Churches of the Day
Pictorial Thought for Today
Oct 9 St John Henry Newman - pastor 1801-1890
Summary: John Henry Newman: Born: 1801 Died: 1890) ordained an Anglican priest and later a Catholic priest and cardinal, rector of CUI 1854-58, an important and controversial figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century.
Birth
John Henry Newman was born in London on Feb 21 1801. He had three sisters and two brothers. His father was a director of a bank. John was educated at a private Evangelical denominational school at Ealing in London.
‘When I was fifteen a great change of thought took place in me. I fell under the influences of a definite Creed … I believed that the inward conversion of which I was conscious … would last into the next life, and that I was elected to eternal glory. … I believe that it had some influence on my opinions … in isolating me from the objects which surrounded me, in confirming me in my mistrust of the reality of material phenomena, and making me rest in the thought of two and two only absolute and luminously self-evident beings, myself and my creator.’ ...Taken from John's Apologia. He would later refer to this as his 'first' conversion.
The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge were at the time part of the Anglican ‘Establishment’ and they provided the formation for Anglican clergy. Desiring to be a ‘minister of Christ’ and even wanting to take a vow of celibacy that was not common at the time, John pursued Anglican orders as a way of dedicating his whole life to God. In his apologia the day after his ordination as a deacon he wrote in 1824, ‘I have the responsibility of souls on me to the day of my death.’ A year later, he was ordained an Anglican priest by the bishop of Oxford and appointed to serve as a curate in St Clement's parish in the city of Oxford where he became known for visiting all his parishioners, especially the sick and the poor.
He preached with a great understanding of the human condition whilst also commanding a great knowledge of scripture. People began to travel from far and wide to hear him preaching and he quickly became the most influential preacher in the country.
Oxford Movement
Academic, theologian, scholar, poet and priest, he became drawn to the high-church tradition of Anglicanism. He became one of the more notable leaders of the Oxford Movement, an influential and controversial grouping of Anglicans who wished to return to the Church of England many Catholic beliefs and liturgical rituals from before the English Reformation.
'Conversion'
Eventually Newman and a number of his Oxford Movement colleagues concluded that the Catholic Church was the one with the greatest claim to have the qualities of the One True Church founded by Christ. Newman was a literary figure: his major writings include the Tracts for the Times (1833–1841). After publishing his controversial "Tract 90" in 1841, Newman later wrote, "I was on my death-bed, as regards my membership with the Anglican Church". Later came his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1865–1866), the Grammar of Assent (1870), and the poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865),[14] which was set to music in 1900 by Edward Elgar. He wrote the popular hymns "Lead, Kindly Light", "Firmly I believe, and truly" (taken from Gerontius), and "Praise to the Holiest in the Height" (taken from Gerontius).
Earlier in 1845 Newman, joined by some members of the Oxford Movement, officially left the Church of England and his teaching post at Oxford University. They were received into the Catholic Church. John himself went on to Rome, where he was ordained as a catholic priest and continued as an influential religious leader.
Catholic University of Ireland
On returning to England, he became a member of the Oratorians, a congregation founded hundreds of years earlier by St Philip Neri. He established a community at Edgbaston in Birmingham, where they conducted a parish and school and where he spent years in pastoral ministry.
In 1878 Newman, in recognition of his services to the cause of the Catholic Church in England, was appointed a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. He took as his personal coat of arms 'Cor ad cor loquitur', taken to mean 'Heart speaks unto heart' and thereby highlighting the importance of people speaking to each other 'in all sincerity, in all honesty, in all truthfulness.'
Honours
His beatification was officially proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 Sept. 2010 at Cofton Park, Birmingham, during his visit to the United Kingdom. His canonisation was declared by Pope Francis on the 13 October 2019.
Birth
John Henry Newman was born in London on Feb 21 1801. He had three sisters and two brothers. His father was a director of a bank. John was educated at a private Evangelical denominational school at Ealing in London.
‘When I was fifteen a great change of thought took place in me. I fell under the influences of a definite Creed … I believed that the inward conversion of which I was conscious … would last into the next life, and that I was elected to eternal glory. … I believe that it had some influence on my opinions … in isolating me from the objects which surrounded me, in confirming me in my mistrust of the reality of material phenomena, and making me rest in the thought of two and two only absolute and luminously self-evident beings, myself and my creator.’ ...Taken from John's Apologia. He would later refer to this as his 'first' conversion.
The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge were at the time part of the Anglican ‘Establishment’ and they provided the formation for Anglican clergy. Desiring to be a ‘minister of Christ’ and even wanting to take a vow of celibacy that was not common at the time, John pursued Anglican orders as a way of dedicating his whole life to God. In his apologia the day after his ordination as a deacon he wrote in 1824, ‘I have the responsibility of souls on me to the day of my death.’ A year later, he was ordained an Anglican priest by the bishop of Oxford and appointed to serve as a curate in St Clement's parish in the city of Oxford where he became known for visiting all his parishioners, especially the sick and the poor.
He preached with a great understanding of the human condition whilst also commanding a great knowledge of scripture. People began to travel from far and wide to hear him preaching and he quickly became the most influential preacher in the country.
Oxford Movement
Academic, theologian, scholar, poet and priest, he became drawn to the high-church tradition of Anglicanism. He became one of the more notable leaders of the Oxford Movement, an influential and controversial grouping of Anglicans who wished to return to the Church of England many Catholic beliefs and liturgical rituals from before the English Reformation.
'Conversion'
Eventually Newman and a number of his Oxford Movement colleagues concluded that the Catholic Church was the one with the greatest claim to have the qualities of the One True Church founded by Christ. Newman was a literary figure: his major writings include the Tracts for the Times (1833–1841). After publishing his controversial "Tract 90" in 1841, Newman later wrote, "I was on my death-bed, as regards my membership with the Anglican Church". Later came his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1865–1866), the Grammar of Assent (1870), and the poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865),[14] which was set to music in 1900 by Edward Elgar. He wrote the popular hymns "Lead, Kindly Light", "Firmly I believe, and truly" (taken from Gerontius), and "Praise to the Holiest in the Height" (taken from Gerontius).
Earlier in 1845 Newman, joined by some members of the Oxford Movement, officially left the Church of England and his teaching post at Oxford University. They were received into the Catholic Church. John himself went on to Rome, where he was ordained as a catholic priest and continued as an influential religious leader.
Catholic University of Ireland
On returning to England, he became a member of the Oratorians, a congregation founded hundreds of years earlier by St Philip Neri. He established a community at Edgbaston in Birmingham, where they conducted a parish and school and where he spent years in pastoral ministry.
In 1850, aware of John's gentle scholarship, deep human wisdom and profound love of the Lord, Cardinal Paul Cullen, leader of the Irish bishops, appealed to Newman to help set up a Catholic University in Dublin. At that time there was a grave need for such a third level institution to which Irish Catholics would have easy access. John became and remained rector of the college until his resignation in 1858.
In 1878 Newman, in recognition of his services to the cause of the Catholic Church in England, was appointed a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. He took as his personal coat of arms 'Cor ad cor loquitur', taken to mean 'Heart speaks unto heart' and thereby highlighting the importance of people speaking to each other 'in all sincerity, in all honesty, in all truthfulness.'
Honours
His beatification was officially proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 Sept. 2010 at Cofton Park, Birmingham, during his visit to the United Kingdom. His canonisation was declared by Pope Francis on the 13 October 2019.
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Memorable Sayings for Today
You can speak well
if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.
~ John Ford ~
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Liturgical Readings for: Friday, 9th October, 2026
Friday of the Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Saint of the Day: Oct 9; – 1. St John Leonardi, priest, founder,
- 2 Ss Denis, bishop and Companions, martyrs
-3. St John Henry Newman, priest
C/f A short look at these saint’s lives can be found below todays' Readings and Reflection.
FIRST READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Galatians 3:7-14
Those who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.
Don't you see that it is those who rely on faith who are the sons of Abraham? Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago when Abraham was told: In you all the pagans will be blessed. Those therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.
On the other hand, those who rely on the keeping of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in observing everything prescribed in the book of the Law. The Law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told: 'the righteous man finds life through faith.'The Law is not even based on faith, since we are told:
The man who practises these precepts finds life through practising them.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake, since scripture says:
Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree.
This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 110: 1-6. R/v5
Response The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
or Alleluia!
1. I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord; to be pondered by all who love them. Response
2. Majestic and glorious his work, his justice stands firm for ever.
He makes us remember his wonders. The Lord is compassion and love. Response
3. He gives food to those who fear him; keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He has shown his might to his people . by giving them the lands of the nations. Response
Gospel Acclamation Jn 10: 27
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia !
or Jn 12: 31-32
Alleluia, alleluia!
Now the prince of this world is to be overthrown, says the Lord;
And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men to myself.'
Alleluia !
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 11:15-26 Glory to you, O Lord
If it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you.
When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of them said,'It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils'.
Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them,
'Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin,
and a household divided against itself collapses.
So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? - Since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then.
But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
'He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.
'When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, "I will go back to the home I came from". But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.'
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Friday Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Luke 11:15-26
According to today’s gospel reading, when some people looked at the healing ministry of Jesus, instead of seeing the finger of God, the reign of God at work, they saw the activity of Satan. The gospels suggest that Jesus was completely misunderstood by some. It is hard to imagine a greater misunderstanding that what we find in today’s gospel reading. Yet, he continued to reach out to those who misunderstood him; he worked to get them to see that it was the Holy Spirit and not some evil spirit that was at work in his ministry.
Even on the cross, according to Luke, Jesus prayed for those who were executing him as a common criminal or rebel. We can all experience misunderstanding, even if not on the scale that Jesus experienced it. It can sometimes be the price we pay for doing something worthwhile. Jesus remained faithful to his calling and his mission, in spite of the kind of misunderstanding of him that many showed. In similar circumstances, we too need to remain faithful and not lose our nerve. In doing this, the Lord’s Spirit will help us.
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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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Saint of the Day: Oct 9; – 1. St John Leonardi, priest, founder,
Saint of the Day: Oct 9; - 2 Ss Denis, bishop and Companions, martyrs
-3. St John Henry Newman, priest
1. St John Leonardi, priest, founder
St John Leonardi of Lucca in Tuscany, Italy, a priest who imbibed the best of the reform spirit of the Council of Trent. He saw that raising the standard of formation of the clergy would have its effect on the people. He also inspired the founding of the College of Propaganda Fide in Rome, (where St Oliver Plunkett was educated and taught before he returned to Ireland.)
Patrick Duffy tells John's story.
Dedicated to Instruction
John Leonardi was born in 1541 in Lucca in Tuscany and trained as a pharmacist. After some time as a member of a lay confraternity, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1571. He dedicated himself to the catechetical instruction of children and youth. He saw orthodox preaching and good living by priests as the planks of the reform process that had just begun with the Council of Trent (1545-1563).Founded order for reform of the clergy
John founded the Order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God in 1574 and in 1595 they were formally recognised as a religious congregation. The bishop of Lucca supported him, but there were many influential families in the city who resented his preaching and opposed him, forcing him into exile from his own city.
Seminary TrainingJohn went to Rome and was encouraged by his spiritual director, St Philip Neri, to send members of his congregation on the foreign missions. In 1603, together with the Spanish prelate G.B.Vives, he was responsible for a project to give seminary training for priests who would go on overseas missions. This later became the "College for the Propagation of the Faith" and still exists today. John died in Rome in 1609.
Leaders to Reform First
The Office of Readings for his feastday has a letter from him to Pope Paul V emphasising that the reformation of men's morals would be best aided by the reformation of the morals of the leaders of the Church:
"As regards the remedies required by the Church as a whole, its reformation must be undertaken among high and low alike, among its leaders as well as its children; we should therefore direct our attention first towards those who have charge of the rest, so that reform begins among those from whom it should be communicated to others."
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Memorable Saying for Today
Reform is not pleasant, but grievous;
no person can reform themselves without suffering and hard work,
how much more a nation (or a church!)
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Saint of the Day; Oct 9; - 2 Ss Denis, bishop and Companions, martyrs
Denis: legendary 3rd-century Christian martyr and companions. According to his hagiographies, Denis was bishop of Paris and, together with his companions' Rusticus and Eleutherius, was martyred for his faith by decapitation.
Patrick Duffy writes about the martyr who gave his name to that Parissiene commune.
Some accounts placed this during Domitian's persecution and identified St Denis of Paris with the Areopagite who was converted by St Paul and who served as the first bishop of Athens. Assuming Denis's historicity, it is now considered more likely that he suffered under the persecution of the emperor Decius shortly after ad 250.The image shown below left is a detail of a sculpture of St Denis picking up his severed head and carrying his own head into the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Patrick Duffy writes about the martyr who gave his name to that that commune.
Martyrdom
St Gregory of Tours tells us that this Denis was an Italian by birth and became a missionary bishop. With five companions he established a Christian centre on an island in the Seine. One of his companions was a priest called Rusticus, another a deacon called Eleutherius. They are said to have been executed on Montmartre ("Martyrs' Hill") and their bodies thrown into the Seine, from which they were later recovered and given decent burial in a chapel that later became the abbey of St Denis.False Identifications
In the 9th century the cult of St Denis received an impetus by the false identification made by Hilduin, abbot of St Denis, of this martyr with two other individuals. The first is mentioned in Acts 17:34 as Dionysius the Areopagite, who along with a woman named Damaris is among those said to have attached themselves to Paul after his speech in Athens about the unknown God".
[caption id="attachment_51309" align="alignright" width="170"]
Statue of St Denis in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris[/caption]The second false identification is with a neo-Platonist Christian spiritual writer from around 500 AD who had written pseudepigraphically, that is, maintaining the persona of the same Dionysius perhaps hoping to increase the authority of his writings. This led to the re-writing of the history of Denis the martyr as well as the exponential growth of his cult - with the additions of such legends as the one claiming that he was a cehpalophore, or"head carrier", that is one of those martyrs who is said to have carried his head to his place of burial.
Cult in England
Because of this, Denis's cult also spread rapidly to England where a great number of churches were dedicated to him and given his name.
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Memorable Saying for Today
The tyrant dies and his rule is over. The martyr dies and his rule begins.
~ Soren Kierkegaard ~
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Saint of the Day -3. St John Henry Newman, priest
John Henry was born: 1801 Died: 1890) ordained an Anglican priest and later a Catholic priest and cardinal, rector of CUI 1854-58, an important and controversial figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century.
Birth
John Henry Newman was born in London on Feb 21 1801.He had three sisters and two brothers. His father was a director of a bank. John was educated at a private Evangelical denominational school at Ealing in London. About that time he wrote: ‘When I was fifteen a great change of thought took place in me. I fell under the influences of a definite Creed … I believed that the inward conversion of which I was conscious … would last into the next life, and that I was elected to eternal glory. … I believe that it had some influence on my opinions … in isolating me from the objects which surrounded me, in confirming me in my mistrust of the reality of material phenomena, and making me rest in the thought of two and two only absolute and luminously self-evident beings, myself. ...Taken from John's Apologia. He would later refer to this as his' first' conversion.
The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge were at the time part of the Anglican ‘Establishment’ and they provided the formation for Anglican clergy. Desiring to be a ‘minister of Christ’ and even wanting to take a vow of celibacy that was not common at the time, John pursued Anglican orders as a way of dedicating his whole life to God. In his apologia the day after his ordination as a deacon he wrote in 1824,
‘I have the responsibility of souls on me to the day of my death.’
A year later, he was ordained an Anglican priest by the bishop of Oxford and appointed to serve as a curate in St Clement's parish in the city of Oxford where he became known for visiting all his parishioners, especially the sick and the poor.
He preached with a great understanding of the human condition whilst also commanding a great knowledge of scripture. People began to travel from far and wide to hear him preaching and he quickly became the most influential preacher in the country.
Oxford Movement
Academic, theologian, scholar, poet and priest, he became drawn to the high church tradition of Anglicanism. He became one of the more notable leaders of the Oxford Movement, an influential and controversial grouping of Anglicans who wished to return to the Church of England many Catholic beliefs and liturgical rituals from before the English Reformation.
'Conversion'
Eventually Newman and a number of his Oxford Movement colleagues concluded that the Catholic Church was the one with the greatest claim to have the qualities of the One True Church founded by Christ. Newman was a literary figure: his major writings include the Tracts for the Times (1833–1841). After publishing his controversial "Tract 90" in 1841, Newman later wrote, "I was on my death-bed, as regards my membership with the Anglican Church". Later came his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1865–1866), the Grammar of Assent (1870), and the poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865),[14] which was set to music in 1900 by Edward Elgar. He wrote the popular hymns "Lead, Kindly Light", "Firmly I believe, and truly" (taken from Gerontius), and "Praise to the Holiest in the Height" (taken from Gerontius).
Earlier in 1845 Newman, joined by some members of the Oxford Movement, officially left the Church of England and his teaching post at Oxford University. They were received into the Catholic Church. John himself went on to Rome, where he was ordained as a catholic priest and continued as an influential religious leader.
Catholic University of Ireland
On returning to England, he became a member of the Oratorians, a congregation founded hundreds of years earlier by St Philip Neri. He established a community at Edgbaston in Birmingham, where they conducted a parish and school and where he spent years in pastoral ministry.
In 1850, aware of John's gentle scholarship, deep human wisdom and profound love of the Lord, Cardinal Paul Cullen, leader of the Irish bishops, appealed to Newman to help set up a Catholic University in Dublin. At that time there was a grave need for such a third level institution to which Irish Catholics would have easy access. John became and remained rector of the college until his resignation in 1858.
In 1878 Newman, in recognition of his services to the cause of the Catholic Church in England, was appointed a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. He took as his personal coat of arms 'Cor ad cor loquitur', taken to mean 'Heart speaks unto heart' and thereby highlighting the importance of people speaking to each other 'in all sincerity, in all honesty, in all truthfulness.'
Honours
His beatification was officially proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 Sept. 2010 at Coften Park, Birmingham, during his visit to the United Kingdom. His canonisation was declared by Pope Francis on the 13 October 2019.
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Memorable Sayings for Today
You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.
~ John Ford ~
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Liturgical Readings for: Friday, 9th October, 2026
CÉAD LÉACHTSliocht as Céad Litir Naomh Pól chuig na Galataigh 3: 7-14
Fágann sin gurb iad lucht an chreidimh atá beannaithe mar aon le hAbrahám, fear an chreidimh.
Bíodh a fhios agaibh, A bhráithre, gurb iad lucht an chreidimh atá ina gclann ag Abrahám. Chonaic an scrioptúr roimh ré gur de bharr an chreidimh a fhíréanódh Dia na gintlithe agus réamhfhógair an dea-scéal sin d’Abrahám:“Beannófar ionatsa na náisiúin uile.” Fágann sin gurb iad lucht an chreidimh atá beannaithe mar aon le hAbrahám, fear an chreidimh.
Iad siúd atá ag brath ar an dlí, áfach, tá mallacht anuas orthu, mar tá scríofa:
“Is mallaithe gach n-aon nach gcloíonn lena bhfuil scríofa i leabhar an dlí agus iad a chur i gcrích.”
Is léir nach bhfíréanaítear duine ar bith ag an dlí i bhfianaise Dé, mar
“is le creideamh a mhairfidh an fíréan”. Ní ar chreideamh atá an dlí ag brath, áfach, mar is é a deirtear sa dlí “an té a dhéanfaidh na nithe seo beidh sé beo dá mbarr”.
Ach d’fhuascail Críost ó mhallacht an dlí sinn nuair a rinneadh rud mallaithe de féin ar ár son mar tá scríofa:
“Is mallaithe cách a chrochtar ar chrann.” Tharla amhlaidh chun go dtitfeadh beannacht Abrahám ar na gintlithe in Íosa Críost agus go bhfaighimisne, tríd an gcreideamh, an Spiorad a bhí geallta.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le freagra Sm 110: 1-6. R/v5
Freagra Cuimhneoidh an Tiarna de shíor ar a chonradh.
1. Gabhfaidh mé buíochas le Dia ó chroí, i gcomhdháil agus i gcomhthionól na bhfíréan.
Is éachtach iad oibreacha an Tiarna, inscrúdaithe do chách a charann iad. Freagra
2. Is oirirc ollásach iad a oibreacha, agus maireann a fhíréantacht go brách.
Tugann sé orainn cuimhneamh ar a éachtaí; is trócaireach grámhar é an Tiarna. Freagra
3. Beathaíonn sé an mhuintir ar a mbíonn a eagla; cuimhneoidh sé de shíor ar a chonradh.
D’fhoilsigh sé cumhacht a bheart dá phobal, nuair a thug sé dóibh oidhreacht na náisiún. Freagra
SOISCÉAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as an Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Lúcas 11: 15-26 Glóir duit, a Thiarna.
Ach más trí mhéir Dé a chaithim amach na deamhain, dá réir sin tá ríocht Dé tagtha chugaibh.
San am sin dúirt cuid de na daoine:
“Is trí Bhéalzabúl, prionsa na ndeamhan, a chaitheann sé na deamhain amach.” Agus bhí cuid eile acu ag lorg comhartha ó na flaithis uaidh, á phromhadh.Ach ó bhí fios a smaointe aige dúirt Íosa leo:
“Gach ríocht a bhíonn ar deighilt ina haghaidh féin, bánaítear í, agus titeann a cuid tithe ar mhuin a chéile. Agus má bhíonn Sátan freisin ar deighilt ina aghaidh féin, conas a sheasóidh a ríocht? – os á rá sibh gur trí Bhéalzabúl a chaithim amach na deamhain.
Ach más trí Bhéalzabúl a chaithimse na deamhain amach, cé tríd go gcaitheann bhur gclann féin amach iad? Uime sin, is iad sin a thabharfaidh breith oraibh. Ach más trí mhéir Dé a chaithim amach na deamhain, dá réir sin tá ríocht Dé tagtha chugaibh.
Nuair a bhíonn an fear láidir faoi arm is éide ag gardáil a chaisleáin, bíonn gach a bhfuil ina sheilbh sábhálta. Ach nuair a thagann fear is treise ná é ina aghaidh agus go mbuann air, baineann de a ghléas troda as a raibh a mhuinín, agus déanann a chreach a roinnt.
'An té nach bhfuil liom tá sé i m’aghaidh, agus an té nach gcnuasaíonn liom, scaipeann.'
Nuair a bhíonn an spiorad míghlan imithe amach as an duine, gabhann sé trí áiteanna tíortha ag lorg faoisimh, agus nuair nach bhfaigheann, deir: ‘Fillfidh mé chun mo thí as a dtáinig mé amach.’ Agus ar theacht dó, faigheann sé scuabtha, maisithe é. Imíonn sé ansin agus tugann leis seacht spioraid eile is measa ná é féin; téann siad isteach agus glacann siad áras ann,
agus is measa dála an duine sin ar deireadh ná ar dtús.”
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 11th October, 2026
The Twenty Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Prisoner's (and their families') Sunday
FIRST READING
A reading from the prophet Isaiah 25:6-10
The Lord will prepare a banquet, and will wipe away the tears from every cheek.
On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.On this mountain, he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his people's shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so.
That day, it will be said:
See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation; The Lord is the one in whom we hoped.
We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us; for the hand of the Lord rests on this mountain.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 22: 1-6 R/v 6
Response In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
1. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. Response
2. He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name.
If l should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort. Response
3. You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. Response
4. Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life
In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for ever and ever. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians 4:12-14. 19-20
There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength.
I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too.
I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty.
There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships.
In return my God will fulfil all your needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can. Glory to God, our Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation Jn 1: 12. 14
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word was made flesh and lived among us;
to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!
or Eph 1: 17. 18
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, enlighten the eyes of your mind
so that you can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 22:1-14
Invite everyone you can find to the wedding.
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son's wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come.
Next he sent some more servants. "Tell those who have been invited" he said "that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding."
But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants,
"The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding".
So these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him,
"How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?" And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants,
"Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth". For many are called, but few are chosen.'
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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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.
Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 11th October, 2026
CHÉAD LÉACHTSliocht as leabhar Íseáia fáidh 25:6-10
Ullmhóidh Tiarna na Slua le haghaidh na gciníocha go léir cóisir saille, agus triomóidh Dia na deora de na gnúiseanna go léir.
Ullmhóidh Tiarna na Slua ar an sliabh seo le haghaidh na gciníocha go léir cóisir saille, cóisir do rogha na bhfíonta, de smior na saille, de thogha agus de rogha na bhfíonta;
agus tógfaidh sé ar shiúl an chaille bhróin a bhí ag clúdach na gciníocha go léir,
agus an eisléine a bhí ag folach na náisiún uile; cuirfidh sé an bás ar ceal go deo.
Triomóidh Dia na deora de na gnúiseanna go léir; tógfaidh sé an milleán dá phobal agus den domhan uile; óir is é an Tiarna a dúirt é.
Déarfar an lá sin: “Breathnaígí, is é ár nDia é, a raibh muid ag dréim le slánú uaidh; is é an Tiarna é, a raibh muid ag dréim leis.
Déanaimid gairdeas agus lúcháir mar gur shlánaigh sé sinn”;
óir tá lámh an Tiarna ag lonnú ar an sliabh seo.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 22, R/v. 6
Freagra I dteach an Tiarna a mhairfidh mé go brách na breithe.
I. Is é an Tiarna m'aoire, ní bheidh aon ní dé dhíth orm.
Cuireann sé i mo luí mé i móinéar féaruaithne.
Seolann sé ar imeall an uisce mé, mar a bhfaighim suaimhneas. Freagra
2. Seolann sé mé ár rianta díreacha mar gheall ar a ainm.Fiú dá siúlfainn i ngleann an dorchadais, níor bhaol liom an t-olc
agus tú faram Ie do shlat is do bhachall chun sólás a thabhairt dom. Freagra
3. Cóiríonn tú bord chun béile dom i bhfianaise mo naimhde,
Ungann tú mo cheann le hola; tá mo chupán ag cur thar maoil. Freagra
4. Leanfaidh cineáltas is fabhar mé gach uile lá de mo shaol.
I dteach an Tiarna a mhairfidh mé go brách na breithe. Freagra
DARA LÉACHT
Sliocht as litir Naomh Pól chuig na Filipigh 4:12-14. 19-20
Táim in ann gach ní a dhéanamh le cabhair an té úd a thugann neart dom.
A bhráithre, tá eolas agam ar an gcaolchuid agus ar an bhflúirse. Tá seantaithí agam ar gach sórt: ar an mórdhóthain agus ar an ocras, ar an bhflúirse agus ar an ngannchuid.
Táim in ann gach ní a dhéanamh le cabhair an té úd a thugann neart dom. Mar sin féin ba mhaith an mhaise daoibhse teacht i gcabhair orm i mo chruachás. Agus déanfaidh mo Dhia riar go fial ar gach riachtanas daoibhse as a fhlúirse féin i nglóir in Íosa Críost.
Moladh le Dia, ár nAthair, le saol na saol. Amen.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Alleluia Véarsa Eo 1: 14. 12
Alleluia, alleluia!
Rinneadh feoil den Bhriathar agus chónaigh sé inár measc,an uile dhuine a ghlac é,
thug sé de cheart dóibh go ndéanfaí clann Dé díobh.
Alleluia!
SOISCÉAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Matha 22:1-14 Glóir duit, a Thiarna.
Sliocht as an Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Matha 22:1-14
Téigí sibhse i mbéal na mbóithre poiblí, agus cibé daoine a chasfar oraibh, tugaigí cuireadh chun na bainise dóibh.
San am sin chuir Íosa chun labhartha i bparabail leis na príomhsagart agus le seanóir an phobail arís:
“Is iad dála ríocht na bhflaitheas,” ar seisean, “mar a bhí ag rí a rinne bainis dá mhac. Chuir sé a chuid seirbhíseach uaidh ag glaoch orthu seo a fuair cuireadh chun na bainise, ach níorbh áil leo teacht. Ansin chuir sé seirbhísigh eile uaidh agus dúirt leo a rá leo siúd a fuair an cuireadh:
‘Feach, tá an féasta ullamh agam, mo chuid mart agus méithe maraithe, agus gach aon ní i gcóir: tagaigí chun na bainise.’ Ach ba chuma leo é, ach imeacht, duine acu chun a fheirme agus duine eile i mbun cheannaíochta, agus an chuid eile acu rug siad ar a chuid seirbhíseach, thug siad easmailt dóibh agus mharaigh siad iad. Tháinig fearg ar an rí, agus chuir sé a shaighdiúirí amach gur chuir siad na scriosadóirí chun báis agus gur loisc siad a gcathair.
Ansin dúirt sé leis na seirbhísigh:
‘Tá an bhainis réidh, ach an dream a fuair an cuireadh, níorbh fhiú iad é. Mar sin, téigí sibhse i mbéal na mbóithre poiblí, agus cibé daoine a chasfar oraibh, tugaigí cuireadh chun na bainise dóibh.’ Chuaigh na seirbhísigh sin amach ar na bóithre agus bhailigh siad ar casadh orthu, olc agus maith, go raibh halla na bainise lán de chuideachta.
Ghabh an rí isteach ag féachaint ar an gcuideachta, agus chonaic sé fear ann nach raibh aon éadach bainise air. Dúirt sé leis:
‘Cad a thug isteach anseo thú, a chara, gan éadach bainise ort?’
Ach ní raibh focal as.
Ansin dúirt an rí leis an lucht freastail: ‘Cuirtear ceangal cos agus lámh air agus caítear amach sa dorchadas é: is ann a bheidh gol agus díoscán fiacla.’
Óir tá glaoite ar mhórán ach níl tofa ach beagán.”
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
