Churches of the Day

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2

Saints of the Day: Aug 12 –
1. St Jane Frances de Chantel, 
2. St. Lelia of Killeely, virgin (a totally dedicated person to God)
3. St Muredach of Killala, bishop
4, St Attracta, copatron of Achonry Diocese 
C/f A short look at these saint’s life can be found below todays' Readings and Reflection.

FIRST READING     

A reading from the book of the Prophet Ezekiel         9:1-7. 18-22
Mark a cross on the foreheads of all who deplore the filth practised in Jerusalem.

As I, Ezekiel, listened God shouted,
'Come here, you scourges of the city, and bring your weapons of destruction'.
Immediately six men advanced from the upper north gate, each holding a deadly weapon. In the middle of them was a man in white, with a scribe's ink horn in his belt. They came in and halted in front of the bronze altar. The glory of the God of Israel rose off the cherubs where it had been and went up to the threshold of the Temple.

He called the man in white with a scribe's ink horn in his belt and said,
'Go all through the city, all through Jerusalem, and mark a cross on the foreheads of all who deplore and disapprove of all the filth practised in it'.
I heard him say to the others,
'Follow him through the city, and strike. Show neither pity nor mercy; old men, young men, virgins, children, women, kill and exterminate them all. But do not touch anyone with a cross on his forehead. Begin at my sanctuary.'

So they began with the old men in front of the Temple. He said to them, 'Defile the Temple; fill the courts with corpses, and go'. They went out and hacked their way through the city.

The glory of the Lord came out from the Temple threshold and paused over the cherubs. The cherubs spread their wings and rose from the ground to leave, and as I watched the wheels rose with them. They paused at the entrance to the east gate of the Temple of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. This was the creature that I had seen supporting the God of Israel beside the river Chebar, and I was now certain that these were cherubs. Each had four faces and four wings and what seemed to be human hands under their wings. Their faces were just as I had seen them beside the river Chebar. Each moved straight forward.

The Word of the Lord            Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm         Ps 112:1-6 R/v 4
Response                             Above the heavens is the glory of the Lord.
Or                                             Alleluia!

1. Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed both now and for evermore!                              Response

2. From the rising of the sun to its setting praised be the name of the Lord!
High above all nations is the Lord, above the heavens his glory.                                  Response

3. Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth?   Response

Gospel Acclamation          Ps 110: 7. 8  
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your precepts, O Lord, are all of them sure; they stand firm for ever and ever.
Alleluia !

Or                                           2 Thess 2: 14

Alleluia, alleluia!
God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.
Alleluia !

GOSPEL 

The Lord be with you              And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 18: 15-20         Glory to you, O Lord
If he listens to you, you have won back your brother.

Jesus said to his disciples:
'If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, is between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge.
But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.

'I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.
'I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.'

The Gospel of the Lord              Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Gospel Reflection     Wednesday,      Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time    Matthew 18:15-20

Jewish rabbis claimed that when two pious Jews sat together to discuss the words of the Jewish Law, the divine presence was with them. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus declares that where two or three of his followers meet in his name, he shall be there with them. The meeting in his name that Jesus refers to is a meeting for worship, for prayer. As a church we gather not around the words of the Jewish Law but around the words of Jesus, and when we do that Jesus will be among us, and he will be among us as 'Emmanuel, God-with-us.'

The first reading portrayed the ‘glory of the Lord’, the presence of God, leaving the Jewish temple; the gospel reading speaks of the presence of God, the presence of Jesus, God-with-us, among the disciples of Jesus. For the Lord to be with us whenever we gather to worship is a great privilege, a great grace. Yet, we are called to live in a way that is worthy of such a grace. The Lord who is present among us when we gather for prayer calls on us to reveal his presence to others when we rise from prayer and go about our daily tasks.
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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/



Saints of the Day: Aug 12 –
Saint of the day;1. St Jane Frances de Chantel, 
Saint of the day; 2. St. Lelia of Killeely, virgin (a totally dedicated person to God) and 
Saint of the day; 3. St Muredach of Killala, bishop
Saint of the day;4. St Attracta, abbess of Coolavin

1. St Jane Frances de Chantel
Jane was a happily married woman with four children whose husband died in a hunting accident. Helped by her friend St Francis de Sales, she founded the Order of the Visitation, adapted for widows and women like herself. She was also a friend of St Vincent de Paul.

The writer of this piece is Robert Ellsberg.

"Sometimes put yourself simply before God, certain of his presence everywhere, and without any effort, whisper very softly to his sacred heart whatever your own heart prompts you to say." .... St Jane

Husband killed in a Hunting Accident
Jeanne de Chantal was born into a wealthy family in Dijon, France. At the age of twenty she married a baron, Christophe de Rabutin. It was a happy marriage, despite the fact that three of their seven children died in infancy. In 1600, however, after eight years of marriage, her husband was killed in a hunting accident. In the following years, as she struggled with her children's upbringing, dependent on her in-laws for support, her heart increasingly turned to the attractions of religious life. She vowed that she would never again marry.

Francis de Sales
In 1604 she heard a sermon preached by the bishop of Geneva, St Francis de Sales. This was a turning point in her life, the beginning of a deep spiritual friendship and partnership that would advance them both along their respective paths to sanctity. Francis was already renowned as a preacher and spiritual director. Rather than present the spiritual life as something fit only for monks and nuns, he tried to present a spirituality accessible to everyone and capable of being lived out in the world. Jeanne immediately responded to his message and asked him to become her spiritual director.

Order of the Visitation of Mary
After several years, in 1610, the two of them founded the Order of the Visitation of Mary, a congregation dedicated to prayer and works of charity. Their original intention was that the order would be adapted for widows and other women who, for reasons of health or age, could not endure the rigours of enclosed life. But the plan met with such sharp disapproval from ecclesiastical authorities that in the end Jeanne consented to accept enclosure. Jeanne's daughters were married by this time, but her fifteen-year-old son, Celse-Benigne, resisted his mother's plan to enter religious life. He was the occasion of a melodramatic test, for which Jeanne is especially remembered. Laying his body across the threshold of their home, he implored her not to leave. Without hesitation she stepped over him and proceeded on her way.

"Be Gentle with Yourself"
Jeanne proved a gifted superior, combining superb administrative skills with a profound instinct for the spiritual life. "No matter what happens," she wrote, "be gentle with yourself." In her lifetime the order grew to include eighty communities in several countries. Along the way she encountered persistent criticism from church authorities as well as internal tensions within the congregation. The order attracted many women from an aristocratic background who found it difficult to adapt themselves to the spirit of poverty and obedience. Jeanne weathered these and greater trials, including the death of her son in war and, later, in 1622, the passing of her beloved friend, St. Francis de Sales.

"Her face never lost its serenity"
She lived on for almost twenty years, dying in 1641 at the age of sixty-nine. Another holy friend, St. Vincent de Paul, was moved to observe: "She was full of faith, and yet all her life long had been tormented by thoughts against it. . . . But for all that suffering her face never lost its serenity, nor did she once relax in the fidelity God asked of her. And so I regard her as one of the holiest souls I have ever met on this earth."



This article first appeared in Blessed among all women: women saints, prophets and witnesses for our time by Robert Ellsberg. Published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd. www.darton-longman-todd.co.uk_

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Saint of the day; 2.: St. Lelia of Killeely, virgin (a totally dedicated person to God)
Lelia is said to have been baptised by St Patrick. She is also known as Saint Liadhain, and is a figure venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, particularly in Limerick, Ireland. She is considered one of the patrons of Limerick. She is the sister of St Munchin who is also one of Limerick's Patrons .

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3. St Muredach of Killala, bishop
Muiredach may have been the founder of a monastery on the island of Inishmurray,
seven kilometres off the coast of Mullaghmore, Co Sligo.

The image (left) shows the Cathedral of St Muiredach, Ballina, which is the episcopal see of the diocese of Killala. Muiredach was the abbot-priest whom Patrick left to be the leader of the Church of north Mayo.

Patrick Duffy tells what is known about him and his relationship with the diocese of Killala.

Patron of the Diocese of Killala
Muiredach is venerated as the patron of the diocese of Killala. The tradition is that he was an "old man", perhaps a presbyter or priest, in Saint Patrick's household (late 5th century), whom the latter left to be abbot-priest or bishop in north Mayo and west Sligo.

Connection with Inishmurray
He may have been the founder of a monastery on the 228 acre island of Inishmurray ( = the Island of Muiredach?) 7 kms off the coast of Sligo, near Mullaghmore, though St Molaise is also mentioned in connection with the same island. Here the architectural remains include a wall, an oratory, beehive cells, altar stones and crosses. It is the most complete example of an early Irish monastery. The island remained inhabited up to 1948 and was a pilgrimage destination up to recent times.

The Cross of Muiredach
One of the greatest examples of Irish stonework is called the Cross of Muiredach, located at the former monastic centre of Monasterboice, Co Louth. It has an inscription which reads ÓR DO MUIREDACH LAS NDERNAD IN CHROS, which translates as "a prayer for Muiredach who had this cross made". (This is not our saint, but may have been a ninth century abbot of the monastery or a king whose territory included the site of the monastery.)

Killala diocese
The diocese of Killala was created by the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111 and the boundaries were revised and confirmed at the Synod of Kells in 1152.

St Muiredach's Cathedral, Ballina today
It was in the time of Bishop Bellew (1779-1812) that Ballina, Co Mayo, became the ecclesiastical centre of the diocese. St. Muredach's Cathedral was begun there in 1828 when John MacHale, later Archbishop of Tuam, became coadjutor bishop, and though externally complete in 1831 and had a spire added in 1852, the project was not complete until 1892. It was recently renovated at a cost of £1.5 million. Bishop John Fleming is the present bishop of the diocese.

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Saint of the day;4. St Attracta, abbess of Coolavin
Attracta: When St Patrick is said to have founded a nunnery at Coolavin, he appointed Attracta as its first abbess. It was called after her Cill Adhracht ("Attracta's church", English Killaraght).

The image, (left) shows Attracta who had a reputation for hospitality, charity to the poor and the gift of healing.

Patrick Duffy tells her story.

Renowned for Hospitality and Charity to the Poor
Though no very reliable records of her life remain, Attracta is reputed to have been a contemporary of St Patrick, to whom she made her profession in Coolavin near Lough Gara in south Co Sligo. St Patrick is said to have founded a nunnery there and appointed Attracta its first abbess. Her convent had a reputation for hospitality and charity to the poor.

Killaraght
The convent was actually situated in what is now the old cemetery at Killaraght (Cill Adhracht = Attracta's Church) between Monasteraden and Boyle. It is in the parish of Gurteen (incorporating Cloonloo, Kilfree and Killaraght), Co Sligo, and there are historical references to it from the 5th century down to 1594.

Her Gift of Healing
As well as the village of Killaraght, numerous other places in the area were named after Attracta, e.g. Tober (= well) Araght, Clochán ( = stone structure) Araght, etc. A healing well with her name survives at Clogher, Monasteraden which has a reputation for special powers against warts and rickets and a "pattern" is held there every year on her feast day - 12th August.

Relations with her Brother
Another tradition is that her half-brother Conall had a church at Drum (Drumconnell), near Boyle and he refused to let her settle near him because he had resolved to avoid the company of women. She, in turn, is reported to have cursed him in suitably robust terms. Both are mentioned in the Irish martyrologies.

Co-Patron of Achonry diocese
Along with St Nathy. St Attracta is the co-patron of the diocese of Achonry. During the penal times there was no resident bishop and it was the people who kept the faith through pilgrimages and "patterns" at local wells such as that of St Attracta, as well as through house Masses, confessions, christenings, weddings and wakes.

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Memorable Proverb for Today

A holy person is a mighty weapon in the hands of God that matters deeply to a person.

~ Phil Cousineau ~

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Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

FIRST READING

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah       56:1. 6-7
I will bring foreigners to my holy mountain

Thus says the Lord:
Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest.

Foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love his name and be his servants - all who observe the sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant - these I will bring to my holy mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their holocausts and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.

The Word of the Lord.             Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm           Ps 66: 2-3. 5-6. 8. R/v 4
Response                                 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.

1. O God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us
So will your ways be known upon earth and all nations learn your saving help.     Response

2. Let the nations be glad and exult for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples, you guide the nations on earth.                          Response

3. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
May God still give us his blessing. till the ends of the earth revere him.                   Response


SECOND READING                 

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans  11:13-15. 29-32
With Israel, God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.

Let me tell you pagans this:
I have been sent to the pagans as their apostle, and I am proud of being sent, but the purpose of it is to make my own people envious of you, and in this way save some of them. Since their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, do you know what their admission will mean? Nothing less than a resurrection from the dead! God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.

Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience, so those who are disobedient now - and only because of the mercy shown to you - will also enjoy mercy eventually. God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.

The Word of the Lord.        Thanks be to God.

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                                        Ps 129: 5
Alleluia, alleluia!
My Soul is waiting on the Lord, I count on his word
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you                      And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew   15:21-28        Glory to you, O Lord
Woman, you have great faith.

Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting,
'Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.'
But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. 'Give her what she wants,' they said 'because she is shouting after us.'
He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel'.
But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. 'Lord,' she said 'help me.'
He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the house-dogs'.
She retorted, 'Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master's table'.
Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.'
And from that moment her daughter was well again.

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.