Churches of the Day
Feb 3 - St Blaise, bishop, martyr (d. c. 316)
Summary: St Blaise, bishop, martyr. Blaise was a fourth century bishop at Sebaste (now the city of Sivas in central Turkey, in what was then the Roman province of Armenia-Cappadocia). During a persecution - probably ordered by Constantine’s ally and co-emperor Licinius - he was martyred in 316 AD. This much at least seems to be historical fact, according to the New Roman Martyrology 2004.
Patrick Duffy asks who was Blaise and why he became famous for blessing sore throats. He then outlines some of the practices associated with his cult and evaluates them in the light of the Vatican's Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy .
The ritual of the blessing of throats
In many places on 3rd February - his feast day - people gather in churches for the blessing of throats. The blessing is a sign of the people’s faith in God’s protection and love for the sick.
Using two crossed and unlighted candles, the priest (or other minister) touches the throat of each person, saying:
'Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from all ailments of the throat and from every other evil: + in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.'
Usually the blessing takes place during Mass. It follows the homily and the prayer of the faithful. If done outside of Mass, a brief celebration of the word of God with the scripture readings suggested in the Lectionary is recommended before the blessing is given.
(In the Eastern churches his feast falls on the 11th February, in the West on 3rd February.)
Stories about him in the martyrology accounts
In the Middle Ages Blaise became one of the most widely venerated saints in the Western Church even though he was from the East. Different accounts of his life and stories about him appear in the 9th century martyrologies and these give us a clue to the source of his popularity.
How has he become so famous for the blessing of throats? The most significant detail tells that when Blaise had been captured and was on his way to prison, a boy was brought to him in danger of choking from a fishbone stuck in his throat. Blaise prayed over him and he was cured. (Perhaps to fill out his healing credentials, it is also reported that before he was chosen as bishop, Blaise had practised as a physician!)
Another detail recounts that when the persecution began, Blaise withdrew from the city of Sebaste and lived in a cave in the wilderness where he befriended the birds and wild animals. He cared for them and they watched out for him. So we needn’t be surprised that he becomes a forerunner of St Francis as patron of all kinds of animals.
It is also reported that when he was arrested on orders of the local governor Agricolaus and again on his way to prison, a woman whose pig had been carried off by a wolf begged him to help her. He promised with a smile that her request would be granted. Shortly afterwards the wolf appeared at the woman’s door depositing the pig at her feet.
And finally about the manner of his death - it is told that he was first beaten, then put on the stone table used for combing out wool and flayed with the prickly metal combs that remove tiny stones from the wool. Finally he was put to death and beheaded.
Veneration of the saint
The wonder about St Blaise is how veneration of a martyred bishop in eastern Turkey spread so widely in the western world. His fame as a healer of sore throats is documented in the East from the 6th century and in the West by the 9th. But he also becomes a protector of cities, a protector against wild animals, a patron of veterinarians, wool-combers and of the woollen industry in general, as well a general benefactor or even a mascot of many rural and urban activities.
Dubrovnik
The maritime kingdom of Ragusa (present day Dubrovnik)was under threat of attack from the Venetians in the year 971. Blaise, we’re told, appeared in a vision to alert the inhabitants to the danger of the impending attack. Ever since Dubrovnik has honoured him as its city patron (Croatian Sveti Vlaho) and a statue of him holding a model of the city in his hand stands over the city’s entrance gate. And although the city’s cathedral is dedicated not to Sveti Vlaho but to Mary’s Assumption, the cathedral reliquary today has an almost unbelievable array of Blaise’s relics - his head, his right hand, his left hand, his throat and his right foot – all cased in gold and set on display. His own titular church stands a few yards across the square with his statue with a gold mitre atop the pediment.
Italy
There are many stories of devotion to Blaise in Italy and Sicily where he is known as San Biag(g)io. One tells that some Armenians who were bringing his relics to Rome were ship-wrecked and came ashore at Maratea on the south coast near Potenza in Lucania where there is an important church in his honour now overlooking the harbour. Another noteworthy church stands in the mountains of Tuscany just outside Montepulciano.
Also throughout Italy and Sicily San Biagio’s Feast is celebrated where wool is worked. Slices of panettone or little cakes are baked on the 1st and blessed and shared out on the 3rd February . In Serra San Bruno in Calabria, the cookie for San Biagio is called an abbacolo (Latin baculus = walking stick, staff) and is baked in the form of a question mark or bishop's crosier. The young men of the town offer them to their sweethearts. If the girl breaks the piece in two and gives part back to the boy, keeping the other for herself, it means she will marry him!
Germany
Pope Leo IV is said to have presented relics of St Blaise (part of his head and arm bone) to Duke Wolfenus of Rheinau, Germany, while he was on pilgrimage in Rome in 855. He brought them home with him where they are said to have been the reason why a wandering Irish monk, Fintan from Leinster, came to visit the place. There is a nearby village of St Blasien in the Black Forest.
And in Germany, though nowhere else, perhaps because of similarity of the sound of his name, he is regarded as patron saint of wind instruments, bands and their players from the German word blasen "to blow". Other relics of St Blaise are reported to be at Braunschvieg in Germany and Paris in France.
France
In many villages in southeast France from the middle ages a great carnival took place on St Blaise’s Day. Traditionally a blessing of corn seeds (benedictio seminum granarum) took place which though widespread is not found in the church’s official ritual books. The women would bring a pail of seeds to the church to be blessed. Half of the seed was left as an offering to the church, the other half taken home and mixed with the regular seed before plowing.
Another indication of his popularity comes from the town of Aubin near Villefranche. A 12th century church dedicated to Our Lady was enlarged in the 15th century with St Blaise taking over as titular and patron of the church and parish. This change in the dedication was not done by any act of episcopal authority and in 1915 the bishop decided to change back the church and parish to Our Lady of the Assumption.
Why did Blaise substitute Our Lady as patron? It seems he had a reputation for putting a stop to epidemics that wiped out cattle and that local clergy and people wanted to recognise his effective intercession. A statue of St Blaise still remains in the church.
Spain
Known in Spain as St Blas, his feast in many places combines a spring festival with the throat blessing.
Even today from 1st to 5th February the town of Bocairent near Valencia has a six-day festival that is a national tourist attraction. While honouring St Blas, it also embraces other themes. Daily routine is disrupted as the inhabitants put on festive attire (Moor or Christian robes) and there is general merriment for days. On 3rd February after what is called an early morning Diana, they attend Mass in festive costume and panellets (sweet breads) offered to St Blas are blessed and shared among family, friends and domestic animals.
The day of the 4th February hosts a Feast of the Moors and the Christians. Nine different fraternities, five Christian - españoletos, granaderos, contrabandistas, zuavos and estudiantes - and four from the Moorish side - viejos, marrocs, moros marinos and mosqueteros, parade in costume in the morning carrying various weapons or insignia. In the afternoon they engage in a mock battle during which there is a “reconquest” of the castle by the Christians. Finally there is a farcical fireworks display in which the mahoma – nothing to do with the prophet of Islam, they say(!), but a huge 4 metres high papier-maché figure - is filled with fireworks, blown-up and burnt. All go home in peace!
These celebrations are said to have began around 1632 when a terrible diphtheria epidemic in the town ended on praying to the saint. San Blas then became the new patron, substituting the previous patron, Sant Jaume. From Spain devotion to Blaise spread to the US and Latin America where there are many churches in his honour.
England
Blaise’s popularity in England is linked with his patronage of the guild of wool-combers and it seems likely also that this factor is the reason for the naming of the village and parish of St Blazey in Cornwall. There is even a tradition that Blaise landed in person at nearby Par Bay and taught the English the crafts of the woollen industry.
Every seventh year in Leeds and Bradford, the centres of the woollen industry in Yorkshire, and every year in Norwich, on 3rd February, “all those engaged in woollen manufacture celebrated the feast with great pomp and festivity” (Rev J Bartlett, Lecture on the history of the town of St Blazey, 1856).
.
The highlight of the celebration at Leeds was the recitation of the following lines in honour of the patron saint of wool-combers:
Hail to the day, whose kind suspictous (sic!) rays,
Deigned first to smile on famous Bishop Blaize,
To the great author of our combing trade,
This day's devoted, and true honour paid;
To him whose fame through Britain's Isle resounds,
To him whose goodness to the poor abounds,
Long shall his name in British annals shine
And grateful ages offer at his shrine.
By this, our trade are thousands daily fed,
By it supplied with means to earn their bread.
In various forms our trade its work imparts,
In different methods, and by different arts,
Preserve from starving, - indigents distrest,
As combers, spinners, weavers, and the rest.
Bonfires were also lit as part of the celebration – probably inspired by the sound of the English word blaze.
Evaluation
Some writers, like Seán Ó Duinn OSB in The rites of Brigid: goddess and saint (Veritas Dublin) 2005:29-30, point out that, like St Brigid, St Agnes and St Valentine at springtime and St Nicholas at Christmas, Blaise is one of those saints who tend to accumulate around their name legends and lore from traditional deities and folk customs. We have already seen how the sound of the saint's name in English (Blaise) led to bonfires on his feast and in German to his becoming patron saint of bands with wind instruments (German blasen =to blow). Similar examples from France and Italy are the French word for wheat (blé) and the Italian word for crops (biade) leading to some of the “mother-goddess” themes that characterise Blaise's feast in those countries. So also, as this is the time of the Celtic spring festival Imbolc (= in the belly) or, as it is also called, Oimelc (= feast of lactating ewes), it need not surprise us that legends about fertility and animals or sheep, wool and wool-combing grew up around Blaise.
General Church principles about popular Piety
In 2001 the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy giving principles and guidelines for evaluating the popular piety that surrounds saints like Blaise. By popular piety it designates those devotional practices that are inspired not by the liturgy but by forms derived from a particular people, nation or culture.
In the section on saints, the Directory points out that the Church honours saints because "in their lives they have achieved the paschal mystery as Christ did in his” (209) and goes on to cite the words the priest says at Mass in the Preface for Holy Men and Women:
In their lives on earth you give us an example;
In our communion with them you give us their friendship;
In their prayer for the church you give us strength and protection.
It accepts (par 11) that saints can be
patrons of local churches of which they were the founders or illustrious pastors (St Ambrose of Milan); or
of which they were apostles of their conversion to the Christian faith (Sts Thomas and Bartholomew in India);
patrons of nations or expressions of national identity (St Patrick in Ireland and St George in England);
patrons of corporations and professions (St Blaise and the veterinarians or the wool-combers) and
in particular circumstances such as childbirth (St Anne) and death (St Joseph) or
to obtain specific graces (St Lucy for the recovery of eyesight).
It openly acknowledges the positive anthropological, social and religious significance of a saint’s feast day, but it also cautions against it becoming an occasion of “ambiguous amusement leading to new forms of enslavement” (232-3).
About relics, it asks that their authenticity should be ensured and urges that every temptation to multiply them or give them an importance that might lead to superstition be resisted (237).
It allows that legends of their thaumaturgic powers can accrue to saints, but primary place, it says, must be given to their effective Christian witness and the manner in which their charism has enriched the Church (231).
Applying this to the different manifestations of the cult of St Blaise, we can say the Church’s attitude is one of cautious affirmation of the themes of popular piety.
Patrick Duffy asks who was Blaise and why he became famous for blessing sore throats. He then outlines some of the practices associated with his cult and evaluates them in the light of the Vatican's Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy .
The ritual of the blessing of throatsIn many places on 3rd February - his feast day - people gather in churches for the blessing of throats. The blessing is a sign of the people’s faith in God’s protection and love for the sick.
Using two crossed and unlighted candles, the priest (or other minister) touches the throat of each person, saying:
'Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from all ailments of the throat and from every other evil: + in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.'
Usually the blessing takes place during Mass. It follows the homily and the prayer of the faithful. If done outside of Mass, a brief celebration of the word of God with the scripture readings suggested in the Lectionary is recommended before the blessing is given.
(In the Eastern churches his feast falls on the 11th February, in the West on 3rd February.)Stories about him in the martyrology accounts
In the Middle Ages Blaise became one of the most widely venerated saints in the Western Church even though he was from the East. Different accounts of his life and stories about him appear in the 9th century martyrologies and these give us a clue to the source of his popularity.
How has he become so famous for the blessing of throats? The most significant detail tells that when Blaise had been captured and was on his way to prison, a boy was brought to him in danger of choking from a fishbone stuck in his throat. Blaise prayed over him and he was cured. (Perhaps to fill out his healing credentials, it is also reported that before he was chosen as bishop, Blaise had practised as a physician!)
Another detail recounts that when the persecution began, Blaise withdrew from the city of Sebaste and lived in a cave in the wilderness where he befriended the birds and wild animals. He cared for them and they watched out for him. So we needn’t be surprised that he becomes a forerunner of St Francis as patron of all kinds of animals.
It is also reported that when he was arrested on orders of the local governor Agricolaus and again on his way to prison, a woman whose pig had been carried off by a wolf begged him to help her. He promised with a smile that her request would be granted. Shortly afterwards the wolf appeared at the woman’s door depositing the pig at her feet.
And finally about the manner of his death - it is told that he was first beaten, then put on the stone table used for combing out wool and flayed with the prickly metal combs that remove tiny stones from the wool. Finally he was put to death and beheaded.
Veneration of the saintThe wonder about St Blaise is how veneration of a martyred bishop in eastern Turkey spread so widely in the western world. His fame as a healer of sore throats is documented in the East from the 6th century and in the West by the 9th. But he also becomes a protector of cities, a protector against wild animals, a patron of veterinarians, wool-combers and of the woollen industry in general, as well a general benefactor or even a mascot of many rural and urban activities.
Dubrovnik
The maritime kingdom of Ragusa (present day Dubrovnik)was under threat of attack from the Venetians in the year 971. Blaise, we’re told, appeared in a vision to alert the inhabitants to the danger of the impending attack. Ever since Dubrovnik has honoured him as its city patron (Croatian Sveti Vlaho) and a statue of him holding a model of the city in his hand stands over the city’s entrance gate. And although the city’s cathedral is dedicated not to Sveti Vlaho but to Mary’s Assumption, the cathedral reliquary today has an almost unbelievable array of Blaise’s relics - his head, his right hand, his left hand, his throat and his right foot – all cased in gold and set on display. His own titular church stands a few yards across the square with his statue with a gold mitre atop the pediment.
Italy
There are many stories of devotion to Blaise in Italy and Sicily where he is known as San Biag(g)io. One tells that some Armenians who were bringing his relics to Rome were ship-wrecked and came ashore at Maratea on the south coast near Potenza in Lucania where there is an important church in his honour now overlooking the harbour. Another noteworthy church stands in the mountains of Tuscany just outside Montepulciano.
Also throughout Italy and Sicily San Biagio’s Feast is celebrated where wool is worked. Slices of panettone or little cakes are baked on the 1st and blessed and shared out on the 3rd February . In Serra San Bruno in Calabria, the cookie for San Biagio is called an abbacolo (Latin baculus = walking stick, staff) and is baked in the form of a question mark or bishop's crosier. The young men of the town offer them to their sweethearts. If the girl breaks the piece in two and gives part back to the boy, keeping the other for herself, it means she will marry him!
Germany
Pope Leo IV is said to have presented relics of St Blaise (part of his head and arm bone) to Duke Wolfenus of Rheinau, Germany, while he was on pilgrimage in Rome in 855. He brought them home with him where they are said to have been the reason why a wandering Irish monk, Fintan from Leinster, came to visit the place. There is a nearby village of St Blasien in the Black Forest.
And in Germany, though nowhere else, perhaps because of similarity of the sound of his name, he is regarded as patron saint of wind instruments, bands and their players from the German word blasen "to blow". Other relics of St Blaise are reported to be at Braunschvieg in Germany and Paris in France.
France
In many villages in southeast France from the middle ages a great carnival took place on St Blaise’s Day. Traditionally a blessing of corn seeds (benedictio seminum granarum) took place which though widespread is not found in the church’s official ritual books. The women would bring a pail of seeds to the church to be blessed. Half of the seed was left as an offering to the church, the other half taken home and mixed with the regular seed before plowing.
Another indication of his popularity comes from the town of Aubin near Villefranche. A 12th century church dedicated to Our Lady was enlarged in the 15th century with St Blaise taking over as titular and patron of the church and parish. This change in the dedication was not done by any act of episcopal authority and in 1915 the bishop decided to change back the church and parish to Our Lady of the Assumption.
Why did Blaise substitute Our Lady as patron? It seems he had a reputation for putting a stop to epidemics that wiped out cattle and that local clergy and people wanted to recognise his effective intercession. A statue of St Blaise still remains in the church.
Spain
Known in Spain as St Blas, his feast in many places combines a spring festival with the throat blessing.
Even today from 1st to 5th February the town of Bocairent near Valencia has a six-day festival that is a national tourist attraction. While honouring St Blas, it also embraces other themes. Daily routine is disrupted as the inhabitants put on festive attire (Moor or Christian robes) and there is general merriment for days. On 3rd February after what is called an early morning Diana, they attend Mass in festive costume and panellets (sweet breads) offered to St Blas are blessed and shared among family, friends and domestic animals.
The day of the 4th February hosts a Feast of the Moors and the Christians. Nine different fraternities, five Christian - españoletos, granaderos, contrabandistas, zuavos and estudiantes - and four from the Moorish side - viejos, marrocs, moros marinos and mosqueteros, parade in costume in the morning carrying various weapons or insignia. In the afternoon they engage in a mock battle during which there is a “reconquest” of the castle by the Christians. Finally there is a farcical fireworks display in which the mahoma – nothing to do with the prophet of Islam, they say(!), but a huge 4 metres high papier-maché figure - is filled with fireworks, blown-up and burnt. All go home in peace!
These celebrations are said to have began around 1632 when a terrible diphtheria epidemic in the town ended on praying to the saint. San Blas then became the new patron, substituting the previous patron, Sant Jaume. From Spain devotion to Blaise spread to the US and Latin America where there are many churches in his honour.
England
Blaise’s popularity in England is linked with his patronage of the guild of wool-combers and it seems likely also that this factor is the reason for the naming of the village and parish of St Blazey in Cornwall. There is even a tradition that Blaise landed in person at nearby Par Bay and taught the English the crafts of the woollen industry.
Every seventh year in Leeds and Bradford, the centres of the woollen industry in Yorkshire, and every year in Norwich, on 3rd February, “all those engaged in woollen manufacture celebrated the feast with great pomp and festivity” (Rev J Bartlett, Lecture on the history of the town of St Blazey, 1856).
.
The highlight of the celebration at Leeds was the recitation of the following lines in honour of the patron saint of wool-combers:
Hail to the day, whose kind suspictous (sic!) rays,
Deigned first to smile on famous Bishop Blaize,
To the great author of our combing trade,
This day's devoted, and true honour paid;
To him whose fame through Britain's Isle resounds,
To him whose goodness to the poor abounds,
Long shall his name in British annals shine
And grateful ages offer at his shrine.
By this, our trade are thousands daily fed,
By it supplied with means to earn their bread.
In various forms our trade its work imparts,
In different methods, and by different arts,
Preserve from starving, - indigents distrest,
As combers, spinners, weavers, and the rest.
Bonfires were also lit as part of the celebration – probably inspired by the sound of the English word blaze.
Evaluation
Some writers, like Seán Ó Duinn OSB in The rites of Brigid: goddess and saint (Veritas Dublin) 2005:29-30, point out that, like St Brigid, St Agnes and St Valentine at springtime and St Nicholas at Christmas, Blaise is one of those saints who tend to accumulate around their name legends and lore from traditional deities and folk customs. We have already seen how the sound of the saint's name in English (Blaise) led to bonfires on his feast and in German to his becoming patron saint of bands with wind instruments (German blasen =to blow). Similar examples from France and Italy are the French word for wheat (blé) and the Italian word for crops (biade) leading to some of the “mother-goddess” themes that characterise Blaise's feast in those countries. So also, as this is the time of the Celtic spring festival Imbolc (= in the belly) or, as it is also called, Oimelc (= feast of lactating ewes), it need not surprise us that legends about fertility and animals or sheep, wool and wool-combing grew up around Blaise.
General Church principles about popular Piety
In 2001 the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy giving principles and guidelines for evaluating the popular piety that surrounds saints like Blaise. By popular piety it designates those devotional practices that are inspired not by the liturgy but by forms derived from a particular people, nation or culture.
In the section on saints, the Directory points out that the Church honours saints because "in their lives they have achieved the paschal mystery as Christ did in his” (209) and goes on to cite the words the priest says at Mass in the Preface for Holy Men and Women:
In their lives on earth you give us an example;
In our communion with them you give us their friendship;
In their prayer for the church you give us strength and protection.
It accepts (par 11) that saints can be
patrons of local churches of which they were the founders or illustrious pastors (St Ambrose of Milan); or
of which they were apostles of their conversion to the Christian faith (Sts Thomas and Bartholomew in India);
patrons of nations or expressions of national identity (St Patrick in Ireland and St George in England);
patrons of corporations and professions (St Blaise and the veterinarians or the wool-combers) and
in particular circumstances such as childbirth (St Anne) and death (St Joseph) or
to obtain specific graces (St Lucy for the recovery of eyesight).
It openly acknowledges the positive anthropological, social and religious significance of a saint’s feast day, but it also cautions against it becoming an occasion of “ambiguous amusement leading to new forms of enslavement” (232-3).
About relics, it asks that their authenticity should be ensured and urges that every temptation to multiply them or give them an importance that might lead to superstition be resisted (237).
It allows that legends of their thaumaturgic powers can accrue to saints, but primary place, it says, must be given to their effective Christian witness and the manner in which their charism has enriched the Church (231).
Applying this to the different manifestations of the cult of St Blaise, we can say the Church’s attitude is one of cautious affirmation of the themes of popular piety.
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Memorable Wise Words for today
God resists the proud
whether they are covered with silk or with rags.
But he gives grace to the humble,
whether or not they have possessions in this world
God looks at what is within,
It is there he assesses, there he examines
~St Augustine ~
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Liturgical Readings for: Tuesday, 3rd February, 2026
Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Jesus calls us to life beyond death, eternal life
Saint of the day : Feb 3rd: St Blaise, bishop, martyr
C/f A short life of this saint can be found below todays' Readings and Reflection.
FIRST READING
A reading from the second book of Samuel 18: 9-10, 14, 24-25, 30–19:3
My son Absolom! Would I had died in your place.
Absalom happened to run into some of David's followers. Absalom was riding a mule and the mule passed under the thick branches of a great oak. Absalom's head caught fast in the oak and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule he was riding went on. Someone saw this and told Joab. 'I have just seen Absalom' he said 'hanging from an oak.' Then Joab said, 'I cannot waste my time with you like this'. And he took three lances in his hand and thrust them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive there in the oak tree.
David was sitting between the two gates. The lookout had gone up to the roof of the gate, on the ramparts; he looked up and saw a man running all by himself. The watch called out to the king and told him. The king said, 'If he is by himself, he has good news to tell'. As the man drew still nearer, The king said, 'Move aside and stand there'. He moved aside and stood waiting.Then the Cushite arrived. 'Good news for my lord the king!' cried the Cushite. 'The Lord has vindicated your cause today by ridding you of all who rebelled against you.'
'Is all well with young Absalom?' the king asked the Cushite.
'May the enemies of my lord the king' the Cushite answered 'and all who rebelled against you to your hurt, share the lot of that young man.'
The king shuddered. He went up to the room over the gate and burst into tears, and weeping said,
'My son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! Would I had died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!'
Word was brought to Joab, 'The king is now weeping and mourning for Absalom'.
And the day's victory was turned to mourning for all the troops, because they learned that the king was grieving for his son. And the troops returned stealthily that day to the town, as troops creep back ashamed when routed in battle.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 85: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Response Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer.
1 Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful: save the servant who trusts in you. Response
2 You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord, for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord, for to you I lift up my soul. Response
3 O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my voice. Response
Gospel Acclamation Jn 14: 16
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia
or Mt 8: 17
Alleluia, alleluia!
He took our sicknesses away, and carried our diseases for us.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Mark 5: 21-43 Glory to you, O Lord
Little girl, I tell you to get up.
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lakeside. Then one of the synagogue officials came up, Jairus by name, and seeing him, fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying, 'My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.'Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.
Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she spent all she had without being any the better for it, in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak. 'If I can touch even his clothes,' she had told herself 'I shall be well again.' And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint.
Immediately aware that power had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said,
'Who touched my clothes?' His disciples said to him, 'You see how the crowd is pressing round you and yet you say, "Who touched me?"'
But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth.
'My daughter,' he said 'your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free from your complaint.'
While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the synagogue official to say, 'Your daughter is dead: why put the Master to any further trouble?' But Jesus had overheard this remark of theirs and he said to the official,'Do not be afraid; only have faith'. And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the official's house and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. He went in and said to them,
'Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.' But they laughed at him.
So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child's father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha, kum! which means, 'Little girl, I tell you to get up'. The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At this they were overcome with astonishment, and he ordered them strictly not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Tuesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Mark 5:21-43
The grief of David in the first reading is very moving. Even though his son Absalom had led a rebellion against his father, he was still David’s son and on hearing the news of Absalom’s death David grieved bitter tears, as any father would for a son, even a rebellious son.
In the gospel reading, we hear of the death of a daughter, not a rebellious daughter but a young girl of twelve years of age. Her death causes people to grieve, to weep and wail unreservedly, in the words of the gospel reading. The death of children is especially heart-breaking, especially for the child’s parents. In the gospel reading, Jesus takes the child by the hand and restores her to life and instructs that she be given something to eat. The evangelist is showing us that the power of Jesus is stronger than the power of death. This became very evident to the early church in the light of the resurrection of Jesus.
As believers in a risen Lord, we continue to grieve when a loved one dies. Yet, there is hope in our grief because we are convinced that the Lord is stronger than death. If we open ourselves in faith to the Lord, like Jairus and the woman with the flow of blood in the gospel reading, we will experience his life-giving power just as they did. Jesus remains the life-giver for all who turn to him in faith, both in the course of this earthly life and, especially, at the hour of our death.
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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 : Feb 3rd: St Blaise, bishop, martyr
Blaise was a fourth century bishop at Sebaste (now the city of Sivas in central Turkey, in what was then the Roman province of Armenia-Cappadocia). During a persecution - probably ordered by Constantine’s ally and co-emperor Licinius - he was martyred in 316 AD. This much at least seems to be historical fact, according to the New Roman Martyrology 2004.
Patrick Duffy asks who Blaise was and why he became famous for blessing sore throats. He then outlines some of the practices associated with his cult and evaluates them in the light of the Vatican's Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy .
The ritual of the blessing of throatsIn many places on the 3rd February - Blaise's feast day - people gather in churches for the blessing of throats. The blessing is a sign of the people’s faith in God’s protection and love for the sick.
Using two crossed and unlighted candles, the priest (or other minister) touches the throat of each person, saying:
'Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from all ailments of the throat and from every other evil: + in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.'
Usually the blessing takes place during Mass. It follows the homily and the prayer of the faithful. If done outside of Mass, a brief celebration of the word of God with the scripture readings suggested in the Lectionary is recommended before the blessing is given.
(In the Eastern churches his feast falls on the 11th February, in the West on 3rd February.)Stories about him in the martyrology accounts
In the Middle Ages Blaise became one of the most widely venerated saints in the Western Church even though he was from the East. Different accounts of his life and stories about him appear in the 9th century martyrologies and these give us a clue to the source of his popularity.
How has he become so famous for the blessing of throats? The most significant detail tells that when Blaise had been captured and was on his way to prison, a boy was brought to him in danger of choking from a fishbone stuck in his throat. Blaise prayed over him and he was cured. (Perhaps to fill out his healing credentials, it is also reported that before he was chosen as bishop, Blaise had practised as a physician!)
Another detail recounts that when the persecution began, Blaise withdrew from the city of Sebaste and lived in a cave in the wilderness where he befriended the birds and wild animals. He cared for them and they watched out for him. So we needn’t be surprised that he becomes a forerunner of St Francis as patron of all kinds of animals.
It is also reported that when he was arrested on orders of the local governor Agricolaus and again on his way to prison, a woman whose pig had been carried off by a wolf begged him to help her. Shortly afterwards the wolf appeared at the woman’s door depositing the pig at her feet.
And finally about the manner of his death - it is told that he was first beaten, then put on the stone table used for combing out wool and flayed with the prickly metal combs that remove tiny stones from the wool. Finally he was put to death and beheaded.
Veneration of the saintThe wonder about St Blaise is how veneration of a martyred bishop in eastern Turkey spread so widely in the western world. His fame as a healer of sore throats is documented in the East from the 6th century and in the West by the 9th. But he also becomes a protector of cities, a protector against wild animals, a patron of veterinarians, wool-combers and of the woollen industry in general, as well a general benefactor or even a mascot of many rural and urban activities.
Dubrovnik
The maritime kingdom of Ragusa (present day Dubrovnik)was under threat of attack from the Venetians in the year 971. Blaise, we’re told, appeared in a vision to alert the inhabitants to the danger of the impending attack. Ever since Dubrovnik has honoured him as its city patron (Croatian Sveti Vlaho) and a statue of him holding a model of the city in his hand stands over the city’s entrance gate. And although the city’s cathedral is dedicated not to Sveti Vlaho but to Mary’s Assumption, the cathedral reliquary today has an almost unbelievable array of Blaise’s relics - his head, his right hand, his left hand, his throat and his right foot – all cased in gold and set on display. His own titular church stands a few yards across the square with his statue with a gold mitre atop the pediment.
England
Blaise’s popularity in England is linked with his patronage of the guild of wool-combers and it seems likely also that this factor is the reason for the naming of the village and parish of St Blazey in Cornwall. There is even a tradition that Blaise landed in person at nearby Par Bay and taught the English the crafts of the woollen industry.
Every seventh year in Leeds and Bradford, the centres of the woollen industry in Yorkshire, and every year in Norwich, on 3rd February, “all those engaged in woollen manufacture celebrated the feast with great pomp and festivity” (Rev J Bartlett, Lecture on the history of the town of St Blazey, 1856).
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The highlight of the celebration at Leeds was the recitation of the following lines in honour of the patron saint of wool-combers:
Hail to the day, whose kind suspictous (sic!) rays,
Deigned first to smile on famous Bishop Blaize,
To the great author of our combing trade,
This day's devoted, and true honour paid;
To him whose fame through Britain's Isle resounds,
To him whose goodness to the poor abounds,
Long shall his name in British annals shine
And grateful ages offer at his shrine.
By this, our trade are thousands daily fed,
By it supplied with means to earn their bread.
In various forms our trade its work imparts,
In different methods, and by different arts,
Preserve from starving, - indigents distrest,
As combers, spinners, weavers, and the rest.
Bonfires were also lit as part of the celebration – probably inspired by the sound of the English word blaze.
Evaluation
Some writers, like Seán Ó Duinn OSB in The rites of Brigid: goddess and saint (Veritas Dublin) 2005:29-30, point out that, like St Brigid, St Agnes and St Valentine at springtime and St Nicholas at Christmas, Blaise is one of those saints who tend to accumulate around their name legends and lore from traditional deities and folk customs. We have already seen how the sound of the saint's name in English (Blaise) led to bonfires on his feast and in German to his becoming patron saint of bands with wind instruments (German blasen =to blow). Similar examples from France and Italy are the French word for wheat (blé) and the Italian word for crops (biade) leading to some of the “mother-goddess” themes that characterise Blaise's feast in those countries. So also, as this is the time of the Celtic spring festival Imbolc (= in the belly) or, as it is also called, Oimelc (= feast of lactating ewes), it need not surprise us that legends about fertility and animals or sheep, wool and wool-combing grew up around Blaise.
General Church principles about popular Piety
In 2001 the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy giving principles and guidelines for evaluating the popular piety that surrounds saints like Blaise. By popular piety it designates those devotional practices that are inspired not by the liturgy but by forms derived from a particular people, nation or culture.
In the section on saints, the Directory points out that the Church honours saints because "in their lives they have achieved the paschal mystery as Christ did in his” (209) and goes on to cite the words the priest says at Mass in the Preface for Holy Men and Women:
In their lives on earth you give us an example;
In our communion with them you give us their friendship;
In their prayer for the church you give us strength and protection.
It accepts (par 11) that saints can be
patrons of local churches of which they were the founders or illustrious pastors (St Ambrose of Milan); or
of which they were apostles of their conversion to the Christian faith (Ss Thomas and Bartholomew in India);
patrons of nations or expressions of national identity (St Patrick in Ireland and St George in England);
patrons of corporations and professions (St Blaise and the veterinarians or the wool-combers) and
in particular circumstances such as childbirth (St Anne) and death (St Joseph) or
to obtain specific graces (St Lucy for the recovery of eyesight).
It allows that legends of their thaumaturgic powers can accrue to saints, but primary place, it says, must be given to their effective Christian witness and the manner in which their charism has enriched the Church (231).
Applying this to the different manifestations of the cult of St Blaise, we can say the Church’s attitude is one of cautious affirmation of the themes of popular piety.
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Memorable Wise Words for today
God resists the proud whether they are covered with silk or with rags.
But he gives grace to the humble, whether or not they have possessions in this world.
God looks at what is within, It is there he assesses, there he examines
~St Augustine ~
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Liturgical Readings for: Tuesday, 3rd February, 2026
CÉAD LÉACHT Sliocht as an dara leabhar Samúéil 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3
A Aibseálóm, a mhic, a mhaicín liom, a Aibseálóm, a mhic liom, faraor gan mise marbh i d’áit.
Bhuail d’Aibseálómle cuid de lucht leanúna Dháiví. Bhí Aibseálóm ag marcaíocht ar mhiúil agus bhí an mhiúil ag dul faoi chraobhacha tiubha crainn mhóir darach. Chuaigh ceann Aibseálóm i bhfostú sa chrann darach agus fágadh ar crochadh idir spéir agus talamh é – ach an mhiúil a raibh sé ag marcaíocht uirthi, lean sí uirthi. Chonaic duine éigin é seo agus thug sé an scéal do Ióáb:“Féach! chonaic mé Aibseálóm,” ar seisean, “agus é ar crochadh ó chrann darach.”
Ansin dúirt Ióáb leis: “Ní bheidh mé ag meilt ama mar seo leat,” agus rug sé ar thrí shleá ina láimh agus sháigh sé i gcroí Aibseálóm iad agus é beo fós ansiúd ar an gcrann darach.
Bhí Dáiví ina shuí idir an dá gheata. Bhí an fear faire tar éis dul suas go dtí díon an gheata, ag an mballa; ag ardú a shúl dó d’fhéach sé agus chonaic fear ag rith leis féin. Scairt an fear faire agus d’inis sé sin don rí.
Dúirt an rí: “Má tá sé leis féin, tá scéala le hinsint aige.”
Dúirt an rí: “Téigh i leataobh agus seas ansin.” Chuaigh sé i leataobh agus d’fhan ina sheasamh.
Ansin tháinig an Cúiseach i láthair. “Dea-scéala do mo thiarna an rí!” arsa an Cúiseach. “Rinne an Tiarna thú a fhuascailt inniu ó láimh gach duine a rinne ceannairc i d’aghaidh.”
“An bhfuil an scéal go maith ag Aibseálóm óg?” d’fhiafraigh an rí den Chúiseach.
D’fhreagair sé siúd: “An bhail atá ar an ógánach sin, go raibh sé ar naimhde mo thiarna an rí, agus orthu siúd uile a rinne d’aimhleas lena gceannairc.”
Tháinig ballchrith ar an rí. Chuaigh sé suas chuig an seomra os cionn an gheata agus bhris an gol air. Ar seisean agus é ag caoineadh:“A Aibseálóm, a mhic, a mhaicín liom, a Aibseálóm, a mhic liom, faraor gan mise marbh i d’áit, a Aibseálóm, a mhaicín, a mhaicín.”
Tugadh scéala chuig Ióáb:
“Tá an rí ag caoineadh Aibseálóm agus ag mairgneach faoi.”
Agus d’iompaigh bua an lae sin chun dóláis do na saighdiúirí go léir, óir fuair siad amach an lá sin go raibh an rí ag caoineadh a mhic.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 115: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Freagra Claon do chluas, a Thiarna, agus éist liom.
1. Claon do chluas, a Thiarna, agus éist liom, óir tá mé go dearóil dealbh.
Déan m’anam a chosaint óir is dílis mé; fóir ar do ghiolla a bhfuil a dhóchas ionat. Freagra
2. Is tú mo Dhia; bíodh trua agat dom, a Thiarna, óir bím ag éamh ort gan stad ar feadh an lae.
Cuir áthas ar anam do sheirbhísigh, óir is chugat a thógaim m’anam, a Thiarna. Freagra
3. Óir is maith agus is ceansa thú, a Thiarna, lán de bhuanghrá dá mbíonn ag éamh ort.
Éist le m’urnaí, a Thiarna; tabhair aire do ghlór mo ghuí. Freagra
SOISCÉAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Marcas, 5:21-43 Glóir duit, a Thiarna.
San am sin ar theacht trasna do Íosa sa bhád go dtí an taobh eile, bhailigh slua mór ina thimpeall, agus bhí sé le hais na farraige. Tháinig duine de chinn urra na sionagóige, arbh ainm dó Iáras, agus ar a fheiceáil dó, chaith sé é féin ag a chosa agus rinne achainí go crua air ag rá:
“Tá m’iníon bheag ar phointe an bháis. Tar agus cuir do lámha uirthi chun go mbeadh sí slán agus go mairfeadh.”D’imigh sé lena chois agus bhí slua mór á leanúint agus bhí siad ag plódú air.
Agus bean a raibh rith fola uirthi ar feadh dhá bhliain déag, agus a bhí tar éis mórán a fhulaingt óna lán lianna agus a raibh aici a chaitheamh, agus nárbh fhearrde í é, ach gur mhó a bhí sí ag dul in olcas, nuair a chuala sí scéala mar gheall ar Íosa, tháinig sí taobh thiar de sa slua agus bhain sí lena bhrat; mar dúirt sí:
“Má bhainim lena chuid éadaigh fiú amháin, beidh mé slán.” Agus stad an doirteadh fola aici láithreach, agus mhothaigh sí ina corp go raibh sí leigheasta óna gearán. Ach d’airigh Íosa ann féin go ndeachaigh brí amach uaidh, chas sé timpeall láithreach sa slua agus dúirt: “Cé bhain le mo chuid eádaigh?” Dúirt a dheisceabail leis: “Feiceann tú an slua ag plódú ort, agus deir tú ‘Cé bhain liom?’” Agus dhearc sé ina thimpeall féachaint cé rinne é.
Ach ó thuig an bhean cad a bhí déanta inti, tháinig sí go critheaglach agus chaith í féin síos roimhe agus d’inis an fhírinne go léir dó. Dúirt sé léi: “A iníon, do chreideamh a shlánaigh thú. Imigh leat faoi shíocháin, agus bí slán ó do ghearán.”
Le linn dó bheith ag caint tháinig daoine ó theach cheann urra na sionagóige ag rá:
“Tá d’iníon tar éis bháis; cén fáth a mbeifeá ag cur as don Mháistir níos mó?” Ba chlos d’Íosa an comhrá agus dúirt le ceann urra na sionagóige: “Ná bíodh eagla ort; ach amháin creid.”
Agus ní ligfeadh sé do dhuine ar bith dul leis ach Peadar agus Séamas agus Eoin deartháir Shéamais.
Ar theacht dóibh go dtí teach cheann urra na sionagóige, chonaic sé an callán agus na daoine ag gol agus ag olagón go hard. Agus ar dhul isteach dó dúirt sé leo:“Cén fáth a bhfuil sibh ag déanamh calláin agus ag gol? Ní marbh atá an leanbh ach ina codladh.” Agus bhí siad ag fonóid faoi. Ach chuir sé amach iad uile, agus rug sé leis athair agus máthair an linbh agus iad seo a bhí leis, agus chuaigh isteach mar a raibh an leanbh ina luí. Agus rug sé greim láimhe uirthi agus dúirt léi: “Talitá cúm” – focal a chiallaíonn: “A chailín bhig, deirim leat, éirigh!”
D’éirigh an cailín agus shiúil sí thart, mar bhí sí dhá bhliain déag. Agus bhí ionadh agus alltacht orthu. Ach chuir sé mar acht orthu go crua gan a fhios seo a bheith ag aon duine, agus dúirt rud le hithe a thabhairt di.
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 8th February, 2026
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/
Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 8th February, 2026
CÉAD LÉACHTSliocht as Íseáia, Fáidh 58:7-10
Ansin scallfaidh do sholas amach mar an maidneachan
Seo mar a deir an Tiarna:
Do chuid aráin a roinnt le lucht ocrais, dídean a thabhairt do bhochtáin gan teach gan treabh,
éadach a chur ar an té a fheiceann tú nocht
agus gan faillí a dhéanamh i do dhualgas i leith do mhuintire.
Ansin scallfaidh do sholas amach mar an maidneachan
agus is gearr go dtaga cneasú ar do chréachtaí.
Rachaidh d’fhíréantacht romhat amach
agus glóir an Tiarna i do dhiaidh.
Ansin, má ghlaonn tú, tabharfaidh an Tiarna freagra ort;
nuair a scairtfidh tú, déarfaidh sé: “Seo anseo mé.”
Má dhíbríonn tú an leatrom as do chúrsaí,
bagairt na méire agus an chaint urchóideach,
má thugann tú do chuid aráin don ocrach
agus a sháith don duine dearóil,
éireoidh do sholas sa dorchadas agus beidh do ghruaim ina loinnir mheán lae.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 111:4-9, R/v1
Freagra Lonraíonn an dea-dhuine sa dorchacht do dhaoine cneasta.
1. Lonraíonn sé sa dorchacht do dhaoine cneasta: is trócaireach é, is fial, is ionraic.
Bíonn an dea-dhuine carthanach airleacthach, riarann sé a ghnó go ceart onórach. Freagra
2. Ní chorrófar an fíréan choíche: mairfidh a chuimhne go brách na breithe.
Ní chuirfidh drochscéal eagla air; is daingean a chroí, is e an Tiarna a dhóchas. Freagra
3. Is dílis daingean a chroí gan eagla; feicfidh sé a naimhde agus iad á dtreascairt.
Dáileann sé a chuid go fial ar lueht an ghátair.Maireann a fhéile go brách agus choíche. Freagra
DARA LÉACHT
Sliocht as céad Litir Naomh Pól chuig Coirintigh 15: 3-8. 11
Fad a bheinn in bhur measc gan aon ní eile a aithint ach Íosa Críost agus eisean arna chéasadh.
I dtaca liomsa, a bhráithre, nuair a tháinig mé chugaibh, níor tháinig mé ag fógairt [rúndiamhair] Dé le hardnós cainte ná eagna. Shocraigh mé i m’aigne fad a bheinn in bhur measc gan aon ní eile a aithint ach Íosa Críost agus eisean arna chéasadh. Is mé a bhí go lagbhríoch in bhur measc agus mé lán d’uamhan agus d’eagla. Agus ní ar bhriathra mealltacha na heagna daonna a bhí mo scéal agus m’fhógra ag brath ach ar fhoilsiú an Spioraid agus na cumhachta, i dtreo nach ar eagna dhaonna a bheadh bhur gcreideamhsa bunaithe ach ar chumhacht Dé.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Alleluia Véarsa Eo 10: 27
Alleluia, alleluia!
Éisteann mo chaoirigh le mo ghlór, agus aithním iad, agus leanann siad mé.
Alleluia!
SOISCÉAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Eóin 5: 13-16
Is sibhse solas an domhain
San am sin dúirt Íosa lena dheisceabail:“Is sibhse salann na talún. Ach má éiríonn an salann leamh, cad a dhéanfaidh goirt arís é? Níl tairbhe ann feasta chun rud ar bith, ach é a chaitheamh amach mar a ngabhfar de chosa ann.
Is sibhse solas an domhain. Cathair ar mhullach cnoic ní féidir í a cheilt. Ná ní lastar lampa chun é a chur faoi bhéal na peice, ach in airde ar an gcrann solais mar a dtugann sé solas dá mbíonn sa teach.
Sibhse mar an gcéanna, bíodh bhur solas ag taitneamh os comhair daoine chun go bhfeicfidís bhur ndeaghníomhartha agus go nglóireoidís bhur nAthair atá ar neamh.
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
