Churches of the Day
Pictorial Thought for Today

Jun 21 - St Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591)
Patrick Duffy looks at why Pope Pius XI decided to make Aloysius the patron saint of youth.
Noble Family

Where his father was rough and domineering, his mother was gentle and religious.
Time on His Own

Privileged Background
Evidence of his privileged background is that when he was twelve in 1580, he was called home to Castiglione to receive his first holy communion from Cardinal Charles Borromeo, then archbishop of Milan.
In Spain

Desire to Join the Jesuits
His mother was happy, but his father was horrified and for three years withheld his consent and tried through many relatives, clerical and lay, to get Aloysius to change his mind. Finally, in November 1585, his father consented and Aloysius gave over all rights of inheritance to his younger brother Ridolfo.
Novitiate
Aloysius went to Rome and met Pope Sixtus V (Felice Peretti di Montalto pope 1585-90) who, after questioning him about his desire to enter the Jesuits, gave him his blessing to enter the novitiate in Rome. Here his superiors urged him to pray less, eat more, and be more sociable.
Father's death and Aloysius as Mediator in family dispute
Soon after this, in 1586, his father Marquis Ferrante Gonzaga died. He had undergone quite a change of character since his son had entered the novitiate and was at peace with God, with himself and with his son's decision. Aloysius went for some time to Milan for studies, but was back in Rome in 1587, where he took first profession and minor orders. He did return to Mantua to sort out a family quarrel and debts for the Duke - a significant task for a young man of twenty-one. But he had an integrity that was visible to all who knew him.
Caring for the Sick and Death

He was excited that death was approaching and he would soon be with God. He foretold that he would die in eight days at the end of the Octave of Corpus Christi. On that day, which fell on 21st June, Aloysius seemed very well in the morning, but insisted that he would die before the day was over. Fr Robert Bellarmine, who had become his spiritual father, gave him the last sacraments, and recited the prayers for the dying. Aloysius died just before midnight on 21st June 1591 at the age of twenty-three.
Assessment
Gonzaga is sometimes dismissed as a' prig, naive, sickly and unattractive'. His custody of the eyes and his vow of chastity at a young age are often mocked as showing a disdain of women, as in James Joyce's The portrait of the artist as a young man. But to preserve his virginity in the cultural context he grew up in was a significant achievement.
The Role of Chivalry
Steeped as he was in the code of chivalry from his family background, (like St Ignatius of Loyola), it is not surprising that Aloysius chose always what gave greater glory to God. See Brian O'Leary SJ: To the greater glory.
To him in a strange way could be applied the lines of poet Patrick Kavanagh:
He knew that posterity has no use
For anything but the soul,
The lines that speak the passionate heart,
The spirit that lives alone.
O he was a lone one,
Fol dol the di do,
Yet he loved happily
I tell you.
Canonisation and Patron of Catholic Youth
On December 31, 1726, Pope Benedict XIII canonised Aloysius Gonzaga together with another Jesuit novice, Stanislaus Kostka. In 1926 Pope Pius XI named him the patron saint of Catholic youth.

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Memorable Saying for Today
“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young,
but set an example for the believers
in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
~ Timothy 4:12 ~
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Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1
Set your heart on God's kingdom, by depending on God we can become strong
Memorial of St Aloysius Gonzaga, Jesuit, model novice, worked in a plague hospital, died in 1568, aged 23, Patron of youth.
C/f A short life of this saint can be found below todays' Readings and Reflection.
FIRST READING
A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Corinthians 12:1-10
So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast.
Must I go on boasting, though there is nothing to be gained by it? But I will move on to the visions and revelations I have had from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago, was caught up whether still in the body or out of the body, I do not know;
God knows-right into the third heaven. I do know, however, that this same person-whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows- was caught up into paradise and heard things which must not and cannot be put into human language. I will boast about a man like that, but not about anything of my own except my weaknesses. If I should decide to boast, I should not be made to look foolish, because I should only be speaking the truth; but I am not going to, in case anyone should begin to think I am better than he can actually see and hear me to be.
In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, 'My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness.' So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ's sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps33
Response Taste and see that the Lord is good.
1. The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him. Response
2. Revere the Lord, you his saints. They lack nothing, those who revere him.
Strong lions suffer want and go hungry but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing. Response
3. Come, children, and hear me that I may teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is he who longs for life and many days, to enjoy his prosperity? Response
Gospel Acclamation Mt 4: 4
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God .
Alleluia!
Or 2 Cor 8: 9
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 6:24-34
Do not worry about tomorrow.
Jesus said to his disciples:
'No one can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.
'

Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin; yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his regalia was robed like one of these. Now if that is how God clothes the grass in the field which is there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after you, you men of little faith?
So do not worry; do not say, "What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?" It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.'
Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Saturday, Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Matthew 6:24–34
We all spend a certain amount of our lives trying to figure out what our priorities should be. People often find that there can be a tension between the demands of work and the demands of home, for example. Where should the priority lie at any particular time? Sometimes we just have to live with the tension of competing priorities and try to order them as best we can. We will probably never get the perfect solution to competing priorities. However, we can get our most basic priorities right, those fundamental priorities that shape all the decisions we make as to what is the best thing to do in the here and now. It is those basic priorities that Jesus is talking about in the gospel reading.
When he says that you cannot be the slave both of God and of money he is declaring that money should never be our ultimate priority. When he says do not worry about what you are to eat or about your clothing, but set your hearts on God’s kingdom first, and his righteousness, he is declaring that doing God’s will, living in accordance with the values of God’s kingdom, is a higher priority than food or clothing. He states this as one who elsewhere demands that we feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Jesus is talking in the gospel reading about that fundamental priority, that decision for God and his kingdom, which is to shape everything else that we do in life. He seems to be saying that we must get that right first, and then all else will follow.
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The scripture readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with the permission of the publishers. http://dltbooks.com/
The Gospel reflection comes from: Weekday Reflections for the Liturgical Year ; I Want to Know Christ by Martin Hogan, published by The Messenger c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/
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Saints of the Day: June 21, St Aloysius Gonzaga,
Summary : St Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian aristocrat who became a member of the Society of Jesus. While still a student at the Roman College, he died as a result of caring for the victims of a serious epidemic. Pope Benedict XIII canonised him. In 1926 Pope Pius XI named him the patron saint of Catholic youth.
Patrick Duffy looks at why Pope Pius XI decided to make Aloysius the patron saint of youth.
Noble Family

Privileged Background
Evidence of his privileged background is that when he was twelve in 1580, he was called home to Castiglione to receive his first holy communion from Cardinal Charles Borromeo, then archbishop of Milan.
Time on His Own
As a boy Aloysius was sent to be a page and to be educated at the court of Francesco de Medici at Florence. Here, a kidney infection began to trouble him and stayed with him all his life, but it also gave him time to be on his own when he began to read about the saints. He also began to pray and and practise penance. Often he would be in the Church of Our Lady of the Annunziata, praying in front of her picture. He wanted to honour Mary with a gift, and he decided on a vow of perpetual chastity.
In Spain
The Gonzaga family was called to Spain in 1581 where his mother attended on the queen. Aloysius and his brother Ridolfo were pages for the infante Don Diego (1575-82). It was at this time, after reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, that he decided to become a missionary and join the Jesuits.

His mother was happy, but his father was horrified and for three years withheld his consent and tried through many relatives, clerical and lay, to get Aloysius to change his mind. Finally, in November 1585, his father consented and Aloysius gave over all rights of inheritance to his younger brother Ridolfo.
Novitiate
Aloysius went to Rome and met Pope Sixtus V (Felice Peretti di Montalto pope 1585-90) who, after questioning him about his desire to enter the Jesuits, gave him his blessing to enter the novitiate in Rome. Here his superiors urged him to pray less, eat more, and be more sociable.
Father's death and Aloysius as Mediator in family dispute
Soon after this, in 1586, his father Marquis Ferrante Gonzaga died. He had undergone quite a change of character since his son had entered the novitiate and was at peace with God, with himself and with his son's decision. Aloysius went for some time to Milan for studies, but was back in Rome in 1587, where he took first profession and minor orders. He did return to Mantua to sort out a family quarrel and debts for the Duke - a significant task for a young man of twenty-one. But he had an integrity that was visible to all who knew him.

The Role of Chivalry
Steeped as he was in the code of chivalry from his family background, (like St Ignatius of Loyola), it is not surprising that Aloysius chose always what gave greater glory to God. See Brian O'Leary SJ: To the greater glory.
To him in a strange way could be applied the lines of poet Patrick Kavanagh:
He knew that posterity has no use
For anything but the soul,
The lines that speak the passionate heart,
The spirit that lives alone.
O he was a lone one,
Fol dol the di do,
Yet he loved happily
I tell you.
Caring for the Sick and Death

He was excited that death was approaching and he would soon be with God. He foretold that he would die in eight days at the end of the Octave of Corpus Christi. On that day, which fell on 21st June, Aloysius seemed very well in the morning, but insisted that he would die before the day was over. Fr Robert Bellarmine, who had become his spiritual father, gave him the last sacraments, and recited the prayers for the dying. Aloysius died just before midnight on 21st June 1591 at the age of twenty-three.
Canonisation and Patron of Catholic Youth
On December 31, 1726, Pope Benedict XIII canonised Aloysius Gonzaga together with another Jesuit novice, Stanislaus Kostka. In 1926 Pope Pius XI named him the patron saint of Catholic youth.
[caption id="attachment_82631" align="aligncenter" width="500"]

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Memorable Saying for Today
“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young,
but set an example for the believersin speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
~ Timothy 4:12 ~
******************************
Sliocht as dara Litir Naomh Pól chuig naCoirintigh 12:1-10
Is leor duit mo ghrásta, mar is tríd an laige a thagann an neart chun foirfeachta.
A bhráithre, is éigean dom maíomh a dhéanamh, cé nach aon tairbhe dom é, agus tráchtfaidh mé anois ar aislingí agus ar fhoilsithe an Tiarna. Tá aithne agam ar fhear i gCríost agus ceithre bliana déag ó shin fuadaíodh é go harda na bhflaitheas. Níl a fhios agam cé acu bhí sé ina cholainn nó lasmuigh di – ag Dia amháin atá a fhios – ach tá a fhios agam gur fuadaíodh an fear seo go Parthas – níl a fhios agamsa cé acu bhí sé ina cholainn nó lasmuigh dá cholainn, ag Dia atá a fhios – agus gur chuala sé briathra diamhara nach ceadmhach don daonnaí a aithris. Is as an duine sin a dhéanfaidh mé mórtas ach mórtas ar bith ní dhéanfaidh mé asam féin ach amháin as mo laigí. Dá mba mhian liom mórtas a dhéanamh, áfach, níorbh aon mhórtas amadáin é mar nach mbeadh agam á insint ach an fhírinne ghlan. Ní dhéanfaidh mé amhlaidh, áfach, le heagla go mbeadh breis measa ag daoine orm thar a bhfeiceann siad ionam ná thar a gcloiseann siad uaim.
Agus le heagla go gcuirfeadh na foilsithe iontacha sin an iomarca éirí in airde orm, cuireadh bior sa bheo ionam, teachtaire ó Shátan chun mé a ghreadadh ar shlí nach dtiocfadh aon éirí in airde orm. D’agair mé an Tiarna faoi thrí é a chur díom, ach is é a dúirt sé liom: “Is leor duit mo ghrásta, mar is tríd an laige a thagann an neart chun foirfeachta.” Is móide is fonn liom dá bhrí sin a bheith ag maíomh as mo laigí le hionchas go luífeadh cumhacht Chríost orm. Sin é fáth go bhfuilim sásta le mo laigí, leis na tarcaisní, na hangair, na géarleanúintí agus na cúngrachtaí a bhíonn le fulaingt agam ar son Chríost. Mar nuair a bhím lag, sin í an uair a bhím láidir.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 33
Freagra Blaisigí is féachaigí a fheabhas atá an Tiarna
1. Bíonn aingeal an Tiarna i gcampa thart ar lucht a eaglaithe, á bhfuascailt.
Blaisigí is féachaigí a fheabhas atá an Tiarna: is aoibhinn dá dtagann faoina dhídean. Freagra
2. A dhaoine naofa an Tiarna, bíodh a eagla oraibh; ní bhíonn díth ar an dream lenarb eagal é.
Bíonn easpa agus ocras ar leoin óga: ní bhíonn aon easpa ar lucht iarrtha an Tiarna. Freagra
3. Téanaigí, a chlann ó, agus éistigí liom go múinfidh mé eagla an Tiarna daoibh.
Cé hé an duine a shantaíonn an bheatha? agus fad saoil faoi shéan is faoi shonas? Freagra
SOISCÉAL
Sliocht as Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Mhatha 6:24-34
Ná bígí imníoch faoin lá amárach.
San am sin dúirt Íosa lena dheisceabail
“Ní féidir do dhuine ar bith dhá mháistir a riaradh; óir beidh fuath aige do dhuine acu agus grá aige don duine eile, nó beidh sé ag déanamh dúthrachta do dhuine acu agus ag déanamh neamhshuime den duine eile. Ní féidir daoibh Dia a riaradh agus an t-airgead. “Sin é an fáth a ndeirim libh: ná bígí imníoch faoi bhur mbeatha i dtaobh bia nó dí, na faoi bhur gcorp i dtaobh éadaigh. Nach mó le rá an bheatha ná an bia agus an corp ná an t-éadach?

Dá bhrí sin, ná bígí go himníoch ag fiafraí: ‘Cá bhfaighimid bia, nó deoch, nó éadach?’ Nithe iad siúd uile a mbíonn na págánaigh ar a dtóir; rud eile, tá a fhios ag bhur nAthair neamhaí go bhfuil gá agaibh leis na nithe sin uile. Ach déanaigí ríocht Dé agus a fhíréantacht a lorg ar dtús, agus tabharfar na nithe sin uile daoibh chomh maith. Mar sin, ná bígí imníoch faoin lá amárach; beidh an lá amarach imníoch faoi féin.
Is leor do gach lá a chuid féin den trioblóid.'
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
Every Sunday all over the world priests takes the bread and wine, raises their eyes to heaven and say the blessing Jesus taught his disciples, then they distribute it among their communities. We all get as much nourishment as we want, and when we are finished the remains of the bread is collected and reverently stored for later sacramental use.
FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of Genesis 14:18-20
He brought bread and wine.
Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine;

He pronounced this blessing:
'Blessed be Abraham by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth,
and blessed be God Most High for handing over your enemies to you.'
And Abraham gave him a tithe of everything.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 109
Response: You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.
1. The Lord's revelation to my Master: 'Sit on my right:
I will put your foes beneath your feet.' Response

2. The Lord will send from Zion your sceptre of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes. Response
3. A prince from the day of your birth on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the daybreak I begot you. Response
4. The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
'You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.' Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians 11:23-26
Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.
This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you:
that on the same night that he was betrayed,

the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said,
'This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.'
In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said,
'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.'
Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Sequence
(The last three verses marked with an asterisk *, below the asterisk constitute an optional shorter version)
Sing forth, O Zion, sweetly sing
The praises of thy Shepherd-King,
In hymns and canticles divine;
Dare all thou canst, thou hast no song
Worthy his praises to prolong,
So far surpassing powers like thine.
Today no theme of common praise
Forms the sweet burden of thy lays-
The living, life-dispensing food
That food which at the sacred board
Unto the brethren twelve our Lord
His parting legacy bestowed.
Then be the anthem clear and strong,
Thy fullest note, thy sweetest song,
The very music of the breast:
For now shines forth the day sublime
That brings remembrance of the time
When Jesus first his table blessed.
Within our new King's banquet-hall
They meet to keep the festival
That closed the ancient paschal rite:
The old is by the new replaced;
The substance hath the shadow chased;
And rising day dispels the night.
Christ willed what he himself had done
Should be renewed while time should run,
In memory of his parting hour:
Thus, tutored in his school divine,
We consecrate the bread and wine;
And lo - a Host of saving power.
This faith to Christian men is given
Bread is made flesh by words from heaven:
Into his blood the wine is turned:
What though it baffles nature's powers
Of sense and sight? This faith of ours
Proves more than nature e'er discerned.
Concealed beneath the two-fold sign,·
Meet symbols of the gifts divine,
There lie the mysteries adored:
The living body is our food;
Our drink the ever-precious blood;
In each, one undivided Lord.
Not he that eateth it divides
The sacred food, which whole abides
Unbroken still, nor knows decay;
Be one, or be a thousand fed,
They eat alike that living bread
Which, still received, ne'er wastes away.
The good, the guilty share therein,
With sure increase of grace or sin,
The ghostly life, or ghostly death:
Death to the guilty; to the good
Immortal life. See how one food
Man's joy or woe accomplisheth.
We break the Sacrament; but bold
And firm thy faith shall keep its hold;
Deem not the whole doth more enfold
Than in the fractured part resides:
Deem not that Christ doth broken lie;
'Tis but the sign that meets the eye;
The hidden deep reality
In all its fullness still abides.

*Behold the bread of angels, sent
For pilgrims in their banishment,
The bread for God's true children meant,
That may not unto dogs be given:
Oft in the olden types foreshowed;
In Isaac on the altar bowed,
And in the ancient paschal food,
And in the manna sent from heaven.
*Come then, good shepherd, bread divine,
Still show to us thy mercy sign;
Oh, feed us still, still keep us thine;
So may we see thy glories shine
In fields of immortality;
*O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best,
Our present food, our future rest,
Come, make us each thy chosen guest,
Co-heirs of thine, and comrades blest
With saints whose dwelling is with thee.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven, says the Lord.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke 9:11-17 Glory to you, O Lord
They all ate as much as they wanted.
Jesus made the crowds welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God;
and he cured those who were in need of healing.
It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said,

'Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here.'
He replied,
'Give them something to eat yourselves.'
But they said,
'We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go ourselves and buy food for all these people.'
For there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples,
'Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty.'
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd.
They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here: https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/
Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.
Sollúntás Chorp Chríost (Blian C)
CÉAD LÉACHT
Sliocht as Leabhar Geineasas 14:18-20
Thug sé arán agus fíon amach.
Thug Meilcizidic rí Sheáléim arán agus fíon amach; ba shagart le

Chuir sé a bheannacht air á rá:
“Bíodh beannacht ar Abrám ó Dhia ró-ard, cruthaitheoir neimhe agus talún.
Moladh le Dia ró-ard mar gur chuir sé do naimhde faoi do smacht.”
Agus thug Abrám deachú den uile ní dó.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le Dia
Salm le Freagra Sm 109
Freagra Is sagart thú go brách de réir ord Melcisedec.
I. Dúirt an Tiarna le mo Mháistir: 'Bí i do shuí ar mo dheis
go gcuire me do naimhde faoi do chosa.'

2. Sínfidh an Tiarna ríshlat do chumhachta as Síón amach:
bí ag rialú i measc do naimhde. Freagra
3. Is leatsa an ceannas ó lá do bhreithe ar na sléibhte naofa:
amhail drúcht roimh réalta na maidine ghin mé thú. Freagra
4. Mhionnaigh an Tiarna, ní bheidh aithreachas air:
is sagart thú go brách de réir ord Melcisedec. Freagra
DARA LÉACHT
Sliocht as céad Litir Naomh Pól chuig na Coirintigh 11:23-26
Gach uair a itheann sibh an t-arán seo agus a ólann sibh an cupa, bíonn sibh ag fógairt bhás an Tiarna nó go dtiocfaidh sé.
A bhráithre, is é fios a fuair mé féin ón Tiarna agus a thug mé daoibhse: mar atá, an oíche a bhí an Tiarna

“Is é seo mo chorp atá le tabhairt suas ar bhur son;
déanaigí é seo mar chuimhne orm.”
Mar an gcéanna tar éis na proinne thóg sé an cupa ag rá:
“Is é an cupa seo an nuachonradh i mo chuid fola.
Déanaigí é seo mar chuimhne orm a mhinice a ólfaidh sibh é.”
A mhinice, más ea, a itheann sibh an t-arán seo agus a ólann sibh an cupa, bíonn sibh ag fógairt bhás an Tiarna nó go dtiocfaidh sé.
Briathar an Tiarna Buíochas le
Alleluia Vearsa Eo 6:51-52
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Is mise an t-arán beo a tháinig anuas ó neamh a deir an Tiarna.
Má itheann duine an t-arán seo mairfidh sé go deo.
Alleluia!
SOISCÉAL
Go raibh an Tiarna libh. Agus le do spiorad féin
Sliocht as Soiscéal naofa de réir Naomh Lúcás 9:11-17 Glóir duit, a Thiarna.
D’ith siad uile agus bhí siad sách.
San am sin chuir Íosa fáilte roimh na sluaite agus bhí ag caint leo faoi ríocht Dé, agus ag leigheas na ndaoine a bhí i ngá a leigheasta. Bhí an lá ag druidim siar, áfach, agus tháinig an dáréag chuige agus dúirt leis:
“Scaoil uait an slua, go dtéidís isteach sna bailte agus sna feirmeacha mórthimpeall agus lóistín agus lón bia a fháil,
óir is áit uaigneach é seo ina bhfuilimid.”

Ach dúirt sé leo:
“Tugaigí sibhse rud le hithe dóibh.”
Dúirt siad:
“Níl againn ach cúig builíní agus dhá iasc, ach mura dtéimid féin ag ceannach bia don chomhthionól seo uile”
– óir bhí timpeall cúig mhíle fear ann.
Dúirt sé lena dheisceabail:
“Cuirigí ina luí fúthu ina mbuíonta iad, timpeall caoga sa bhuíon.”
Rinne siad amhlaidh: iad uile a chur ina luí fúthu. Thóg sé na cúig builíní agus an dá iasc, agus, ar dhearcadh suas chun na bhflaitheas dó, bheannaigh iad agus bhris agus thug do na deisceabail iad le cur os comhair an tslua.
D’ith siad uile agus bhí siad sách, agus tógadh suas an fuílleach: dhá chiseán déag de bhruscar.
Soiscéal an Tiarna. Moladh duit, a Chriost
AN BÍOBLA NAOFA
© An Sagart
