Mass Readings
Liturgical Readings for : Saturday, 11th July, 2026Léachtaí Gaeilge
Next Sunday’s Readings
Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Saint of the Day: July 11. Saint Benedict, abbot
C/f short history of today’s saints can be found below today’s Readings and Reflection
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah 6:1-8
I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of hosts.
In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary;
above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings: two to cover its face, two to cover its feet and two for flying.
And they cried out one to another in this way,
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. His glory fills the whole earth.’
The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said:
‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of hosts.’
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said:
‘See now, this has touched your lips, your sin is taken away, your iniquity is purged’.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:
‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’
I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God..
Responsorial Psalm Ps 92: 1-2. 5. R/v 1
Response The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
1. The Lord is king; with majesty enrobed; the Lord has robed himself with might,
he has girded himself with power. Response
2. The world you made firm, not to be moved; your throne has stood firm from of old.
From all eternity, O Lord, you are. Response
3. Truly your decrees are to be trusted. Holiness is fitting to your house,
O Lord, until the end of time. Response
Gospel Acclamation 1 Jn 2: 5
Alleluia, alleluia!
When anyone obeys what Christ has said God’s love comes to perfection in him.
Alleluia!
Or 1 Pt 4: 14
Alleluia, alleluia!
It is a blessing for you, when they insult you for bearing the name of Jesus,
for the Spirit of God rests on you.
Alleluia
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 10:24-33 Glory to you, O Lord
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body.
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows:
‘The disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. It is enough for the disciple that he should grow to be like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, what will they not say of his household?
‘Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.
‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.
‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Saturday Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Matthew 10:24-34
The account of the call of Isaiah in today’s gospel reading conveys a sense of the otherness and majesty of God. Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a high throne, with his train filling the sanctuary. The prophet had a profound sense of his own unworthiness to be in the presence of the all-holy one. In contrast, Jesus speaks of a God who is intimately involved with the details of his creation. Not one sparrow falls to the ground without God the Father knowing. The very hairs on the head of the disciples have been counted by God. If the humble sparrow, two of which can be bought for a penny in the market place, is precious in God’s sight, Jesus’ disciples are much more precious, ‘You are worth more than hundreds of sparrows’.
There is no conflict between the God of Isaiah and the God of Jesus. God is both infinitely beyond us and deeply involved in the details of our lives. It is because God the Father of Jesus cares so deeply about believers that we can be fearless in our witness to Jesus, declaring ourselves for him in the presence of others. The disciples are likely to suffer the same rejection as their master, but as God was faithful to his Son, bringing him through death to new life, so he will be faithful to his disciples, who are immensely precious to him. It is because of how much we mean to God that we are enabled to declare to others how much Jesus means to us. With Isaiah in the first reading we can say, ‘Here I am, send me’, knowing that the one who sends us journeys with us every step of the way. In the words of Saint Paul, ‘The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this’ (1 Thess 5:24)
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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: July 11, St Benedict, abbot, Patron of Europe
Summary, St Benedict: Born at Nursia (Umbria, Italy) about 480; died at Monte Cassino about 547. After studies in Rome he became a hermit at Subiaco, where many sought his counsel, and later founded the monastery at Monte Cassino. Noted for his widely influential monastic rule, combining work and prayer, and for his charity and moderation.
Patrick Duffy tells his story.
Early Life
St. Benedict was born, a twin with St Scholastica, into a wealthy family at Nursia in east-central Umbria around the year 480. He went to school in Rome but, disturbed by the moral laxity of other students in Rome, he left before completing his studies. Seeking peace and quiet he withdrew to Subiaco situated in the mountains about forty miles from Rome. Here he met a monk called Romanus who helped him in his first steps as a hermit.
Overcoming Temptations
At Subiaco Benedict spent three years in a cave where he “underwent the three fundamental temptations that all human beings face: self-affirmation and the desire to place oneself at the centre, … sensuality, … anger/ revenge” (Pope St Benedict XVI). Only by overcoming these temptations would he be able find the right words to give others in their situations of need.
First Monastery at Subiaco
Soon disciples joined him and he became the leader of a monastic community at Subiaco. Some monks there were unhappy with Benedict’s strict discipline and put poison in his wine. When they brought it to Benedict to drink, he blessed it and the glass miraculously broke. “God forgive you,” he exclaimed, and he went off again to the wilderness.
Ss Maur and Placidus
More monks came to Subiaco and Benedict had twelve small monasteries with twelve in each one in that area. Some Roman senators came and left their sons with Benedict for education. Some of these turned out to be his most faithful disciples, St Maur and St Placid. The story of Maur rescuing Placid from drowning in the lake of Subiaco is told in Gregory, Dialogues II,7 and in artworks and mosaics. Placid was for some centuries regarded as the patron of Benedictine novices. Others, including a local priest, became envious and spread slander about Benedict.
Second Foundation at Monte Cassino
Significance of Monte Cassino
Pope Benedict XVI recently described the decision of his namesake St Benedict to locate his monastery on Monte Cassino as symbolic. Monte Cassino is, he said, “a height that dominates the surrounding plains and is visible from a distance”. “Monastic life,” the Pope continued, “has its raison d’etre in withdrawal and concealment, but a monastery also has a public role in the life of the Church and of society”.
Benedictine Monasteries in Ireland
Glenstal Abbey in Co Limerick (www.glenstal.org/) and Holy Cross Monastery, Rostrevor, Co. Down (www.benedictinemonks.co.uk), are two Benedictine monasteries in Ireland which strive to fulfil this ideal.
Benedict’s Twin Sister
The Rule of St Benedict is a book of 73 chapters describing the organisation of the life of monks living in community and striving by means of the common life, ascetic practice, prayer and work to experience a life of fellowship with God. Its tone and tenor can be summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation PAX (“peace”) and the traditional adage ORA ET LABORA (“pray and work”). Benedict had a deep personal love of Jesus and his rule is Rule is wise, humane, tolerant and moderate. It stresses humility before God and each other. Its richness is that it fosters an understanding of the relational nature of human beings on their individual journeys to God. It provides for a spiritual father to support individual ascetic effort and spiritual growth.
Prayer and Love
Benedict seems to have lived his life immersed in an atmosphere of prayer and it was this prayer that made him alive to the concrete needs of his neighbours.
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Memorable Sayings for Today
Listen with the ear of your heart
~ St Benedict ~
“The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices.
He is also afraid when we are humble and good.
He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much.
He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross
~ St Anthony, Abbot of the Desert~
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