Churches of the Day

09-29- Ss Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
Michael is venerated as a protecting angel in general and soldiers in particular
Gabriel was a messaging angel c/f the Annunciation to Our Lady.
and Raphael was a guiding angel to Tobias
C/f A short review of these Archangels can be found below today’s Readings and Reflection

FIRST READING   

A reading from the book of Daniel    7:9-10. 13-14
A thousand thousand waited on him.

As I watched:
'Thrones were set in place and one of great age took his seat. His robe was white as snow, the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames, its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out, issuing from his presence.

A thousand thousand waited on him, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. A court was held and the books were opened.
'The great things the horn was saying were still ringing in my ears, and as I watched, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames. The other beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time. 

I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

The Word of the Lord.             Thanks be to God.


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Alternative FIRST READING

A reading from the book of the Apocalypse 12:7-12
Michael with his angels attacked the dragon.


Now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the Devil or Satan, who had deceived all the world, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him.
Then I heard a voice shout from Heaven,
'Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night, before our God, has been put down. They have triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the witness of their martyrdom, because in the face of death they would cling to life. Let the heavens rejoice and all who live there.'

The Word of the Lord.                  Thanks be to God.
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Responsorial Psalm                  Ps 137:1-5.R/v1
Response                                     In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

1. I thank you, Lord, with all my heart, you have heard the words of my mouth,
in the presence of the angels I will bless you. I will adore before your holy temple.        Response 

2. I thank you for your faithfulness and love which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered; you increased the strength of my soul.                       Response

3. All the earth's kings shall thank you when they hear the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the Lord's ways: 'How great is the glory of the Lord!'                            Response

Gospel Acclamation                  Ps 102: 21
Alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts, his servants who do his will.
Alleluia

GOSPEL   

The Lord be with you.          And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 1:47-51        Glory to you, O Lord
You will see above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him,
'There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.'
'How do you know me?' said Nathanael
'Before Philip came to call you,' said Jesus 'I saw you under the fig tree.'
Nathanael answered, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.'
Jesus replied,
'You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.'
And then he added
'I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and above the Son of Man,
the angels of God ascending and descending.'

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



Gospel Reflection    Sept 29     Ss Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels    John 1:47-51

The word ‘angel’ comes from the Greek word for ‘messenger’. The angels appear in the Scriptures as the 'messengers of God.' One of the ways that God communicates with his people is through angels. The archangels, in particular, reveal different aspects of God’s presence.
Michael revealed God’s protective presence. In the Book of Revelation, he defeats Satan in heaven, the opponent of God’s people.
Raphael reveals God’s healing presence. In the Book of Tobit it is through Raphael that God heals Tobias.
Gabriel reveals God’s hope-inspiring presence. In the gospel of Luke it is Gabriel who announces the birth of Jesus, the Saviour of the world, to Mary.

The archangels point ahead to Jesus who was the fullness of God’s presence in human form, Emmanuel, God-with-us. The image of the angels of God ascending and descending on Jesus in today’s gospel reading suggest that Jesus is the true meeting point of heaven and earth, the one through whom heaven comes to earth, the one in and through whom God is fully present. There is a sense in which we are all called to be flesh and blood angels, reflections of Jesus himself. Through the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, we can each reveal different dimensions of God’s presence to others. Like the archangels, we can be channels of the Lord’s protective, healing and hope-inspiring presence. We are all called to be the Lord’s messengers, people through whom something of heaven comes to earth. The Lord calls us and empowers us to proclaim the presence of God’s kingdom in our world today. We can turn to the angels, the archangels, for help in remaining faithful to this vitally important mission we all share.

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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 Reflections on the Weekday Readings : Your word is a lamp for my feet and light for my path by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Feast of the Day: Sept 29;  Ss Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels

The cult of Ss Michael, Gabriel and Raphael began in the East. In the West, this day first marked the dedication of a fifth century church of Saint Michael in Rome. This festival of Michaelmas came to be very popular and widely celebrated in medieval Europe.
Raphael and Gabriel were added to the Roman calendar in the twentieth century, and the three are now celebrated together. They are all mentioned in the Scriptures each is named as a messenger of God, entrusted with special divine missions on earth.

'Angel' is a Greek word for "Messenger". We frequently read of angels in Scripture, but only three are named - Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. They are servants and messengers of God sends to perform a mission.
"Angel" is the name of their office and not of their nature", says St Augustine in today's Office of Readings.

Patrick Duffy gives us background to this feast.

A truth of faith
The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Scripture calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 330 AD gives this guiding statement, based on the Encyclical Humani generis of Pope Pius XII: "As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendour of their glory bears witness."

Gabriel (Messenger of God)
Gabriel brings the news of the birth of John the Baptist to Zachariah and Elizabeth (Lk 1:11-20) and news of the birth of Jesus to Mary (Lk 1: 26-38). Under the Arabic name Jibril, Muslims believe Gabriel was also the angel who revealed the Koran to the prophet Muhammad. Renaissance artists, such as Fra Angelico, El Greco and Leonardo da Vinci, have given dramatic representations of Gabriel in their Annunciations. (Gabriel is the patron of post office and telecommunications workers.)

Michael  "Who is like God?"

Michael is the powerful prince of the heavenly host assigned to battle with the devil and casts him down (Daniel 10:13 and 12:1; Rev 12:7-9). Pagan shrines to the Norse warrior sovereign god Wotan, when Christianised, became dedicated to St Michael.

Holy high places - like Skellig Mhíchil off the Co Kerry coast, Ireland. Mont San Michel in Normandy, France and St Michael's Mountain near Penzance in Cornwall, Britain - have also taken him as their patron. Sometimes also, he is featured as the patron of cemeteries. In a dramatic sculpture outside Coventry cathedral, (See image above left) he is depicted in conflict with Lucifer, the fallen angel.

Raphael as referred to in the Book of Tobit and ..Raphael ("God heals") Raphael wiped away the blindness of Tobit and led Tobias to a happy marriage (Tobit Ch 6). Sometimes he is identified with the angel who moved the waters of the healing pool in Jerusalem (Jn 5:1-4). Raphael hasn't made the same impression in art or in Catholic geography as the other two, but he is the patron of medical workers and guilds of healing.

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A prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel
(The following was among prayers recited at the end of Mass in the pre-Vatican II liturgy:)

Blessed Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle.
Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God restrain him, we humbly pray;
and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God,
thrust down to hell Satan
and all the wicked spirits who wander through the world
for the ruin of souls. Amen.

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The Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
We are the New Vineyard of the Lord

FIRST READING                        

A reading from the book of Isaiah      5:1-7
The vineyard of the Lord God of hosts is the House of Israel.

Let me sing to my friend the song of his love for his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
He dug the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted choice vines in it. In the middle he built a tower, he dug a press there too. He expected it to yield grapes, but sour grapes were all that it gave.

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
I ask you to judge between my vineyard and me.
What could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done? I expected it to yield grapes. Why did it yield sour grapes instead?

Very well, I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge for it to be grazed on, and knock down its wall for it to be trampled on.
I will lay it waste, unpruned, undug; overgrown by the briar and the thorn. I will command the clouds to rain no rain on it.
Yes, the vineyard of the Lord God of hosts is the House of Israel, and the men of Judah that chosen plant. He expected justice, but found bloodshed, integrity, but only a cry of distress.

The Word of the Lord.            Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm          Ps 79: 9. 12-16. 19-20. Is 5:7
Response                               The vineyard of the Lord is the House of Israel

1. You brought a vine out of Egypt; to plant it, you drove out the nations.
It stretched out its branches to the sea, to the Great River it stretched out its shoots.       Response

2. Then why have you broken down its walls?
It is plucked by all who pass by.
It is ravaged by the boar of the forest,
devoured by the beasts of the field.             Response    

3. God of hosts, turn again, we implore,
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.         Response

4. And we shall never forsake you again: give us life that we may call upon your name.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.                      Response

SECOND READING                    

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians       4:6-9
The God of peace will be with you.

There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you.

The Word of the Lord                  Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation              Jn 15: 15
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!

Or                                               Jn 15: 16
Alleluia, alleluia!
I chose you from the world to go out and to bear fruit,
fruit that will last says the Lord
Alleluia!

GOSPEL


A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew      21:33-43
He will lease the vineyard to other tenants.

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people : 'Listen to another parable.
There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third.
Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way.

Finally he sent his son to them. "They will respect my son" he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, "This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance." So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?'
They answered, 'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives'.
Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the scriptures: It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone. This was the Lord's doing and it is wonderful to see?

I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.'

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.