Mass Readings
Liturgical Readings for : Thursday, 5th February, 2026Léachtaí Gaeilge
Next Sunday’s Readings
Thursday of the 4th week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Saint of the Day: Feb 5th.; St Agatha, virgin , martyr
C/f A short life of this saint can be found below todays’ Readings and Reflection.
FIRST READING
A reading from the first Book of Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
‘I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, Solomon, and show yourself a man
As David’s life drew to its close he laid this charge on his son Solomon, ‘I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man. Observe the injunctions of the Lord your God, following his ways and keeping his laws, his commandments, his customs and his decrees, as it stands written in the Law of Moses, that so you may be successful in all you do and undertake, so that the Lord may fulfil the promise he made me, If your sons are careful how they behave, and walk loyally before me with all their heart and soul, you shall never lack for a man on the throne of Israel’.
So David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the Citadel of David. David’s reign over Israel lasted forty years: he reigned in Hebron for seven years, and in Jerusalem for thirty-three. Solomon was seated upon the throne of David, and his sovereignty was securely established.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 1 Chron 29: 10-12.
Response You, Lord, are the ruler of all.
I. Blessed are you, a Lord, the God of Israel, our father,
for ever, for ages unending. Response
2. Yours, Lord, are greatness and power, and splendour, triumph and glory.
All is yours, in heaven and on earth. Response
3. Yours, a Lord, is the kingdom, you are supreme over all.
Both honour and riches come from you. Response
4. You are the ruler of all, from your hand come strength and power,
from your hand come greatness and might. Response
Gospel Acclamation Jn 15: 15
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Or Mk 1; 15
Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is close at hand, repent and believe the Good News.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Mark 6: 7-13 Glory to you, O Lord
Jesus began to send them out in pairs.
And he said to them,
‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.’
So they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Thursday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Mark 6:7-13
There comes a time in life when we need to let others do what we have been doing. We have to let go so that others can take on. None of us can keep doing what we have been doing for ever. We need the wisdom to know when to entrust some of our responsibility, some of our work, to others. We find that happening in both of today’s readings. As David comes towards the end of his life, he passes on his role as king, his responsibilities to God’s people, to his son Solomon.
In the gospel reading, Jesus entrusts the twelve whom he had earlier chosen with a share in his mission. They had spent time with him and now he is ready to send them out as his ambassadors to preach what he has been preaching and to engage in his healing ministry. This happened reasonably early on in Jesus’ public ministry. We might be tempted to think that, like David, Jesus would have waited until nearer the end of his life before entrusting a share in his mission to others. However, it seems that for Jesus this task of entrusting to others a share in his work couldn’t wait any longer than was absolutely necessary.
The Lord desperately needs us to share in his work today. As members of his body, the Church, we are his feet, his arms, his legs, his eyes, his ears, his mouth, his heart and mind. As the Lord once expressed himself through his physical body, he now expresses himself through all of us, his ecclesial body. The Lord needs us all if his work is to continue today, and just as he sent out the twelve in pairs, in six groups of two, he sends us out not as individuals but with others. He can work through us most effectively when we work together, pooling our gifts and resources
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The scripture readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with the permission of the publishers. http://dltbooks.com/
The Gospel reflection is available with our thanks from Reflections on the Weekday Readings : My Words Will Not Pass Away by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/
Saint of the Day: Feb 5th.; St Agatha, virgin , martyr
Agatha suffered martyrdom at Catania in Sicily, probably during the persecution of Decius. She was venerated throughout the Church from earliest times and her name was inserted into the Roman canon. She was declared Patroness of cancer sufferers.
Patrick Duffy summarises her story.
(The image (left) is a detail from a painting by Francisco de Zurbarán (c. 1630) at the Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France.)
Example of Christian Virginity
St Agatha is one of the best-loved saints in Christian devotion despite the fact that very little is known of her life. Both Palermo and Catania in Sicily claim to have been her birth place. She stands for a long tradition in Christian devotion of female virginity, not as an imposition, but as a self-empowering act against a dominant culture. In the sixth century the Christian poet and bishop of Poitiers, St Venantius Fortunatus (535-605), mentions her in his poem on virginity as one of the celebrated Christian virgins and martyrs.
There are many versions of the legend of her martyrdom. One is that she was a girl of noble birth, who was sought after by a man of consular rank, named Quintian. He pursued her and when she refused him he had her handed over to a brothel-keeper named Aphrodisia, who tried to corrupt her, but without success. After undergoing various tortures, she is said to have had a vision of St Peter, who strengthened her. But eventually she died from her sufferings. She is said to have had her breasts cut off and is often represented in art carrying them on a dish (as in the image at the top of this article above left).
Patronage and Influence
This last circumstance has led to her being acclaimed as the patron saint of bell-founders and to the custom in some places of blessing small loaves of bread in church on her feast. She is invoked against fire, especially the eruptions of Mount Etna. Her intercession as patron of Malta is credited with preserving the island from the Turks in 1551.
Church of Sant’Agata dei Goti, (Saint Agatha of the Goths,) Rome
Church of Sant’Agata dei Goti in Rome
About the year 460 the influential Gothic soldier Ricimer built a church for the Goths in the Suburra area of central Rome (Via Mazzarino today) and we learn from Pope Gelasius it was called the Basilica of St Agatha. As the Goths were Arians, the building was reconsecrated as Catholic by Pope Gregory the Great (590-604). It was restored in the 16th and 17th century and the façade rebuilt by Francesco Ferrari in 1729.
The relief above the door shows St. Agatha holding her severed breast on a plate. From 1836 to 1926, it housed the Irish College. Sant’Agata dei Goti is also the name of a comune (town) near Naples.
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Memorable Advice for today
The virtue of virginity is a source of courage,
strength, and independence, a superpower if you like.
It frees us to live fully, completely, and wholeheartedly for God.
~ Alison Sampson ~
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