Churches of the Day
Pictorial Thought for Today
Oct 30 - St Alphonsus Rodriquez (1533-1617) Jesuit lay brother
Summary :St Alphonsus Rodriquez overcame many tragedies in his early life. He was born in Spain in 1531, the third of eleven children and became a Jesuit lay brother at forty and had an enormous influence on all he came in contact with.
Alphonsus 
was the son of a wool merchant of Segovia. He first had contact with the Jesuits through Fr Peter Favre who, while preaching a mission in Segovia, stayed at his parents' house and gave Alphonsus his first communion.
Patrick Duffy briefly tells his story here.
Alphonsus went to study at the Jesuit school at Alcalá, but had to come home to help his mother with the family business after his father died. He married Maria Suarez, and they had two children. But Maria and his daughter and his mother all died in the space of three years. His business collapsed and he moved in with his two sisters, who introduced him to the habit of regular prayer and meditation. Some time later, his remaining son died.
Joins the Jesuits aged 40Nearing forty, Alphonsus applied to join the Jesuits, but they rejected him as being too old and without sufficient education. He set himself to study Latin and applied again. This time the provincial admitted him as a lay brother. Six months later he was sent to the Jesuit college of Monte Sion in Majorca, where he spent the remaining forty-five years of his life.
Majorca
Here he worked as a door-keeper but also devoted himself to prayer and penances. Through attention to his own inner struggle, Alphonsus was able to influence not only young students, like St. Peter Claver, whom he advised to go to America and became the "saint of the slaves", but also local civic and social leaders, who came to his lodge for advice and direction.
Death and Influence
In obedience to the command of his superiors, Alphonsus left a number of writings, simple in style but sound in doctrine: exhortations and advice on cultivating virtue, illustrations from every-day life, and so on.
When he died on October 31, 1617, his funeral was attended by Church and government leaders. He was declared 'Venerable' in 1626, and in 1633 was named a patron of Majorca, where his remains are enshrined. Since the Jesuits were suppressed in Spain in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Alphonsus was not beatified till 1825. He was canonised with his friend St. Peter Claver in September 1888.
Sonnet in Honour of St Alphonsus Rodriguez
In October 1888 at the request of a Jesuit priest, Francis Goldie, who had been a novice with him, to honour the saint on his canonisation, Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ wrote this poem. It celebrates the saint's interior discipline and how God drew wonders from his humdrum life:
Honour is flashed off exploit, so we say;And those strokes once that gashed flesh or galled shield
Should tongue that time now, trumpet now that field,
And, on the fighter, forge his glorious day.
On Christ they do and on the martyr may;
But be the war within, the brand we wield
Unseen, the heroic breast not outward-steeled,
Earth hears no hurtle then from fiercest fray.
Yet God (that hews mountain and continent,
Earth, all, out; who, with trickling increment,
Veins violets and tall trees makes more and more)
Could crowd career with conquest while there went
Those years and years by of world without event
That in Majorca Alfonso watched the door.
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Memorable Sayings for Today
A humble man is not afraid of failure.
In fact, he is not afraid of anything, even himself,
since perfect humility implies perfect confidence
in the power of God.
~ Thomas Merton ~
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Liturgical Readings for: Friday, 30th October, 2026
Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Cycle 2
The Letter is a very friendly letter in which Paul thanks this most generous of communities. He warns them of the dangers from other bad teachers who are damaging his work elsewhere and puts before them the example of Jesus who humbled himself.
FIRST READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to Philippians 1:1-11:
The One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes.
From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps 110: 1-6. R/v 2
Response Great are the works of the Lord.
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 1 Thess 2: 13
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God's message it for what it really is,
God's message and not some human thinking.
Alleluia !
Or 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 !
GOSPEL
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke 14:1-6
Which of you here, if his son falls into a well, or his ox, will not pull him out on a sabbath day?
On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. There in front of him was a man with dropsy, and Jesus addressed the lawyers and Pharisees.'Is it against the law' he asked 'to cure a man on the sabbath, or not?'
But they remained silent, so he took the man and cured him and sent him away.
Then he said to them, 'Which of you here, if his son falls into a well, or his ox, will not pull him out on a sabbath day without hesitation?'
And to this they could find no answer.
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
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Gospel Reflection, Friday, Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Luke 14:1-6
In the gospel reading, Jesus is the guest at a meal hosted by a leading Pharisee. Yet, it is clear that his host and the other guests had more than hospitality on their mind. The gospel reading says that ‘they were watching him closely’. In other words, they were hostile to him. The man with dropsy at the meal was probably planted there by the host and other guests; they wanted to see if Jesus would break the Jewish Law by healing the man on the Sabbath. Indeed, Jesus was prepared to risk incurring the hostility of the most powerful people of his time for the sake of this unnamed man. Jesus showed a love which did not count the cost. He gave life to others, even if it meant suffering and death for himself. The gospel reading says that Jesus ‘took the man, cured him, and sent him away’. Each of those three actions reveals Jesus’ totally unselfish love for the man. In sending him away, Jesus was showing that he had no desire to possess the man or to profit personally from his healing of him. The love the Lord showed to this man is the love the Lord has for us all, and the love he calls on us to have for each other. Sometimes, like the Lord, we are called to show such love even in the face of hostility and rejection.
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The scripture readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, 1966 published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with the permission of the publishers. http://dltbooks.com/The Gospel reflection comes from WEEKDAY REFLECTIONS : The Word of God is Living and Active by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/
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Liturgical Readings for: Friday, 30th October, 2026
CÉAD LÉACHT Sliocht as céad Litir Naomh Pól chuig na Filipigh 1:1-11
An té a thosaigh an dea-obair in bhur measc go leanfaidh sé á chur i gcrích go dtí lá Íosa Críost.
Pól agus Tiomóid, seirbhísigh Íosa Críost, ag beannú don phobal naofa uile i bhFilipí atá aontaithe le hÍosa Críost, agus dá gcuid uachtarán agus cúntóirí. Grásta chugaibh agus síocháin ó Dhia ár nAthair agus ó Íosa Críost ár dTiarna.Gach uair dá gcuimhním oraibh gabhaim buíochas le mo Dhia agus gach uair a bhím ag guí déanaim guí oraibh uile go lúcháireach, mar gheall ar an bpáirt a bhí agaibh sa dea-scéal ón gcéad lá riamh go dtí inniu. Agus táim cinnte den mhéid seo: an té a thosaigh an dea-obair in bhur measc go leanfaidh sé á chur i gcrích go dtí lá Íosa Críost. Is maith is ceart dom an aigne seo a bheith agam in bhur dtaobh go léir, de bhrí go bhfuil sibh i gcochall mo chroí agam agus a rá go bhfuil sibh go léir rannpháirteach sa ghrásta a bhronn Dia orm, cibé acu a bhím i gcuibhreacha nó ag cosaint agus ag daingniú an dea-scéil. Tá a fhios ag Dia go bhfuilim ag tnúth libh uile le cion Íosa Críost féin. Is é mo ghuí go rachaidh bhur ngrá dá chéile i méid agus i méid le barr eolais agus tuisceana, sa tslí go mba rogha libh na nithe is fearr agus go mbeidh sibh glan gan locht i gcomhair lá Chríost agus go mbeidh sibh lán de thorthaí na fíréantachta sin a thagann trí Íosa Críost, chun moladh agus glóire Dé.
Briathar Dé. Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 110:1-6. R/v 2
Freagra Is éachtach iad oibreacha an Tiarna
Malairt freagra Alleluia
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 Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Lúcás 14:1-6 Glóir duit, a Thiarna.
An bhfuil aon duine agaibh a dtitfidh a mhac nó a dhamh sa tobar agus nach dtarraingeoidh amach láithreach é lá na sabóide?”
San am sin nuair a chuaigh sé ag caitheamh a choda lá sabóide i dteach dhuine de chinn urra na bhFairísineach, iad seo a bhí ann, bhí siad ag faire go géar air. Agus bhí, os a chomhair amach, fear a raibh íorpais air.Labhair Íosa leis na dlíodóirí agus leis na Fairisínigh:
“An dleathach leigheas a dhéanamh lá saboide,” ar sé, “nó an mídhleathach?” Ach d’fhan siad ina dtost. Thóg sé é agus leigheas é agus scaoil uaidh é. Agus dúirt sé leo:
“An bhfuil aon duine agaibh a dtitfidh a mhac nó a dhamh sa tobar agus nach dtarraingeoidh amach láithreach é lá na sabóide?”
Agus níorbh fhéidir dóibh freagra a thabhairt ar an méid sin.
Soiscéal Dé Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 1st November, 2026
Saturday, Nov. 1 - Solemnity of All Saints
Disciples of the Lord sanctified by the Lord, now and in glory
Feast of the Day; Nov 1 ; All Saints; All those people who who have gone before us, or are still with us on our journey of faith.
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 the Apocalypse 7:2-4. 9-14
I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people of every nation, race, tribe and language.
I, John saw another angel rising where the sun rises, carrying the seal of the living God;he called in a powerful voice to the four angels whose duty was to devastate land and sea,
'Wait before you do any damage on land or at sea or to the trees,
until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.'
Then I heard how many were sealed:
a hundred and forty four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel.
After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud,
'Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'
And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four animals, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words,
'Amen.
Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen.'
One of the elders then spoke, and asked me,
'Do you know who these people are, dressed in white robes, and where they have come from?'
I answered him, 'You can tell me, my Lord.'
Then he said, 'These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb'.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 23: 1-6. R/v v6
Response Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord
1.The Lord's is the earth and its fullness, the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas; on the waters he made it firm. Response
2. Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things. Response
3. He shall receive blessings from the Lord and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him, seek the face of the God of Jacob. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St John 3:1-3
We shall see God as he really is.
Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us,
by letting us be called God's children; and that is what we are.
Because the world refused to acknowledge him, therefore it does not acknowledge us.
My dear people, we are already the children of God
but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;
all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is. Surely everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself,
must try to be as pure as Christ.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation Mt 11: 28
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 5:1-12 Glory to you, O Lord.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples.
Then he began to speak, this is what he taught them:
How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
'Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven;
this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.'
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection November 1 Feast of All Saints Matthew 5:1-12
The feast of All Saints begins the month of November. It is a month when we remember in a special way our loved ones who have died. Whenever we have a brush with death, either because of some serious illness in ourselves or because of the death of a loved one, important questions are often raised for us. We may find ourselves asking,
What is beyond this earthly life?’ ‘What is our ultimate destination?’,
‘What is the path that leads to this final goal of our journey?’
‘In what way should our ultimate destination impact on the way I live my life here and now?’
This feast of All Saints invites us to engage with these questions.
The ‘Saints’ referred to in the title of today’s feast are all those women and men who have reached that ultimate goal of eternal life for which God has created us. They are those who have lived in a way that was in keeping with that final destiny.
These ‘Saints’ are also those who are still with us in this earthly life and who are now living in the way that leads to life eternal. In that sense, the group we call ‘all Saints’ embraces both those who are with God in heaven, the ‘huge number’ spoken of in the first reading, and people who are all around us now. All three of the readings for this feast speak of our ultimate destiny in different ways. Saint John in the second reading declares, ‘what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed’. In other words, there is a necessary ‘not knowing’ when it comes to life beyond this earthly life. Saint Paul is of this same view. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he writes, ‘no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’ (1 Cor 2:9). Yet, this healthy agnosticism about life beyond this earthly life does not stop the writers of the New Testament from speaking about it.
In that second reading, having declared what we 'don’t' know about this life beyond earthly life, Saint John states what we do know, ‘all we know is, that… we shall be like God, for we shall see him as he really is’. Elsewhere in his letter, Saint John tells us who God really is. In one of the most profound statements about God, he declares ‘God is Love’. Beyond this earthly life, according to Saint John, we shall see God as Love. The verb ‘to see’ there is obviously being used in a different way to how we see in our earthly, physical body. When the writers of the New Testament speak about what eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, they have to use language drawn from this earthly life, as it is the only language they have. Saint John is expressing his conviction that beyond this earthly life, we will come to experience God as Love.
It will be an encounter with Love at its most complete. Furthermore, John declares, this encounter with God as Love will have a transforming effect on us. ‘We shall be like God, because we shall see him as he is’. There is a sense in which, even in this earthly life, we become what we observe. Saint John is suggesting that in seeing God as Love beyond this earthly life, we will become loving in the way God is loving. It could be said that our ultimate destiny is to become fully alive with the life of God, which is a life of Love.
If that is our ultimate destiny, then the path to that destiny is to grow more and more into the loving person we are destined to become. Such growth in love is not just 'our' work. It is ultimately God’s work in our lives, the work of the Holy Spirit, with which we co-operate. At the beginning of that second reading, Saint John calls on us to ‘think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children’. As we think of God the Father’s lavish love for us, as we open our hearts to that love, we are empowered to become more loving, more alive with God’s life of love, the life of the Spirit. The beatitudes which Jesus speaks in the gospel reading are his portrait of this loving person, the disciple who is on the way to becoming as loving as God. Such a person will have something of the gentleness of Christ, will reflect his merciful love to others, will mourn over our broken world and will work to bring God’s justice and peace to that world, even if it means being persecuted in the process. Such a person will do all this out of a poverty of spirit and a purity of heart, recognizing their dependence on God for everything, and seeking God’s glory in all things rather than their own glory. This is Jesus’ portrait of the living saint.
We might recognize such saints among us; we might even occasionally catch a glimpse of such a one when we look into the mirror! To those who are seeking to grow into this portrait of the saint, Jesus promises the gift of the kingdom of heaven, which he variously describes in those beatitudes as being comforted, being satisfied, experiencing God’s mercy and seeing God.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman and 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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Feast of the Day: November 1; All Saints of the World
Today is the 'Solemnity of All Saints' or 'All Saint's Day'. It commemorates all those who have gone before us and are now with God in heaven. 'The ultimate object of veneration of the Saints is the glory of God and the sanctification of people by conforming their lives fully to the divine will and by imitating the virtues of those who were pre-eminently disciples of the Lord.' ....(Directory on Popular piety and the Liturgy, n. 212. ,)
Patrick Duffy
The Solemnity of All Saints is probably of Eastern origin. In the early centuries Christians celebrated the anniversary of a martyr's death for Christ at the place of martyrdom. In the early fourth century, following the persecution of Diocletian, martyrs became so many that a separate day could not be assigned to each and the Church assigned a common day for all, celebrated in the East on the first Sunday after Pentecost: there are homilies for this feast by St Ephrem the Syrian (373) and St John Chrysostom (407).
Developments in Rome
In the West the Byzantine Emperor Phocas (602-610) handed over to Pope Boniface IV (608-615) the Pantheon in Rome, originally built as a temple to all the Roman gods. On 13 May 610, Pope Boniface dedicated it as a church to St Mary and all the martyrs. But the anniversary was fixed for 1st November by Pope Gregory III (731-741) who consecrated a chapel to all the saints in St Peter's Basilica.
In Ireland and England
The 9th century Irish Martyrology of Aengus (828-833) has a feast for All Saints on 1 November. The feast became known in England and Ireland as All Hallows, from which we get Hallowe'en (the evening before All Hallows Day). It also took on some of the characteristics of the Celtic feast of Samhain. (c/f Féile na Samhna: an bhunchiall.)
Who is Included?
The scope of the feast includes all those officially recognised as saints,
and those whose cause for canonisation has not yet been completed.
It includes those whose holy lives were known only to their family, friends or religious communities.
Chapter V of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium of Vatican II is entitled "The Call to Holiness" and insists that the "(LG 40). All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love."
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Fr Martin Hogan writes this reflection of the day in The Word of God is Living and Active published by Messenger Publications, www.messenger.ie/bookshop/
A lot of people do not like large gatherings. They find big crowds exhausting. Today’s feast, however, is precisely about crowds of people. The first reading expresses it well, ‘a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language’. Today is the feast not just of a few chosen saints, but of all saints. Today we honour all the saints, those who are formally canonised and those who are not.
If our vision of humanity is shaped exclusively by the media we might be tempted to think that there are a lot more villains out there than saints. It is reassuring to be reminded by today’s feast that there exists a huge number of saints, impossible to count. In the words of the letter to the Hebrews, we are surrounded by a ‘great cloud of witnesses’. None of us can live as the Lord wants us to live purely on our own. We need the good example of others to inspire us and to show us what is possible.
Today’s feast declares that we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, if only we could recognise them. Some of these people have already passed beyond us and are now ‘standing in front of the throne of the Lamb’, in the words of today’s first reading. Many of them, however, are our companions on the journey of life. They do not look at all like the statues in our churches. They are very ordinary, yet they are also very special. These are the people we are grateful to have met and to have around.
The feast of All Saints encourages us to believe that any one of us could be part of that huge number, impossible to count. In that sense, today’s feast is about every one of us. John, in today’s second reading, is speaking about all of us when he declares that ‘We are already the children of God’, and that, in the future, ‘we shall be like’ God. We are all destined for sainthood. God intends that all of us would be conformed to the image of God’s Son. For most of us, that will only come to pass fully beyond this life. Yet, because we are already sons and daughters of God through Baptism, we are called to grow now towards that wonderful transformation that awaits us.
The road to sainthood begins here, wherever we happen to find ourselves.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus shows us what that road to sainthood looks like.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus painted a portrait of himself, the living saint par excellence. He was also painting a portrait of the person that we are all called to become. The Beatitudes give us different facets of the person of Jesus, while at the same time showing us different ways in which we might reflect the person of Jesus.
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Memorable Saying for Today
“We are all called to live our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do.
“Do not be afraid of this holiness.
It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy.” - Rather it will add to them.
~ unknown author ~
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Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 1st November, 2026
CÉAD LÉACHT Sliocht as leabhar An Apacailipsis 7:2-4. 9-14
Chonaic mé mathshlua mór nárbh fhéidir d’aon duine a chomhaireamh as gach cine agus treibh agus pobal agus teanga
Ansin chonaic mé aingeal eile ag gabháil suas ó éirí gréine agus séala le Dia beo aige, agus ghlaoigh sé in ard a ghutha ar na ceithre aingeal ar ar cuireadh de chúram dochar a dhéanamh do thalamh agus do mhuir, agus dúirt sé:“Ná déanaigí dochar do thalamh ná do mhuir ná do na crainn nó go gcuirfimid séala ar chláréadan sheirbhísigh Dé.”
Agus chuala mé líon na ndaoine ar cuireadh an séala orthu, céad agus daichead a ceathair míle agus iad as gach treibh de chlann Iosrael.
Ina dhiaidh sin b’shiúd an mathshlua mór nárbh fhéidir le haon duine a chomhaireamh as gach cine agus treibh agus pobal agus teanga; bhí siad ina seasamh os comhair na ríchathaoireach agus os comhair an Uain, iad gléasta in éidí geala agus craobhacha pailme acu ina lámha. Agus bhí siad ag glaoch de ghlór ard:
“Slánú dár nDia a shuíonn sa ríchathaoir agus don Uan!”
Bhí na haingil go léir ina seasamh mórthimpeall na ríchathaoireach agus na seanóirí agus na gceithre dhúil, agus chaith siad iad féin ar a n-aghaidh os comhair na ríchathaoireach ag adhradh Dé á rá: “Amen. Beannacht agus glóir agus eagna agus buíochas agus onóir agus cumhacht agus neart dár nDia go deo deo. Amen.”
Ansin labhair duine de na seanóirí agus dúirt sé liom: “Iad seo atá gléasta in éidí geala, cé hiad féin agus cad as ar tháinig siad?”
Dúirt mé mar fhreagra air: “A Thiarna liom, tá fhios agat.”
Agus dúirt sé liom: “Is iadsan an dream atá gafa tríd an duainéis mhór; nigh siad agus gheal siad a n-éidí i bhfuil an Uain.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia.
Salm le Freagra Sm 23: 1-6. R/v v6
Freagra A leithéid siúd a bhíonn ar do thóir, a Thiarna.
I. Leis an Tiarna an chruinne agus a bhfuil inti; an domhan go léir agus a maireann ann.
Is é fein a bhunaigh ar an aigéan é, agus a dhaingnigh ar an bhfarraige íochtarach é. Freagra
2. Cé a rachaidh suas ar chnoc an Tiarna? Cé a bheidh ina sheasamh ar a láthair naofa?
An té a bhfuil lámha gan smál agus croí glan aige, an té ar beag air nithe gan tairbhe. Freagra
3. Beidh beannacht an Tiarna ar an té sin agus luahh saothair ó Dhia a shlánaitheoir.
A leitheid siúd a bhíonn á lorg, a bhíonn ar thóir Dhia Iácób. Freagra
Sliocht as an céad Litir Naomh Eoin 3:1-3
Feicimid Dia mar a tá sé.
A clann ionúin, breathnaígí cad é mar ghrá a thug an tAthair dúinn! go nglaofaí clann Dé orainn, agus is amhlaidh sinn.
Sé an fáth nach n-aithníonn an saol sinne mar nár aithin sé eisean. chairde cléibh, is clann Dé cheana féin sinn, agus níor foilsíodh fós cé mar a bheimid; ach nuair a fhoilseofar é, is feasach sinn go mbeimid ina chosúlachtsan, mar go bhfeicfimid é mar atá sé. Agus gach duine a chothaíonn an dóchas diaga seo ann féin naomhaíonn é féin faoi mar atá seisean naofa.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia.
Alleluia Véarsa Mth 11: 28
Alleluia, alleluia!
Tagaigí chugam, sibhse uile a bhfuil saothar agus tromualach oraibh,
agus tabharfaidh mé faoiseamh daoibh
Alleluia!
SOISCÉAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as an Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Matha 5:1-12 Glóir duit, a Thiarna.
Bíodh áthas oraibh agus gairdeas, mar is mór é bhur dtuarastal ar neamh.
San am sin nuair a chonaic Íosa na sluaite, chuaigh sé an sliabh suas. Shuigh sé síos agus tháinig a dheisceabail chuige.
Thosaigh sé ag caint leo á dteagasc agus dúirt:
“Is méanar dóibh seo atá bocht ó spiorad, óir is leo ríocht na bhflaitheas.
“Is méanar do lucht an dobróin, óir sólásófar iad.
“Is méanar dóibh seo atá ceansa, óir gheobhaidh siad an talamh mar oidhreacht.
“Is méanar dóibh seo a bhfuil ocras agus tart chun na fíréantachta orthu, óir sásófar iad.
“Is méanar do lucht na trócaire, óir déanfar trócaire orthu.
“Is méanar dóibh seo atá glan ó chroí, óir feicfidh siad Dia.
“Is méanar do lucht síochána a dhéanamh, óir glaofar clann Dé orthu.
“Is méanar dóibh seo a d’fhulaing géarleanúint mar gheall ar an bhfíréantacht, óir is leo ríocht na bhflaitheas.
“Is méanar daoibh féin nuair a thabharfar aithis daoibh agus a ghéarleanfar sibh, agus nuair a chuirfear gach sórt drochrud in bhur leith go bréagach mar gheall ormsa. 'Bíodh áthas oraibh agus gairdeas, mar is mór é bhur dtuarastal ar neamh'.
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
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Machtnamh ar Bhriathar Dé ; Cé h’iad an dream glórmhar seo?
Cad atá ag feitheamh le dhaoine thar éis an saol domhanda seo againn, anseo agus anois. Aithníonn Naomh Pól é mar rúndiamhar nuair a deir sé "Ní fhaca aon súl, níor chuala aon chluas ná níor chuaigh sé isteach sa chroí daonna chun a shamhlú a bhfuil ullmhaithe ag Dia dóibh siúd a bhfuil grá acu leis." [1 Cor 2: 9]. Mar sin féin, cuireann na Scrioptúirí naofa saibhreas d'íomhánna dóchasacha chun tuiscint a thabhairt faoin cinniúint atá ullmhaithe thar an saol seo, dóibh siúd a bhfuil grá acu le Dia. Níl na naoimh ar neamh déanta as plástair, ach dream beó glórmhar de dhaoine macánta a chleachtaigh an grá san bheatha deo, and mar sin, chuaigh siad díreach ar ais go dtí tobair agus foinnse an grá, Dia na glóire. Chuaigh siad "ag máirseáil isteach" - sásta a bheith ag teacht i ngleic leis an Athair síorraí. Is laochra agus gnáth-dhaoine iad. Roinnt dóibh naoimh canóinithe a spreag an t-eaglais ar feadh na gcéadta bliain, agus an móchuid laochra gan clú, a chaith a mbeatha go ciúin de réir cháilíocht agus dhualgas, glan de chroí agus séimh sa spiorad.
Pádraig Ó Rúairí, cp,
Sliabh Argus, Átha Cliath.
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AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
