigh Dia thar na bearta é agus bhronn air an t-ainm úd atá os cionn gach ainm,
i dtreo nuair a luafaí ainm Íosa go gcromfadh glúin gach neach dá bhfuil ar neamh agus ar talamh
agus in ifreann agus go ndearbhódh gach teanga, in ómós do Dhia an tAthair,
gurb é Íosa Críost an Tiarna.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
SOISCÉAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as an Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Eoin 3:13-17 Glóir duit, a Thiarna.
Sin mar a chaithfear Mac an Duine a ardú.
San am sin dúirt Íosa le Nícodémas:
'Níl aon duine a chuaigh suas ar neamh, ach an té a tháinig anuas ó neamh,
Mac an Duine [atá ar neamh]. Faoi mar a d’ardaigh Maois an nathair nimhe san fhásach, sin mar a chaithfear Mac an Duine a ardú,i dtreo, gach duine a chreideann ann, go mbeidh an bheatha shíoraí aige.
Óir ghráigh Dia an domhan chomh mór sin gur thug sé a
Aonghin Mic uaidh i dtreo, gach duine a chreideann ann,
nach gcaillfí é ach go mbeadh an bheatha shioraí aige.
Óir ní chun daorbhreith a thabhairt ar an saol a chuir Dia a Mhac uaidh ar an saol ach chun go slánófaí an saol tríd.'
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
The Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
World Day of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of Isaiah 55:6-9
My thoughts are not your thoughts.
Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Let the wicked man abandon his way,
the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn back to the Lord who will take pity on him,
to our God who is rich in forgiving;
for my thoughts are not your thoughts,
my ways not your ways - it is the Lord who speaks.
Yes, the heavens are as high above earth
as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps 144:2-3.8-9. 17-18. Rv 18
Response The Lord is close to all who call him.
1. I will bless you day after day and praise your name for ever.
The Lord is great, highly to be praised, his greatness cannot be measured. Response
2. The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his creatures. Response
3. The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians 1:20-24.27
Life to me is Christ.
Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by my life or by my death.
Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me something more; but then again, if living in this body means doing work which is having good results- I do not know what I should choose. I am caught in this dilemma: I want to be gone and be with Christ, which would be very much the better, but for me to stay alive in this body is a more urgent need for your sake.
Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Gospel Acclamation Lk 19: 38
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on the King who comes, in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!
Alleluia!
Or Acts 16: 14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 20:1-16 Glory to you, O Lord
Why be envious because I am generous?
Jesus said to his disciples:
The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them,
"You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage". So they went.
At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing round, and he said to them,
"Why have you been standing here idle all day?"
"Because no one has hired us" they answered. He said to them, "You go into my vineyard too".
In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff,"Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first".
So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner. "The men who came last" they said "have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day's work in all the heat."
He answered one of them and said,
"My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?"
Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.'
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here: https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/
Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.
Sliocht as leabhar Íseáia 55:6-9
Ní hiad mo bhearta bhur mbearta.
[caption id="attachment_50642" align="alignright" width="284"]
Dia ag obair[/caption]Lorgaigí an Tiarna, fad a chuireann sé é féin air fáil;
glaoigí air, fad atá sé i ngar.
Fágadh an coirpeach a dhrochnós agus fear na hurchóide a bhearta.
Filleadh sé ar an Tiarna, a ghlacfaidh trua dó,
agus ar ár nDia, atá fial faoi mhaithiúnas.
Óir ní hiad mo bhearta bhur mbearta,
ná ní hiad bhur mbealaíse mo bhealaíse, briathar an Tiarna.
Is ard iad na spéartha os cionn na talún,
agus is comh-ard mo bhealaí os cionn bhur mbealaí
agus mo bhearta os cionn bhur mbearta.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 144:2-3.8-9. 17-18. Rv 18
Freagra Is gairid an Tiarna dá ngaireann air.
1. Beannóidh mé thú gach uile lá agus molfaidh mé thú dé shíor.
Is mór é an Tiarna, is is ionmholta go mór é, ní féidir a mhórgacht a mheas. Freagra
2. Is ceansa trócaireach é an Tiarna, mall chun feirge agus lán de chineáltas.
Is maith é an Tiarna don uile ní, is is trócaireach é dá oibreacha uile. Freagra
3. Is fíréanta an Tiarna ina shlite uile is is naofa é ina oibreacha go léir.
Is gairid an Tiarna dá ngaireann air, dá ngaireann air go fírinneach. Freagra
DARA LÉACHT
Sliocht as litir N.Pól chuig naFilipigh 1:20-24.27
Mar is é Críost is beatha domsa
A bhráithre, nglóireofar Críost i mo chorp, cibé acu beatha nó bás atá i ndán dom. Mar is é Críost is beatha domsa agus ba shochar dom an bás. Ar an taobh eile, áfach, má bhíonn rath ar mo shaothar fad a mhairim sa cholainn, ní fheadar cé acu rogha a dhéanfaidh mé. Táim i gcás idir dhá chomhairle: tá fonn orm síothlú liom agus bheith fara Críost, mar ba é ba fhearr go mór. Ach is riachtanaí go bhfanfainn sa cholainn ar mhaithe libhse.Ní mór daoibh, áfach, bhur saol a thabhairt go fiúntach de réir dea-scéal Chríost.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Alleluia Véarsa Lc 19: 38
Alleluia, alleluia!
Is beannaithe an té atá ag teacht ina rí, in ainm an Tiarna!
Síocháin sna flaithis, agus glóire in uachtar
Alleluia!
SOISCÉAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as an Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Matha 20:1-16 Glóir duit, a Thiarna.
Nó an ea go bhfuil do shúilse éadmhar de bhrí go bhfuilim féin maith?’
San am sin dúirt Íosa lena dheisceabail:
“Óir is iad dála ríocht na bhflaitheas mar a bhí ag fear tí a ghabh amach go moch ar maidin chun lucht oibre a fhostú i gcomhair a fhíonghoirt. Réitigh sé leis na fir oibre ar dhéanar sa lá agus sheol sé isteach ina fhíonghort iad. Nuair a chuaigh sé amach timpeall an tríú huair, chonaic sé daoine eile ina seasamh díomhaoin in áit an mhargaidh agus dúirt sé leo: ‘Isteach i m’fhíonghort libhse freisin, agus díolfaidh mé libh an pá ceart.’ Agus isteach leo. Chuaigh sé amach arís timpeall an séú agus an naoú huair agus rinne sé an rud céanna. Ach nuair a chuaigh sé amach timpeall an aonú huair déag, fuair sé tuilleadh acu ann agus dúirt leo: ‘Cad a d’fhág anseo ar feadh an lae sibh agus sibh díomhaoin?’ Dúirt siad: ‘Mar nár fhostaigh aon duine sinn.’ Dúirt sé leo: ‘Sibhse freisin, isteach san fhíonghort libh.’
Nuair a bhí an tráthnóna ann, dúirt úinéir an fhíonghoirt leis an mbainisteoir: ‘Glaoigh ar na fir oibre agus tabhair dóibh a dtuarastal, siar ón dream déanach go dtí an dream is túisce a tháinig.’Nuair a tháinig muintir an aonú huair déag, fuair siad déanar an duine. Agus shíl an chéad dream nuair a tháinig siad go bhfaighidís níos mó. Ach is déanar an duine a fuair siad sin féin. Agus nuair a fuair siad é, bhí siad ag monabhar ar fhear an tí: ‘An dream déanach seo,’ deiridís, ‘níor thug siad ach an t-aon uair amháin, agus chuir tú ar aon dul iad féin agus sinne a d’fhulaing ualach an lae agus an brothall.’
D’fhreagair sé duine acu á rá: ‘Nílim ag déanamh aon éagóra ort, a chara: nach ar dhéanar a réitigh tú liom? Tóg a bhfuil ag dul duit agus imigh. Ach is áil liomsa oiread a thabhairt don fhear deireanach seo agus a thugaim duit. An ea nach bhfuil cead agam mo rogha ní a dhéanamh le mo chuid féin? Nó an ea go bhfuil do shúilse éadmhar de bhrí go bhfuilim féin maith?’
Sin mar a bheidh a bhfuil ar deireadh ar tosach agus a bhfuil ar tosach ar deireadh.”
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
