Churches of the Day
Pictorial Thought for Today
Jul 23 - St Bridget of Sweden (1303-73) co-patroness of Europe
Summary: St Bridget of Sweden, religious. Born in Sweden about 1303; died at Rome on this day in 1373. A devoted wife and the mother of eight children. After being widowed, Bridget founded a religious order (Bridgettines). Noted for her asceticism, her dedication to reform within the Church, and her lifelong mystical experience of Christ. Bridget of Sweden was canonised by Boniface IX in 1391.
Bridget had a profound influence on the affairs of Europe. Married at thirteen, she had eight children. After her husband died, she became a nun and founded the Bridgettine Order. She spent much of her life on pilgrimage in Italy, trying to persuade the Pope to return from Avignon in France to Rome. She also made a pilgrimage with her daughter and son to the Holy Land. She was named co-patroness of Europe by Pope John Paul II in 1999.
Patrick Duffy tells her story.
Early Years
Born in 1303 to parents who were close to the royal family, Bridget's mother died when she was very young and she was brought up by an aunt. As a seven-year-old girl she had a vision where the Virgin Mary put a crown on her head. When she was ten years old, she saw the crucified Christ in a vision, for the first time. From these early days, Bridget became devoted to God's service with the Passion of Christ at the centre of her devotion.
Her Marriage and Work
Bridget wanted to enter a convent, but when she was fourteen she was married off to the courtman Ulf Gudmarsson. They lived happily together for twenty-eight years and had eight children, four sons and four daughters. She also took care of some unmarried women with children. Bridget became lady-in-waiting to Blanche of Namur, the wife of King Magnus Eriksson of Sweden. She exerted a strong religious influence over her husband and when their youngest son died in 1340, they went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Ulf died shortly after their return.
Order of the Most Holy Saviour
After her husband's death, Bridget sensed Christ calling her to found a new religious order. She called it the Order of the Most Holy Saviour and had a double monastery for both nuns and priests. The king and queen gave her the state demesne of Vadstena for this foundation in 1346. The voice in her visions gave very specific directions about the numbers of nuns who engaged in scholarship and artwork and the priests, deacons and brothers.
Bridget in Rome
To establish a new convent rule Bridget set out in 1349 with her daughter Katarina for Rome to seek papal approval. The Pope at this time was living at Avignon in France. She spent many years at a house in Piazza Farnese, in Rome, given to her by a cardinal. Along with St Catherine of Siena, she worked hard to get the Pope to move back to Rome. Urban V eventually agreed in 1367 and approved the Bridgettine Rule in 1370. She was an outspoken voice against many abuses.
While in Italy Bridget visited many shrines - Milan, Pavia, Assisi, Ortona, Bari, Benevento, Pozzuoli, Naples, Salerno, Amalfi and the Shrine of Saint Michael the Archangel on Mount Gargano.
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
In 1371 Bridget set out accompanied by her daughter Katarina and her two sons on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. One son Charles died at Naples, but despite many difficulties Bridget and the other two went on to visit the holy places. When they arrived back in Rome early in 1373, she was already ill and died in her house at Piazza Farnese on 23rd July.
Burial and Canonisation
Four months later, her children Birger and Katarina brought her remains back to Vadstena. There are many stories about miracles that happened along the road. Pope Boniface IX canonised her in 1391,
She is the only Swedish saint. In pictures showing her we also see the pen, the ink bottle and the revelations.
After Katarina went with her mother to Rome, she never saw her husband again as he died while she was in Rome. She later became a nun herself and after her mother's death she was the first abbess of the foundation at Vadstena. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII recognised Katarina of Vadstena as a saint.
Her abbey of Vadstena quickly became a well-frequented place for pilgrims, and was benefactored by kings and queens up to the time of King Gustav Vasa who introduced Lutheranism to Sweden.
Bridget : One of three co-patronesses of Europe
In 1999 Pope John Paul II made her, along with St Catherine of Siena and Sister Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein), one of three co-patronesses of Europe. He praised her firstly as a laywoman doing charitable work with her husband, her gifts as a teacher at court in Stockholm, her pilgrimage to Compostela and then her work as a religious founding an important order.
The Spread of the Bridgettine Order
The Bridgettine Order spread to England. A monk of this order, Richard Reynolds (1492-1535) was at Syon Abbey, Isleworth, outside London when Henry VIII broke with Rome and suppressed the monasteries. Along with three Carthusian priors he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn Tree in London in 1535. The order still has a monastery of nuns at Marley South Brent, Devon, in the diocese of Plymouth, England. Other monasteries are at Uden and Weert in the Netherlands. There are also Bridgettine Sisters in Estonia.
The Swedish Branch
The largest branch of the Bridgettine order today is the one that was founded in Rome in 1911 by Swedish convert to Catholicism Elisabeth Hesselblad. It was fully approved by the Holy See on the 7th July 1940 and currently consists of convents in Europe, Asia and North America. The Mother House is in Piazza Farnese, in the house where Bridget once lived. Mother Tekla Famiglietti, who has headed the order since 1979, was among those at the bedside of Pope John Paul II when he died.
The order has been offering to the Catholics and Lutherans living in Rome, as well as to non-Catholic tourists, a place for cult in the Church at Piazza Farnese.
~ Bridget of Sweden ~
Bridget had a profound influence on the affairs of Europe. Married at thirteen, she had eight children. After her husband died, she became a nun and founded the Bridgettine Order. She spent much of her life on pilgrimage in Italy, trying to persuade the Pope to return from Avignon in France to Rome. She also made a pilgrimage with her daughter and son to the Holy Land. She was named co-patroness of Europe by Pope John Paul II in 1999.Patrick Duffy tells her story.
Early Years
Born in 1303 to parents who were close to the royal family, Bridget's mother died when she was very young and she was brought up by an aunt. As a seven-year-old girl she had a vision where the Virgin Mary put a crown on her head. When she was ten years old, she saw the crucified Christ in a vision, for the first time. From these early days, Bridget became devoted to God's service with the Passion of Christ at the centre of her devotion.
Her Marriage and Work
Bridget wanted to enter a convent, but when she was fourteen she was married off to the courtman Ulf Gudmarsson. They lived happily together for twenty-eight years and had eight children, four sons and four daughters. She also took care of some unmarried women with children. Bridget became lady-in-waiting to Blanche of Namur, the wife of King Magnus Eriksson of Sweden. She exerted a strong religious influence over her husband and when their youngest son died in 1340, they went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Ulf died shortly after their return.
Order of the Most Holy Saviour
After her husband's death, Bridget sensed Christ calling her to found a new religious order. She called it the Order of the Most Holy Saviour and had a double monastery for both nuns and priests. The king and queen gave her the state demesne of Vadstena for this foundation in 1346. The voice in her visions gave very specific directions about the numbers of nuns who engaged in scholarship and artwork and the priests, deacons and brothers.
Bridget in Rome
To establish a new convent rule Bridget set out in 1349 with her daughter Katarina for Rome to seek papal approval. The Pope at this time was living at Avignon in France. She spent many years at a house in Piazza Farnese, in Rome, given to her by a cardinal. Along with St Catherine of Siena, she worked hard to get the Pope to move back to Rome. Urban V eventually agreed in 1367 and approved the Bridgettine Rule in 1370. She was an outspoken voice against many abuses.
While in Italy Bridget visited many shrines - Milan, Pavia, Assisi, Ortona, Bari, Benevento, Pozzuoli, Naples, Salerno, Amalfi and the Shrine of Saint Michael the Archangel on Mount Gargano.
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
In 1371 Bridget set out accompanied by her daughter Katarina and her two sons on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. One son Charles died at Naples, but despite many difficulties Bridget and the other two went on to visit the holy places. When they arrived back in Rome early in 1373, she was already ill and died in her house at Piazza Farnese on 23rd July.
Burial and Canonisation
Four months later, her children Birger and Katarina brought her remains back to Vadstena. There are many stories about miracles that happened along the road. Pope Boniface IX canonised her in 1391,
She is the only Swedish saint. In pictures showing her we also see the pen, the ink bottle and the revelations.After Katarina went with her mother to Rome, she never saw her husband again as he died while she was in Rome. She later became a nun herself and after her mother's death she was the first abbess of the foundation at Vadstena. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII recognised Katarina of Vadstena as a saint.
Her abbey of Vadstena quickly became a well-frequented place for pilgrims, and was benefactored by kings and queens up to the time of King Gustav Vasa who introduced Lutheranism to Sweden.
Bridget : One of three co-patronesses of Europe
In 1999 Pope John Paul II made her, along with St Catherine of Siena and Sister Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein), one of three co-patronesses of Europe. He praised her firstly as a laywoman doing charitable work with her husband, her gifts as a teacher at court in Stockholm, her pilgrimage to Compostela and then her work as a religious founding an important order.
The Spread of the Bridgettine Order
The Bridgettine Order spread to England. A monk of this order, Richard Reynolds (1492-1535) was at Syon Abbey, Isleworth, outside London when Henry VIII broke with Rome and suppressed the monasteries. Along with three Carthusian priors he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn Tree in London in 1535. The order still has a monastery of nuns at Marley South Brent, Devon, in the diocese of Plymouth, England. Other monasteries are at Uden and Weert in the Netherlands. There are also Bridgettine Sisters in Estonia.
The Swedish Branch
The largest branch of the Bridgettine order today is the one that was founded in Rome in 1911 by Swedish convert to Catholicism Elisabeth Hesselblad. It was fully approved by the Holy See on the 7th July 1940 and currently consists of convents in Europe, Asia and North America. The Mother House is in Piazza Farnese, in the house where Bridget once lived. Mother Tekla Famiglietti, who has headed the order since 1979, was among those at the bedside of Pope John Paul II when he died.
The order has been offering to the Catholics and Lutherans living in Rome, as well as to non-Catholic tourists, a place for cult in the Church at Piazza Farnese.
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Memorable Saying for Today
To write well and speak well is mere vanity
if one does not live well.
~ Bridget of Sweden ~
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Liturgical Readings for: Thursday, 23rd July, 2026
Saint of the Day: July 23:-St Bridget of Sweden, Patron of Europe, Feast
St Bridget of Sweden was a religious dedicated to an ascetical life, a mystic and founder of the Bridgettines , d. 1373 Patron of Europe,
C/f A short life of this saint can be found below today's Readings and Reflection.
FIRST READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Galatians 2:19-20
I live not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me.
Through the Law I am dead to the Law, so that now I can live for God.
I have been crucified with Christ, and I live now not with my own life
but with the life of Christ who lives in me.
The life I now live in this body I live in faith: faith in the Son of God who loved me and who sacrificed himself for my sake.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:2-11. R/v2 or v9
Response I will bless the Lord at all times.
Or Taste and see that the Lord is good.
I. I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad. Response
2. Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free. Response
3. Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress. Response
4. The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him. Response
5. Revere the Lord, you his saints. They lack nothing, those who revere him.
Strong lions suffer want and go hungry but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing. Response
Gospel Acclamation Jn 15: 9. 5
Alleluia, alleluia!
Remain in my love, says the Lord; whoever remains in me,
with me in him, bears fruit in plenty.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 15:1-8 Glory to you, O Lord.
Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty.
Jesus said to his disciples;
'I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more.
You are pruned already, by means of the word that I have spoken to you. Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me is like a branch that has been thrown away –he withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire, and they are burnt.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it.
It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.'
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection July 23rd St Bridget of Sweden, Patron of Europe John 15:1-8
St. Bridget of Sweden was a mystic, a woman of deep prayer. She married when she was fourteen, and bore eight children, four daughters and four sons. Bridget’s saintly and charitable life soon made her known far and wide. After her husband died, she became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis and devoted herself wholly to a life of prayer and caring for the sick. She was inspired to form the religious community called the 'Order of the Most Holy Saviour', or the 'Brigittines'.
One distinctive feature of the houses of her order was that they were ‘double’ monasteries, with both men and women forming a joint community, though with separate cloisters. In 1350 she went to Rome, accompanied by her daughter and a small party of disciples. She wanted to obtain from the Pope authorisation for her new order. This was during the time of the Great Schism in the church.
Along with Catherine of Siena, she worked hard to get Pope Clement VI to return from Avignon to Rome. Bridget became known in Rome for her kindness and good works. While in Rome, she went on many pilgrimages to Italy and also made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She remained in Rome until her death on 23rd July, 1373. Her remains were returned to Sweden. She was canonized in 1391, eighteen years after she died. She exemplified what it is to be a contemplative in action. Through a deep prayer life, she made her home in the Lord and allowed the Lord to make his home in her, in the language of the gospel reading.
As a result, her life bore rich fruit, the fruit of a love that reflected the Lord’s love for us. As branches on the vine who is Jesus, we are all called to remain in him and to allow him to remain in us, so that our lives too can show forth the self-emptying servant love of the Lord in our own time and place.
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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: July 23, St Bridget of Sweden, religious, Patron of Europe.
Bridget was born in Sweden about 1303; died in Rome on this day in 1373. A devoted wife and the mother of eight children. After being widowed, Bridget founded a religious order (Bridgettines). Noted for her asceticism, her dedication to reform within the Church, and her lifelong mystical experiences of Christ. Bridget of Sweden was canonised by Boniface IX in 1391.
Patrick Duffy tells her story.
Bridget had a profound influence on the affairs of Europe. Married at thirteen, she had eight children. After her husband died, she became a nun and founded the Bridgettine Order. She spent much of her life on pilgrimage in Italy, trying to persuade the Pope to return from Avignon in France to Rome. She also made a pilgrimage with her daughter and son to the Holy Land. She was named Patron of Europe by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
Early Years
Born in 1303 to parents who were close to the royal family, Bridget's mother died when she was very young and she was brought up by an aunt. As a seven-year-old girl she had a vision where the Virgin Mary put a crown on her head. When she was ten years old, she saw the crucified Christ in a vision, for the first time. From these early days, Bridget became devoted to God's service with the Passion of Christ at the centre of her devotion.
Her Marriage and Work
Bridget wanted to enter a convent, but when she was fourteen she was married off to the courtman Ulf Gudmarsson. They lived happily together for twenty-eight years and had eight children, four sons and four daughters. She also took care of some unmarried women with children. Bridget became lady-in-waiting to Blanche of Namur, the wife of King Magnus Eriksson of Sweden. She exerted a strong religious influence over her husband and when their youngest son died in 1340, they went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Ulf died shortly after their return.
Order of the Most Holy Saviour
After her husband's death, Bridget sensed Christ calling her to found a new religious order. She called it the 'Order of the Most Holy Saviour 'and had a double monastery for both nuns and priests. The king and queen gave her the state demesne of Vadstena for this foundation in 1346. The voice in her visions gave very specific directions about the numbers of nuns who engaged in scholarship and artwork and the priests, deacons and brothers.
Bridget in Rome
To establish a new convent rule Bridget set out in 1349 with her daughter Katarina for Rome to seek papal approval. The pope at this time was living at Avignon in France. She spent many years at a house in Piazza Farnese, in Rome, given to her by a cardinal. Along with St Catherine of Siena, she worked hard to get the pope to move back to Rome. Urban V eventually agreed in 1367 and then approved the Bridgettine Rule in 1370. She was an outspoken voice against many abuses she witnessed. While in Italy Bridget visited many shrines - Milan, Pavia, Assisi, Ortona, Bari, Benevento, Pozzuoli, Naples, Salerno, Amalfi and the Shrine of Saint Michael the Archangel on Mount Gargano.
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
In 1371 Bridget set out accompanied by her daughter Katarina and her two sons on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. One son Charles died at Naples, but despite many difficulties Bridget and the other two went on to visit the holy places. When they arrived back in Rome early in 1373, she was already ill and died in her house at Piazza Farnese on 23rd July.
Burial and Canonisation
Four months later, her children Birger and Katarina brought her remains back to Vadstena. There are many stories about miracles that happened along the road. Pope Boniface IX canonised her in 1391,
She is the only Swedish saint. In picture (right) shows her we see her writing down her 'revelations.'After Katarina went with her mother to Rome, she never saw her husband again as he died while she was in Rome. She later became a nun herself and after her mother's death she was the first abbess of the foundation at Vadstena. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII recognised Katarina of Vadstena as a saint. Her abbey of Vadstena quickly became a well-frequented place for pilgrims, and was benefactored by kings and queens up to the time of King Gustav Vasa who introduced Lutheranism to Sweden.
Bridget : One of three co-patronesses of Europe
In 1999 Pope John Paul II made her, along with St Catherine of Siena and St Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein), one of three co-patronesses of Europe. He praised her firstly as a laywoman doing charitable work with her husband, her gifts as a teacher at court in Stockholm, her pilgrimage to Compostela and then her work as a religious founding an important order.
The Spread of the Bridgettine Order
The Bridgettine Order spread to England. A monk of this order, Richard Reynolds (1492-1535) was at Syon Abbey, Isleworth, outside London when Henry VIII broke with Rome and suppressed the monasteries. Along with three Carthusian priors he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn Tree in London in 1535. The order still has a monastery of nuns at Marley South Brent, Devon, in the diocese of Plymouth, England. Other monasteries are at Uden and Weert in the Netherlands. There are also Bridgettine Sisters in Estonia and Dublin, Ireland.
The Swedish Branch
The largest branch of the Bridgettine order today is the one that was founded in Rome in 1911 by Swedish convert to Catholicism Elisabeth Hesselblad. It was fully approved by the Holy See on the 7th July 1940 and currently consists of convents in Europe, Asia and North America. The Mother House is in Piazza Farnese, in the house where Bridget once lived. Mother Tekla Famiglietti, who has headed the order since 1979, was among those at the bedside of Pope John Paul II when he died.
The order has been offering to the Catholics and Lutherans living in Rome, as well as to non-Catholic tourists, a place for cult in the Church at Piazza Farnese.
____________________________
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Memorable Saying for Today
To write and speak well is mere vanity, if one does not live well.
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Liturgical Readings for: Thursday, 23rd July, 2026
CÉAD LÉACHT Sliocht as Litir Naomh Pól chuig na Galataigh 2:19-20
Ní mise a mhaireann beo feasta ach Críost a mhaireann ionam.
Mar is tríd an dlí a fuair mise bás i leith an chun go mairfinn beo i leith Dé;
céasadh ar an gcrois mé in éineacht le Críost agus ní mise a mhaireann beo feasta ach Críost a mhaireann ionam.
An saol a chaithim sa cholainn anois,caithim é faoi luí an chreidimh atá agam i Mac Dé a thug suas é féinar mo shon le neart grá dom.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Psalm le Freagra Sm 33 :2-11. R/v2 or v9
Freagra Beannóidh mé an Tiarna i dtólamh.
Malairt Freagra Blaisigí is féachaigí a fheabhas atá an Tiarna
1. Beannóidh mé an Tiarna i dtólamh beidh a mholadh i mo bhéal i gcónaí.
Bíonn m’anam ag déanamh mórtais as an Tiarna: éistfidh daoine ísle agus beidh áthas orthu. Freagra
2. Móraigí an Tiarna mar aon liom: tugaimis adhradh dá ainm in éineacht.
Bhí mé ag lorg an Tiarna agus d’éist sé liom agus d’fhuascail sé ó m’eagla go léir mé. Freagra
3. Féachaigí chuige agus loinnir oraibh ’s na bíodh luisne na náire in bhur leicne.
Nuair a scairt an t-ainniseoir seo d’éist an Tiarna, agus shaor sé óna chúngaigh go léir é. Freagra
4. Bíonn aingeal an Tiarna i gcampathart ar lucht a eaglaithe, á bhfuascailt.
Blaisigí is féachaigí a fheabhas atá an Tiarna: is aoibhinn dá dtagann faoina dhídean. Freagra
5. A dhaoine naofa an Tiarna, bíodh a eagla oraibh; ní bhíonn díth ar an dream lenarb eagal é.
Bíonn easpa agus ocras ar leoin óga: ní bhíonn aon easpa ar lucht iarrtha an Tiarna. Freagra
Alleluia Véarsa Eo 15:9. 5
Alleluia, alleluia!
Fanaigí i mo ghrá, deir an Tiarna, an té a fhanann ionamsa,
agus mise ann, tugann seisean toradh mór uaidh.
Alleluia!
SOISCEAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as an Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Eoin 15:1-8 Glóir duit, a Thiarna
An té a fhanann ionamsa, agus mise ann, tugann seisean toradh mór uaidh.
San am sin dúirt Íosa lena dheisceabail:
'Mise an fhíniúin fhíor, agus is é m’Athair an saothraí.
Gach géag ionam nach dtugann toradh, bainfidh sé í; agus gach géag a thugann toradh, bearrfaidh sé í,
ionas go dtabharfaidh sí breis toraidh. Tá sibhse bearrtha de bharr an bhriathair a labhair mé libh.
Fanaigí ionamsa, agus mise ionaibh. Faoi mar nach féidir don ghéag toradh a thabhairt uaithi féin, mura bhfanann sí san fhíniúin, sin mar nach féidir daoibhse, mura bhfanann sibh ionamsa.
Mise an fhíniúin, sibhse na géaga; an té a fhanann ionamsa, agus mise ann, tugann seisean toradh mór uaidh; óir gan mise, ní féidir daoibh aon ní a dhéanamh.
Cibé nach bhfanfaidh ionamsa, caithfear amach é mar ghéag,agus feofaidh sé; agus tógfar agus caithfear sa tine iad, agus dófar iad.
Má fhanann sibh ionamsa agus má fhanann mo bhriathra ionaibh, iarrfaidh sibh cibé ní is mian libh agus déanfar daoibh é. Tugadh glóir do m’Athair sa mhéid go dtugann sibhse toradh mór uaibh, agus go mbeidh sibh in bhur ndeisceabail agamsa.'
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 26th July, 2026
- Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
FIRST READING
A reading from the First Book of Kings 3:5. 7-12
You have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I do what you ask.
At Gibeon the Lord appeared in a dream to Solomon during the night. God said,'Ask what you would like me to give you'.
Solomon replied,
Lord my God, you have made your servant king in succession to David my father. But I am a very young man, unskilled in leadership. Your servant finds himself in the midst of this people of yours that you have chosen, a people so many its number cannot be counted or reckoned.
Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil, for who could govern this people of yours that is so great?'
It pleased the Lord that Solomon should have asked for this.
'Since you have asked for this' the Lord said 'and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I do what you ask.
I give you a heart wise and shrewd as none before you has had and none will have after you.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 118: 57. 72. 76-77. 127-130 R/ v 97
Response Lord how I love your law!
1. My part, I have resolved, O Lord, is to obey your word.
The law from your mouth means more to me. than silver and gold. Response
2. Let your love be ready to console me by your promise to your servant.
Let your love come to me and I shall live for your law is my delight. Response
3. That is why I love your commands more than finest gold.
That is why I rule my life by your precepts: I hate false ways. Response
4. Your will is wonderful indeed; therefore I obey it.
The unfolding of your word gives light and teaches the simple. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St Paul to Romans 8:28-30
God intends us to become true images of his Son.
We know that by turning everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those that he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.
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 Mt 11:25
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 13:44-52 Glory to you, O Lord
He sells everything he owns and buys it.
Jesus spoke to the crowds:
'The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.'Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.
'Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
'Have you understood all this?'
They said, 'Yes'.
And he said to them, 'Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old'.
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Shorter form of the Gospel
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 13:44-52 Glory to you, O Lord
He sells everything he owns and buys it.
Jesus spoke to the crowds:
'The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.
'Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here: https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/
The scripture readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with the permission of the publishers.
Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 26th July, 2026
CÉAD LÉACHTSliocht as an Chéad Leabhar na Rithe 3:5. 7-12
An rud a d’iarr tú ach thú a bheith in ann breith thuisceanach a thabhairt.
I nGibeón nocht an Tiarna é féin i mbrionglóid oíche do Sholamh.Dúirt Dia: “Cibé rud is mian leat a fháil uaim, iarr orm é.”
Agus anois, a Thiarna, a Dhia liom, tá rí déanta agat díomsa, do shearbhónta, mar chomharba ar Dháiví, m’athair. Ach níl ionam ach ógfhear gan oiliúint mar threoraí. Tá do shearbhónta i measc an phobail seo atá tofa agat, pobal atá chomh hiomadúil sin nach féidir a líon a áireamh ná a mheas. Tabhair do do shearbhónta croí tuisceanach le do phobal a rialú, chun an mhaith a aithint thar an olc; óir cé a d’fhéadfadh a bheith i gceannas ar an bpobal seo agat atá chomh líonmhar sin?” Ábhar sásaimh ab ea é don Tiarna gur iarr Solamh a leithéid seo.
Dúirt an Tiarna leis:
“Dé bhrí gurb é seo an rud a d’iarr tú agus nach fad saoil duit féin a d’iarr tú, ná saibhreas, ná bás do naimhde, ach thú a bheith in ann breith thuisceanach a thabhairt, déanaim duit ar an toirt mar a d’iarr tú. Bronnaim ort croí ciallmhar tuisceanach, i dtreo nach raibh do leithéid riamh romhat agus nach mbeidh do leithéid i do dhiaidh."
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 118:: 57. 72. 76-77. 127-130 R/ v 97
Freagra : Á, nach aoibhinn liom do dhlí, a Thiarna.
1. Dúirt mé, a Thiarna: 'Gurbh í mo chuid do bhriathra a choimeád.'
Is fearr liom go mór fada dlí do bhéilsé ná ór agus airgead. Freagra
2. Bíodh do bhuanghrá láimh liom, do m'fhortacht de réir do ghealltanais do do ghiolla.
Bíodh trua agat dom agus mairfidh mé, óir is aoibhinn liom do dhlí. Freagra
3. Uime sin is ansa liom d'aitheanta ná an t-ór is glaine.
Is uimé a chloígh mé le do phroiceapta uile toisc gur fuath liom an tslí bhréagach. Freagra
4. Is iontach iad go dearfa d'fhorálacha: uime sin comhlíonann m'anam iad.
Túgann foilsiú do bhriathair solas dúinn agus teagasc do lucht aineolais. Freagra
DARA LÉACHT
Sliocht as céad Litir Naomh Pól chuig na Rómhánaigh 8:28-30
Cheap Dia sinn a bheith inár macasamhía dá Mhac
A bhráithre,tá a fhios againn chomh maith go gcomhoibríonn Dia san uile ní leo siúd a bhfuil grá acu dó agus a bhfuil glaoite aige orthu de réir a chomhairle. Mar na daoine a thogh sé roimh ré, cheap sé ó thús iad le bheith ina macasamhla dá Mhac féin sa tslí go mbeadh seisean ina chéadghin ar mhórán bráithre. Agus na daoine a bhí ceaptha ó thus aige is iad sin a ghlaoigh sé; agus na daoine a bhí glaoite aige is iad sin a d’fhíréanaigh sé, agus na daoine a bhí fíréanaithe aige, is iad sin a ghlóirigh sé.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Alleluia Véarsa Eo 15: 15
Alleluia, alleluia!
Sibhse mo chairde, a deir an Tiarna, óir gach a gcuala ó m’Athair, chuir mé in iúl daoibh é.
Alleluia!
SOISCÉAL
Sliocht as Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Mhatha 13:44-52
Dhíol a raibh aige gur cheannaigh sé é.
San am sin dúirt Íosa lena dheisceabail:
“Is cosúil ríocht na bhflaitheas le stór a bhí i bhfolach i ngort, agus an fear a d’aimsigh é d’fholaigh, gur imigh le barr áthais ag díol a raibh aige gur cheannaigh an gort sin.
“Nó fós, is cosúil ríocht na bhflaitheas le ceannaí a bhí ag lorg péarlaí breátha. Tharla aon phéarla amháin leis a bhí róluachmhar, agus d’imigh agus dhíol a raibh aige gur cheannaigh sé é.
“Nó fós, is cosúil ríocht na bhflaitheas le heangach a cuireadh san fharraige agus a ghabh gach uile shórt. Ar bheith lán di, tharraing siad aníos ar an gcladach í, shuigh siad síos ansin ag cnuasach gach tairbhe i soithí agus ag caitheamh na dramhaíola uathu. Sin mar a bheidh i ndeireadh an tsaoil: rachaidh na haingil amach agus scarfaidh siad na drochdhaoine ó na fíréin agus teilgfidh siad san fhoirnéis tine iad. Is ann a bheidh gol agus díoscán fiacla.
“Ar thuig sibh na nithe sin uile?”
“Thuigeamar,” ar siad leis.
Dúirt sé leo:
“Sin an fáth, gach scríobhaí a bhíonn ina dheisceabal de ríocht na bhflaitheas, gur cosúil é le fear tí a thógann amach as a stór nithe nua agus sean.”
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
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Soiscéal gearr
Sliocht as Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Mhatha 13:44-52
Dhíol a raibh aige gur cheannaigh sé é.
San am sin dúirt Íosa lena dheisceabail:“Is cosúil ríocht na bhflaitheas le stór a bhí i bhfolach i ngort, agus an fear a d’aimsigh é d’fholaigh, gur imigh le barr áthais ag díol a raibh aige gur cheannaigh an gort sin.
“Nó fós, is cosúil ríocht na bhflaitheas le ceannaí a bhí ag lorg péarlaí breátha. Tharla aon phéarla amháin leis a bhí róluachmhar, agus d’imigh agus dhíol a raibh aige gur cheannaigh sé é.
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
