Churches of the Day
Pictorial Thought for Today
Aug 27 - St Monica (332-387) Mother of St Augustine
Summary: St Monica, widow, probably born at Tagaste (Algeria) about 331; died at Ostia (Italy) in 387. She undertook many years of penance and prayer for her brilliant but wayward son, Augustine (Feast tomorrow). Following his conversion and baptism in Milan, she died at the beginning of her journey home to Africa. She was well noted for her parental devotion, patience, and persistence in prayer.
John Murray PP tells her story.
Monica was a caring mother whose constant love for her wayward son, Augustine, brought him to conversion after seventeen years.
One of my favourite saints and, indeed, one whom I most often mention these days is Monica. Her feast day is on 27 August, and it precedes the feast day of her son, the great St. Augustine. I mention her often in sermons these days, especially at funerals, and also when talking to parents whose sons or daughters no longer walk with Christ, or at least with the Church, in the faith that their parents followed.
Unhappy Marriage
First, let us look at who this extraordinary woman was before we try to glean some lessons from her life. We know little of her childhood, except that she was born in North Africa in the year 333. She was married early in life to a man named Patritius, who held an official position in Tagaste. He was not a Christian, and his practice of his pagan religion was only in name.
His temper was violent, and he appears to have had some wayward habits. It is even said that he beat his wife. Consequently, Monica's married life was far from being a happy one, more especially as Patritius's mother seems to have been very similar in temperament. There was, of course, a gulf between husband and wife: her alms deeds and her habits of prayer annoyed him, but somehow he always held her in a sort of reverence.
Monica was not the only matron of Tagaste whose married life was unhappy but, by her sweetness and patience, she was able to exercise a real apostolate amongst the wives and mothers of her native town. They knew that she suffered as they did, and her words and example had a positive effect. In due time she won the favour of her mother-in-law by the mildness of her manner and by her patience in the midst of her difficult marriage.
Family Fortunes
Three children were born of this marriage: Augustine the eldest, Navigius the second, and a daughter, Perpetua. Monica had been unable to secure baptism for her children, and her grief was great when Augustine fell ill. In her distress, she begged Patritius to allow him to be baptized; he agreed but, on the boy's recovery, withdrew his consent.
All Monica's anxiety now centred on Augustine. Like his father before him he, too, was wayward and lazy. He was sent to Madaura to school, and Monica seems to have literally wrestled with God for the soul of her son. A great consolation was given her, however, in compensation, perhaps, for all that she was to experience through Augustine: Patritius became a Christian.
Meanwhile, Augustine had been sent to Carthage to pursue his studies, and there he fell into serious sin. Patritius died very shortly after his reception into the Church, and Monica resolved not to marry again. At Carthage, Augustine had become a follower of the Manichean sect, and when, on his return home, he aired certain heretical propositions, Monica drove him away from her table. Later, a strange vision which she had urged her to take him back.
It was at this time that she went to see a certain holy bishop, whose name is unknown, but who consoled her with the now famous words: 'The child of those tears shall never perish'. There is no more pathetic story in the annals of the saints than that of Monica pursuing her wayward son to Rome.
Saint Ambrose
Augustine, perhaps frustrated by the presence of his 'nagging' mother, went off secretly to Milan. She followed him there, however. In Milan, she found the bishop of that city, St. Ambrose, and through him she ultimately had the joy of seeing Augustine yield, after seventeen years of resistance. The story of his conversion is a beautiful page in the annals of the saints, and worthy of recounting in its own right. Mother and son spent six months of true peace at Cassiacum, after which time Augustine was baptized in the church of St. John the Baptist, in Milan. Africa called them, however, and they set out on their journey, stopping at Civitavecchia and at Ostia.
Remember Me at the Altar
Here death overtook Monica in 387, and the finest pages of his Confessions were penned as the result of the emotion Augustine then experienced. In these pages, Augustine recounts how he and his brother were discussing where they might bury Monica when she died. She overheard their whispers, and chided them somewhat for their concerns, with words which have come down to us through the centuries and which have appeared on millions of memorial cards: 'All I ask is that you remember me at the altar of God'.
These are words I often quote in funeral sermons, knowing that the saintly parishioners I bury would also want their children and grandchildren to remember them in this way above all else. Monica was buried at Ostia, and at first she seems to have been almost forgotten, though her body was removed during the sixth century to a hidden crypt in the church of St. Aureus. About the thirteenth century, however, the cult of St. Monica began to spread, and a feast in her honour was kept on 4 May.
In 1430, Pope Martin V ordered the relics to be brought to Rome. Many miracles occurred on the way, and devotion to St. Monica was definitely established. Later, the Archbishop of Rouen, Cardinal d'Estouteville, built a church in Rome in honour of St. Augustine, and deposited the relics of St. Monica in a chapel to the left of the high altar.
Prayer of St. Monica
Some years ago, I came across a prayer invoking the intercession of Monica for those who may have strayed from their childhood faith. I offer it to you now.
Eternal and merciful Father, I give you thanks for the gift of your divine Son, who suffered, died and rose for all people. I thank you also for my Catholic faith, and ask your help that I may grow in fidelity by prayer, by works of charity and penance, by reflecting on your word, and by regular participation in the sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. You gave St. Monica a spirit of selfless love, manifest in her constant prayer for the conversion of her son, Augustine.
Inspired by boundless confidence in your power to move hearts, and by the success of her prayer, I ask the grace to imitate her constancy in prayer for (name a person here) who no longer shares in the intimate life of the Catholic family. Grant through my prayer and witness, that he/she may be open to the promptings of your Holy Spirit to return to loving union with your people. Grant also that my prayer be ever hopeful and that I may never judge another, for you alone can read hearts. I ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
This article first appeared in The Messenger.
John Murray PP tells her story.
Monica was a caring mother whose constant love for her wayward son, Augustine, brought him to conversion after seventeen years.One of my favourite saints and, indeed, one whom I most often mention these days is Monica. Her feast day is on 27 August, and it precedes the feast day of her son, the great St. Augustine. I mention her often in sermons these days, especially at funerals, and also when talking to parents whose sons or daughters no longer walk with Christ, or at least with the Church, in the faith that their parents followed.
Unhappy Marriage
First, let us look at who this extraordinary woman was before we try to glean some lessons from her life. We know little of her childhood, except that she was born in North Africa in the year 333. She was married early in life to a man named Patritius, who held an official position in Tagaste. He was not a Christian, and his practice of his pagan religion was only in name.
His temper was violent, and he appears to have had some wayward habits. It is even said that he beat his wife. Consequently, Monica's married life was far from being a happy one, more especially as Patritius's mother seems to have been very similar in temperament. There was, of course, a gulf between husband and wife: her alms deeds and her habits of prayer annoyed him, but somehow he always held her in a sort of reverence.
Monica was not the only matron of Tagaste whose married life was unhappy but, by her sweetness and patience, she was able to exercise a real apostolate amongst the wives and mothers of her native town. They knew that she suffered as they did, and her words and example had a positive effect. In due time she won the favour of her mother-in-law by the mildness of her manner and by her patience in the midst of her difficult marriage.
Family Fortunes
Three children were born of this marriage: Augustine the eldest, Navigius the second, and a daughter, Perpetua. Monica had been unable to secure baptism for her children, and her grief was great when Augustine fell ill. In her distress, she begged Patritius to allow him to be baptized; he agreed but, on the boy's recovery, withdrew his consent.
All Monica's anxiety now centred on Augustine. Like his father before him he, too, was wayward and lazy. He was sent to Madaura to school, and Monica seems to have literally wrestled with God for the soul of her son. A great consolation was given her, however, in compensation, perhaps, for all that she was to experience through Augustine: Patritius became a Christian.Meanwhile, Augustine had been sent to Carthage to pursue his studies, and there he fell into serious sin. Patritius died very shortly after his reception into the Church, and Monica resolved not to marry again. At Carthage, Augustine had become a follower of the Manichean sect, and when, on his return home, he aired certain heretical propositions, Monica drove him away from her table. Later, a strange vision which she had urged her to take him back.
It was at this time that she went to see a certain holy bishop, whose name is unknown, but who consoled her with the now famous words: 'The child of those tears shall never perish'. There is no more pathetic story in the annals of the saints than that of Monica pursuing her wayward son to Rome.
Saint Ambrose
Augustine, perhaps frustrated by the presence of his 'nagging' mother, went off secretly to Milan. She followed him there, however. In Milan, she found the bishop of that city, St. Ambrose, and through him she ultimately had the joy of seeing Augustine yield, after seventeen years of resistance. The story of his conversion is a beautiful page in the annals of the saints, and worthy of recounting in its own right. Mother and son spent six months of true peace at Cassiacum, after which time Augustine was baptized in the church of St. John the Baptist, in Milan. Africa called them, however, and they set out on their journey, stopping at Civitavecchia and at Ostia.
Remember Me at the Altar
Here death overtook Monica in 387, and the finest pages of his Confessions were penned as the result of the emotion Augustine then experienced. In these pages, Augustine recounts how he and his brother were discussing where they might bury Monica when she died. She overheard their whispers, and chided them somewhat for their concerns, with words which have come down to us through the centuries and which have appeared on millions of memorial cards: 'All I ask is that you remember me at the altar of God'.These are words I often quote in funeral sermons, knowing that the saintly parishioners I bury would also want their children and grandchildren to remember them in this way above all else. Monica was buried at Ostia, and at first she seems to have been almost forgotten, though her body was removed during the sixth century to a hidden crypt in the church of St. Aureus. About the thirteenth century, however, the cult of St. Monica began to spread, and a feast in her honour was kept on 4 May.
In 1430, Pope Martin V ordered the relics to be brought to Rome. Many miracles occurred on the way, and devotion to St. Monica was definitely established. Later, the Archbishop of Rouen, Cardinal d'Estouteville, built a church in Rome in honour of St. Augustine, and deposited the relics of St. Monica in a chapel to the left of the high altar.
Prayer of St. Monica
Some years ago, I came across a prayer invoking the intercession of Monica for those who may have strayed from their childhood faith. I offer it to you now.
Eternal and merciful Father, I give you thanks for the gift of your divine Son, who suffered, died and rose for all people. I thank you also for my Catholic faith, and ask your help that I may grow in fidelity by prayer, by works of charity and penance, by reflecting on your word, and by regular participation in the sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. You gave St. Monica a spirit of selfless love, manifest in her constant prayer for the conversion of her son, Augustine.
Inspired by boundless confidence in your power to move hearts, and by the success of her prayer, I ask the grace to imitate her constancy in prayer for (name a person here) who no longer shares in the intimate life of the Catholic family. Grant through my prayer and witness, that he/she may be open to the promptings of your Holy Spirit to return to loving union with your people. Grant also that my prayer be ever hopeful and that I may never judge another, for you alone can read hearts. I ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
This article first appeared in The Messenger.
________________________________
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Memorable Proverb for Today
I remember my mother's prayers and
they have always followed me.
They have clung to me all my life.
~Abraham Lincoln ~
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Liturgical Readings for: Thursday, 27th August, 2026
Thursday of the 21st week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Saint of the Day: Aug 27; – St Monica, patron of mothers(especially those with wayward children.)
C/f A short look at this saint’s life can be found below today's Readings and Reflection.
FIRST READING
A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians 1:1-9
You have been enriched in so many ways in Christ.
I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, together with brother Sosthenes, send greetings to the church of God in Corinth, to the holy people of Jesus Christ, who are called to take their place among all the saints everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ; for he is their Lord no less than ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.
I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 144: 2-7. R/v 1
Response I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.
1. I will bless you day after day and praise your name for ever.
The Lord is great, highly to be praised, his greatness cannot be measured. Response
2. Age to age shall proclaim your works, shall declare your mighty deeds,
shall speak of your splendour and glory, tell the tale of your wonderful works. Response
3 They will speak of your terrible deeds, recount your greatness and might.
They will recall your abundant goodness; age to age shall ring out your justice. Response
Gospel Acclamation Mt 24:42.44
Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
Alleluia,
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 24:42-51 Glory to you, O Lord
Stand ready.
Jesus said to his disciples:
'Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
'What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master's arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, "My master is taking his time", and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Thursday Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time Matthew 24:42-51
When we look at the prayers of Paul in his letters, the prayer of thanksgiving appears as frequently as the prayer of petition. When he is not praying for his churches, he is thanking God for them. In today’s first reading, we find an example of such a prayer of thanksgiving. He says to the members of the church in Corinth, ‘I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways.’ Paul had the great gift of being able to recognise and name the way God was working in the lives of others, and then publicly to give thanks to God for it.
In the words of Jesus in the gospel reading, he was ‘awake’ to the Lord’s coming through others, the Lord’s engagement in the lives of others. In the gospel reading, Jesus calls on us to be prepared for the unexpected coming of the Son of Man, and Paul in the first reading calls on us to wait for the Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. Yet Paul reminds us that the Lord who is coming is also at work here and now in all our lives, in and through the Holy Spirit. As Paul says in that reading, ‘You will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord.’ Paul encourages us to be awake to, alert to, the workings of the Lord’s Spirit in our own lives and in the lives of others, and to give thanks to God for all the ways we and others have been enriched by the Spirit. It is easy to get disheartened and discouraged about many things. Paul reminds us that, no matter how dark the times, the Lord is always at work in a creative, life-giving way within each of us and among us all. Regardless of the situation in which we find ourselves, there is always so much to give thanks for, because of all the graces we are always receiving through Jesus, our Lord.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, 1966 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/bookstore
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Saint of the Day: Aug 27; – St Monica, patron of mothers
Monica, a widow, probably born at Tagaste (Algeria) about 331; died at Ostia (Italy) in 387. She undertook many years of penance and prayer for her brilliant but wayward son, Augustine (Feast tomorrow). Following his conversion and baptism in Milan, she died at the beginning of her journey home to Africa. She was well noted for her parental devotion, her patience, and her persistence in prayer.
John Murray PP tells her story.
Monica was a caring mother whose constant love for her wayward son, Augustine, brought him to conversion after seventeen years.One of my favourite saints and, indeed, one whom I most often mention these days is Monica. Her feast day is on 27 August, and it precedes the feast day of her son, the great St. Augustine.
I mention her often in sermons these days, especially at funerals, and also when talking to parents whose sons or daughters no longer walk with Christ, or at least with the Church, in the faith that their parents followed.
Unhappy Marriage
First, let us look at who this extraordinary woman was before we try to glean some lessons from her life. We know little of her childhood, except that she was born in North Africa in the year 333. She was married early in life to a man named Patritius, who held an official position in Tagaste. He was not a Christian, and his practice of his pagan religion was only in name.
[caption id="attachment_50018" align="alignright" width="235"]
A prayer to St. Monica: 'O Sacred Heart of Jesus, comforter of the sorrowful and salvation of the afflicted, help me today.'[/caption]His temper was violent, and he appears to have had some wayward habits. It is even said that he beat his wife. Consequently, Monica's married life was far from being a happy one, more especially as Patritius's mother seems to have been very similar in temperament. There was, of course, a gulf between husband and wife: her alms deeds and her habits of prayer annoyed him, but somehow he always held her in a sort of reverence.
Monica was not the only matron of Tagaste whose married life was unhappy but, by her sweetness and patience, she was able to exercise a real apostolate amongst the wives and mothers of her native town. They knew that she suffered as they did, and her words and example had a positive effect. In due time she won the favour of her mother-in-law by the mildness of her manner and by her patience in the midst of her difficult marriage.
Family Fortunes
Three children were born of this marriage: Augustine the eldest, Navigius the second, and a daughter, Perpetua. Monica had been unable to secure baptism for her children, and her grief was great when Augustine fell ill. In her distress, she begged Patritius to allow him to be baptized; he agreed but, on the boy's recovery, withdrew his consent.
All Monica's anxiety now centred on Augustine. Like his father before him he, too, was wayward and lazy. He was sent to Madaura to school, and Monica seems to have literally wrestled with God for the soul of her son. A great consolation was given her, however, in compensation, perhaps, for all that she was to experience through Augustine: Patritius became a Christian.Meanwhile, Augustine had been sent to Carthage to pursue his studies, and there he fell into serious sin. Patritius died very shortly after his reception into the Church, and Monica resolved not to marry again. At Carthage, Augustine had become a follower of the Manichean sect, and when, on his return home, he aired certain heretical propositions, Monica drove him away from her table. Later, a strange vision which she had urged her to take him back.
It was at this time that she went to see a certain holy bishop, whose name is unknown, but who consoled her with the now famous words: 'The child of those tears shall never perish'. There is no more pathetic story in the annals of the saints than that of Monica pursuing her wayward son to Rome.
Saint Ambrose
Augustine, perhaps frustrated by the presence of his 'nagging' mother, went off secretly to Milan. She followed him there, however. In Milan, she found the bishop of that city, St. Ambrose, and through him she ultimately had the joy of seeing Augustine yield, after seventeen years of resistance. The story of his conversion is a beautiful page in the annals of the saints, and worthy of recounting in its own right. Mother and son spent six months of true peace at Cassiacum, after which time Augustine was baptized in the church of St. John the Baptist, in Milan. Africa called them, however, and they set out on their journey, stopping at Civitavecchia and at Ostia.
Remember Me at the Altar
Here death overtook Monica in 387, and the finest pages of his Confessions were penned as the result of the emotion Augustine then experienced. In these pages, Augustine recounts how he and his brother were discussing where they might bury Monica when she died. She overheard their whispers, and chided them somewhat for their concerns, with words which have come down to us through the centuries and which have appeared on millions of memorial cards: 'All I ask is that you remember me at the altar of God'.These are words I often quote in funeral sermons, knowing that the saintly parishioners I bury would also want their children and grandchildren to remember them in this way above all else. Monica was buried at Ostia, and at first she seems to have been almost forgotten, though her body was removed during the sixth century to a hidden crypt in the church of St. Aureus. About the thirteenth century, however, the cult of St. Monica began to spread, and a feast in her honour was kept on 4 May.
In 1430, Pope Martin V ordered the relics to be brought to Rome. Many miracles occurred on the way, and devotion to St. Monica was definitely established. Later, the Archbishop of Rouen, Cardinal d'Estouteville, built a church in Rome in honour of St. Augustine, and deposited the relics of St. Monica in a chapel to the left of the high altar.
Prayer of St. Monica
Some years ago, I came across a prayer invoking the intercession of Monica for those who may have strayed from their childhood faith. I offer it here to you now.
Eternal and merciful Father, I give you thanks for the gift of your divine Son, who suffered, died and rose for all people. I thank you also for my Catholic faith, and ask your help that I may grow in fidelity by prayer, by works of charity and penance, by reflecting on your word, and by regular participation in the sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. You gave St. Monica a spirit of selfless love, manifest in her constant prayer for the conversion of her son, Augustine.
Inspired by boundless confidence in your power to move hearts, and by the success of her prayer, I ask the grace to imitate her constancy in prayer for (name a person here) who no longer shares in the intimate life of the Catholic family. Grant through my prayer and witness, that he/she may be open to the promptings of your Holy Spirit to return to loving union with your people. Grant also that my prayer be ever hopeful and that I may never judge another, for you alone can read hearts. I ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
This article first appeared in The Messenger.
******************************
Memorable Proverb for Today
I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me.
They have clung to me all my life.
~Abraham Lincoln ~
******************************
.
Liturgical Readings for: Thursday, 27th August, 2026
CÉAD LÉACHTSliocht as an céad Litir Naomh Pól chuig na Coirintigh 1:1:1-9
Bím ag síorghabháil buíochais le Dia ar bhur son as an ngrásta atá bronnta aige oraibh in Íosa Críost.
Mise Pól, a bhfuil glaoite air de dheoin Dé chun bheith ina aspal ag Íosa Críost, agusan bráthair Sóstainéas in éineacht liom, chuig eaglais Dé i gCorant, chucu sin atá coisricthe in Íosa Críost agus a bhfuil glaoite ina naoimh orthu mar aon leis an uile dhuine a ghlaonn i ngach áit ar ainm ár dTiarna Íosa Críost, an té is Tiarna orainne agus orthusan: grásta chugaibh agus síocháin ó Dhia ár nAthair agus ón Tiarna Íosa Críost.
Bím ag síorghabháil buíochais le Dia ar bhur son as an ngrásta atá bronnta aige oraibh in Íosa Críost. Mar tá raidhse den uile shórt faighte agaibh ann: raidhse den urlabhra agus raidhse den eolas. Tá an fhianaise ar Chríost dulta chomh daingean sin I bhfeidhm oraibh nach bhfuil tabhartas ar bith in easnamh oraibh fad atá sibh ag feitheamh lenár dTiarna Íosa Críost a nochtadh chugaibh. Coimeádfaidh seisean daingean sibh go deireadh na dála, gan cháim lá ár dTiarna Íosa Críost. Tá Dia dílis agus is é a ghlaoigh oraibh chun bheith rannpháirteach lena Mhac, ár dTiarna Íosa Críost.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le freagra Sm 144: 2-7. R/v 1
Freagra Molfaidh mé d’ainm trí shaol na saol, a thiarna.
1. Molfaidh mé thú in aghaidh an lae; agus molfaidh mé d’ainm trí shaol na saol.
Is mór an Tiarna agus is inmholta thar cuimse é; ní féidir a mhórgacht a mhionransú. Freagra
2. Fógrófar d’oibreacha ó ghlúin go glúin agus foilseofar do chumhacht mar an gcéanna.
Déanfar trácht ar mhórghlóir do mhaorgachta; agus inseofar d’éachtaí iontacha. Freagra
3. Labhrófar faoi do bhearta uafásacha; beifear ag caint faoi do chumhacht is do chumas.
Cuimhneofar ar líonmhaireacht do mhaitheasa;
agus déanfar d’fhíréantacht a chanadh go háthasach. Freagra
SOISCÉAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as an Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Mhatha 24:42-51 Glóir duit, a Thiarna.
Bígí ag faire, dá bhrí sin, mar níl a fhios agaibh cén lá a thiocfaidh bhur dTiarna.
San am sin dúirt Íosa lena dheisceabail:Bígí ag faire, dá bhrí sin, mar níl a fhios agaibh cén lá a thiocfaidh bhur dTiarna. “Bíodh a fhios agaibh é seo, áfach: dá mb’eol don fhear tí cén t-am san oíche a dtiocfadh an bithiúnach, bheadh sé ag faire agus ní ligfeadh sé ballaí a thí a réabadh. Sibhse freisin, mar sin, bígí ullamh, óir is ar an uair nach síleann sibh a thiocfaidh Mac an Duine.
Cé hé, más ea, an seirbhíseach iontaofa ciallmhar ar cheap a mháistir os cionn sclábhaí a theaghlaigh é chun a gcuid bia a thabhairt dóibh i dtráth? Is méanar don seirbhíseach sin a bhfaighidh a mháistir é ag déanamh amhlaidh ar theacht dó. Deirim libh go fírinneach, ceapfaidh sé os cionn a mhaoine go léir é. Agus má deir an drochsheirbhíseach sin ina chroí: ‘Tá mo mháistir ag déanamh moille,’ agus go dtosóidh ag bualadh a chomhsheirbhíseach, agus é ag ithe agus ag ól le lucht meisce, tiocfaidh máistir an tseirbhísigh sin lá nach mbíonn súil aige leis agus ar an uair nach eol dó, agus coscróidh sé é, agus tabharfaidh cion na mbréagchráifeach dó. Is ann a bheidh gol agus díoscán fiacla.
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 30th August, 2026
Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year A
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah 20:7-9
The word of the Lord has meant insult for me.
You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced;you have overpowered me: you were the stronger.
I am a daily laughing-stock, everybody's butt.
Each time I speak the word, I have to howl and proclaim:
'Violence and ruin!'
The word of the Lord has meant for me insult, derision, all day long. I used to say, 'I will not think about him, I will not speak in his name any more.
Then there seemed to be a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones. The effort to restrain it wearied me, I could not bear it.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps 62: 2-6. 8-9. R/v 2
Response For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.
1. O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. Response
2. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise. Response
3. So I will bless you all my life, in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy. Response
4. For you have been my help; in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans 12:1-2
Offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice.
Think of God's mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God.
Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Gospel Acclamation Eph 1: 17.18
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 16:21-27 Glory to you, O Lord
'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself
Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him.'Heaven preserve you, Lord;' he said 'this must not happen to you'.
But he turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God's way but man's.'
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?
'For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.
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/
Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.
Liturgical Readings for: Sunday, 30th August, 2026
CÉAD LÉACHTSliocht as an dara Leabhar Ezícéal, Fáidh 20:7-9
Tá briathar an Tiarna tar éis éirí ina mhasla domsa.
Mheall tú mé, a Thiarna, agus cheadaigh mé mo mhealladh;
rug tú bua orm; ba thú ba threise.
Níl lá nach mbíonn siad ag gáire fúm, is ceap magaidh mé ag gach aon duine.
Níl uair dá labhraim an briathar nach mbíonn orm
a fhógairt in ard mo chinn: “Éigean agus díobháil!”
Tá briathar an Tiarna tar éis éirí ina mhasla domsa
agus ina ábhar magaidh ar feadh an lae.
Deirinn: “Ní smaoineoidh mé air, ní labhróidh mise níos mó ina ainm.” Ansin chonacthas dom go raibh tine loiscneach i mo chroí, í dúnta istigh i mo chnámha.
Tá mé tuirseach ó bheith ag iarraidh í a chosc. Ní fhéadaim é a fhulaingt.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 62: 2-6. 8-9. R/v 2
Freagra Tá iotá tarta ar m'anam chugat, a Thiarna, a Dhia liom.
1. A Dhia, mo Dhia thú; iarraim thú go dícheallach.
Tá íota tarta ar m'anam chugat, santaíonn mo cholainn
amhail tálamh atá tirim is spalptha cheal uisce. Freagra
2. Is mar sin a bhím ag breathnú ort sa sanctóir
chun go bhfeicfinn do chumhacht is do ghlóir.
Óir is fearr do bhuanghái ná an bheatha.
Fógróidh mo bheola do mholadh. Freagra
3. Mar sin a bheannóidh mé thú le mo bheo;
i d'ainmsé a thógfaidh mé mo lámha.
Líonfar m'anam mar le fleá,
is molfaidh mo bhéal thú le beola lúcháireacha. Freagra
4. Óir tháinig tú i gcabhair orm, agus gairdím faoi scáth do sciathán.
Tá m'anam ag cloí leat go dlúth, coinníonn do dheaslámh suas mé. Freagra
DARA LÉACHT
Sliocht as Litir Naomh Pól chuig na Rómhánaigh 12:1-2
Déinaigí, bhur gcoirp a thoirbhirt ina n-íobairt bheo .
A bhráithre, táim á iarraidh oraibh as ucht trócaire Dé, bhur gcoirp a thoirbhirt ina n-íobairt bheo naofa thaitneamhach do Dhia; sin é bhur n-adhradh spioradálta. Ná leanaigí patrún an tsaoil seo ach cuirigí malairt meoin oraibh féin trí athnuachan aigne ar shlí go n-aithneodh sibh cad é is toil le Dia, cad é atá maith agus taitneamhach agus foirfe.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Alleluia Véarsa Eo 10: 27
Alleluia, alleluia!
Éisteann mo chaoirigh le mo ghlór, a deir the Tiarna
agus aithním iad, agus leanann siad mé.
Alleluia!
SOISCÉAL
Sliocht as Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Mhatha 16:21-27
Más áil le haon duine bheith ar mo bhuíon, séanadh sé é féin
San am sin amach, thosaigh Íosa á thaispeáint dá dheisceabail nárbh fholáir dó dul go Iarúsailéim agus mórán a fhulaingt ó na seanóirí agus ó uachtaráin na sagart agus ó na scríobhaithe, agus a chur chun báis, agus éirí an treas lá. Ach thug Peadar ar fhód ar leith é agus thosaigh ag tabhairt casaoide dó: “Go bhfóire Dia ort, a Thiarna,” ar seisean, “agus i bhfad uait sin!” Ach d’iompaigh Íosa thairis agus dúirt le Peadar:
“Siar i mo dhiaidh leat, a Shátain! is ceap tuisle dom thú, mar ní hiad smaointe Dé atá i d’aigne ach smaointe daoine.”
Ansin dúirt Íosa lena dheisceabail:
“Más áil le haon duine bheith ar mo bhuíon, séanadh sé é féin, tógadh suas a chros agus leanadh mé. Óir cibé arb áil leis a anam a shaoradh, caillfidh sé é; ach cibé a chaillfidh a anam mar gheall ormsa, gheobhaidh sé é. Óir cá fearrde duine go ngnóthódh sé an domhan go léir dá ligfeadh sé a anam féin ar ceal? Nó cad a d’fhéadfadh duine a thabhairt mar mhalairt ar a anam?
Óir tá Mac an Duine le teacht faoi ghlóir a Athar lena chuid aingeal, agus ansin cúiteoidh sé le gach duine de réir mar a rinne. Deirim libh go fírinneach, tá daoine anseo i láthair nach mblaisfidh an bás nó go mbeidh Mac an Duine feicthe acu ag teacht ina ríocht.”
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
