Churches of the Day

Thursday of the 4th week in Ordinary Time, Year 2

Saint of the Day: Feb 5th.; St Agatha, virgin , martyr
C/f A short life of this saint can be found below todays' Readings and Reflection.

FIRST READING       

A reading from the first Book of Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
 'I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, Solomon, and show yourself a man



As David's life drew to its close he laid this charge on his son Solomon, 'I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man. Observe the injunctions of the Lord your God, following his ways and keeping his laws, his commandments, his customs and his decrees, as it stands written in the Law of Moses, that so you may be successful in all you do and undertake, so that the Lord may fulfil the promise he made me, If your sons are careful how they behave, and walk loyally before me with all their heart and soul, you shall never lack for a man on the throne of Israel'.

So David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the Citadel of David. David's reign over Israel lasted forty years: he reigned in Hebron for seven years, and in Jerusalem for thirty-three. Solomon was seated upon the throne of David, and his sovereignty was securely established.

The Word of the Lord          Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm        Ps 1 Chron 29: 10-12.
Response                              You, Lord, are the ruler of all.

I. Blessed are you, a Lord, the God of Israel, our father,
for ever, for ages unending.                                 Response

2. Yours, Lord, are greatness and power, and splendour, triumph and glory.
All is yours, in heaven and on earth.                 Response

3. Yours, a Lord, is the kingdom, you are supreme over all.
Both honour and riches come from you.          Response

4. You are the ruler of all, from your hand come strength and power,
from your hand come greatness and might.    Response

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                                         Mk 1; 15
Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is close at hand, repent and believe the Good News.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL 

The Lord be with you.                And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Mark       6: 7-13        Glory to you, O Lord
Jesus began to send them out in pairs.

Jesus made a tour round the villages, teaching Then Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff - no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, 'Do not take a spare tunic'.

And he said to them,
'If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.'

So they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.

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

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Gospel Reflection        Thursday,            Fourth Week in Ordinary Time        Mark 6:7-13

There comes a time in life when we need to let others do what we have been doing. We have to let go so that others can take on. None of us can keep doing what we have been doing for ever. We need the wisdom to know when to entrust some of our responsibility, some of our work, to others. We find that happening in both of today’s readings. As David comes towards the end of his life, he passes on his role as king, his responsibilities to God’s people, to his son Solomon.

In the gospel reading, Jesus entrusts the twelve whom he had earlier chosen with a share in his mission. They had spent time with him and now he is ready to send them out as his ambassadors to preach what he has been preaching and to engage in his healing ministry. This happened reasonably early on in Jesus’ public ministry. We might be tempted to think that, like David, Jesus would have waited until nearer the end of his life before entrusting a share in his mission to others. However, it seems that for Jesus this task of entrusting to others a share in his work couldn’t wait any longer than was absolutely necessary.

The Lord desperately needs us to share in his work today. As members of his body, the Church, we are his feet, his arms, his legs, his eyes, his ears, his mouth, his heart and mind. As the Lord once expressed himself through his physical body, he now expresses himself through all of us, his ecclesial body. The Lord needs us all if his work is to continue today, and just as he sent out the twelve in pairs, in six groups of two, he sends us out not as individuals but with others. He can work through us most effectively when we work together, pooling our gifts and resources
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The scripture readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/

The Gospel reflection is available with our thanks from Reflections on the Weekday Readings : My Words Will Not Pass Away by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications  c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/



Saint of the Day: Feb 5th.; St Agatha, virgin , martyr

Agatha suffered martyrdom at Catania in Sicily, probably during the persecution of Decius. She was venerated throughout the Church from earliest times and her name was inserted into the Roman canon. She was declared Patroness of cancer sufferers.

Patrick Duffy summarises her story.

Agatha is one of seven female saints, along with Our Lady, who are mentioned in the the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer 1). This indicates that quite early on historically she had a place of honour in the Roman Church. She is also depicted in the 6th century mosaics of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna.

(The image (left) is a detail from a painting by Francisco de Zurbarán (c. 1630) at the Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France.)

Example of Christian Virginity
St Agatha is one of the best-loved saints in Christian devotion despite the fact that very little is known of her life. Both Palermo and Catania in Sicily claim to have been her birth place. She stands for a long tradition in Christian devotion of  female virginity, not as an imposition, but as a self-empowering act against a dominant culture. In the sixth century the Christian poet and bishop of Poitiers, St Venantius Fortunatus (535-605), mentions her in his poem on virginity as one of the celebrated Christian virgins and martyrs.

The Legend of her Martyrdom
There are many versions of the legend of her martyrdom. One is that she was a girl of noble birth, who was sought after by a man of consular rank, named Quintian. He pursued her and when she refused him he had her handed over to a brothel-keeper named Aphrodisia, who tried to corrupt her, but without success. After undergoing various tortures, she is said to have had a vision of St Peter, who strengthened her. But eventually she died from her sufferings. She is said to have had her breasts cut off and is often represented in art carrying them on a dish (as in the image at the top of this article above left).

Patronage and Influence
This last circumstance has led to her being acclaimed as the patron saint of bell-founders and to the custom in some places of blessing small loaves of bread in church on her feast. She is invoked against fire, especially the eruptions of Mount Etna. Her intercession as patron of Malta is credited with preserving the island from the Turks in 1551.

[caption id="attachment_76970" align="alignleft" width="282"] Church of Sant'Agata dei Goti, (Saint Agatha of the Goths,) Rome[/caption]

Church of Sant'Agata dei Goti in Rome
About the year 460 the influential Gothic soldier Ricimer built a church for the Goths in the Suburra area of central Rome (Via Mazzarino today) and we learn from Pope Gelasius it was called the Basilica of St Agatha. As the Goths were Arians, the building was reconsecrated as Catholic by Pope Gregory the Great (590-604). It was restored in the 16th and 17th century and the façade rebuilt by Francesco Ferrari in 1729.

The relief above the door shows St. Agatha holding her severed breast on a plate. From 1836 to 1926, it housed the Irish College. Sant'Agata dei Goti is also the name of a comune (town) near Naples.

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Memorable Advice for today

The virtue of virginity is a source of courage,
strength, and independence, a superpower if you like.
It frees us to live fully, completely, and wholeheartedly for God.

~ Alison Sampson ~

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Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

The Beatitudes are how Jesus describes his own values in life and his wish for us
that we should live in tune with these advisories for the development of God's Kingdom. 

FIRST READING

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah         58:7-10
When will your light shine like the dawn

Thus says the Lord:Share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor,
clothe the man you see to be naked and turn not from your own kin.
Then will your light shine like the dawn
and your wound be quickly healed over.

Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you. Cry, and the Lord will answer;
call, and he will say, 'I am here'.

If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness, and your shadows become like noon.

The Word of the Lord               Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm          Ps 111: 4-9, R/v1


Response                              The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright.

1. He is a light in the darkness for the upright: he is generous, merciful and just.
The good man takes pity and lends, he conducts his affairs with honour.         Response

2. The just man will never waver: he will be remembered for ever.
He has no fear of evil news; with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.                   Response

3. With a steadfast heart he will not fear; open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever. His head will be raised in glory.                         Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to Corinthians  2:1-5
During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus,
and only about him as the crucified Christ.

When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great 'fear and trembling' and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.

The Word of the Lord                  Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation             Jn 8:12
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord,
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you.                          And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew        5: 13-16        Glory to you, Lord
You are the light of the world.

Jesus said to his disciples:
 'You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.

'You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house.

In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.'

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



The scripture readings are taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with permission of the publishers.

For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/