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Mass Readings Catholic IrelandLiturgical Readings for : Monday, 3rd November, 2025Léachtaí GaeilgeNext Sunday's ReadingsMonday of the Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time, Cycle 1 Who could ever know the mind of the Lord. Who can ever see the depths of His Mercy, Wisdom, Power or Knowledge. Saint of the Day: November 3rd ; St Malachy, reforming bishop Connor and of Armagh restorer of Bangor monasteries. and died in 1148. C/f A short history of today’s saint can be found below today’s Readings and Reflection.      FIRST READING                  A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans        11:29-36 God has imprisoned all people in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice. Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience, so those who are disobedient now – and only because of the mercy shown to you – will also enjoy mercy eventually. God has imprisoned all people in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind. How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen. The Word of the Lord               Thanks be to God Responsorial Psalm            Ps 68: 30-31. 33-34, 36-37 R/v 14 Response                                In your great love, answer me, O God. 1. As for me in my poverty and pain ” let your help, a God, lift me up. I will praise God’s name with a song; I will glorify him with thanksgiving.              Response 2. The poor when they see it will be glad and God-seeking hearts will revive; for the Lord listens to the needy and does not spurn his servants in their chains.  Response 3. For God will bring help to Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah and men shall dwell there in possession. The sons of his servants shall inherit it; those who love his name shall dwell there.                                                                       Response Gospel  Acclamation          Ps 188: 18 Alleluia, alleluia! Open my eyes, O Lord, that I am consider the wonders of your law. Alleluia! or                                             Jn 8: 31 Alleluia, alleluia! If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples, you will learn the truth, says the Lord . Alleluia! GOSPEL                                      The Lord be with you                     And with your spirit. A reading from the Gospel according to Luke        14:12-14        Glory to you, O Lord Do not invite your friends; invite the poor and crippled. Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’ The Gospel of the Lord            Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ******************** Gospel Reflection      Monday        Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time      Luke 14:12–14 In today’s gospel reading Jesus addresses himself to a wealthy Pharisee who was his host at a meal. The Pharisees tended to eat only with their own kind. Jesus challenges his host to invite to his table those he would not normally invite, people beyond his social circle. Jesus, in contrast to his host, shared table with all sorts of people, with the rich, the poor, ,the educated and uneducated, with the religious and those considered sinners, with men and with women. His very broad table was a symbol of his whole ministry. He did not exclude anyone from his outreach. He wanted to reveal the year of the Lord’s favour to everyone, especially to those who would have considered themselves outside of God’s favour. By his whole way of life, including his style of eating, Jesus was revealing the broad hospitality of God. In contrast, the God whom the Pharisees revealed was a God who wanted to exclude more than include. The gospel reading calls on all of us to reveal something of the hospitality of God by our whole way of life. We can all be tempted to exclude others, even whole groups of people. It is very easy to move purely within a circle of people whose outlook, attitudes and social class are like our own. The gospel reading invites us to keep widening our circle so that it reveals more and more of the expansive heart of God revealed for us in the life of Jesus. ________________ The scripture readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with the permission of the publishers. The Gospel reflection comes from WEEKDAY REFLECTIONS : To know the love of Christ by Martin Hogan, published by ‘The Messenger’ c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/ ________________________________ Saint of the Day: November  3; St Malachy, monk, bishop Malachy was born near Armagh in 1094 . He became vicar of Ceallach, the reforming bishop of Armagh, and continued this work of reform as bishop of Connor. As an abbot introduced the Cistercians and the Canons Regular into Ireland. Returning to Ireland after a visit to Rome in 1148 he revisited Clairvaux, where he caught fever and died in the arms of St Bernard on 1/2nd of Nov.  St Malachy is the patron of the dioceses of Down & Connor. As well as being a committed monk, Malachy struggled heroically to wrest control of the Church from lay dynasties and give bishops effective authority in their dioceses in 12th century Ireland. Patrick Duffy tells his story. His Irish Name Malachy was born in 1094 the son of Mogrón Ua Morgair, chief lector and ‘fear léighinn’ of the church of Armagh. His Irish name Maol M’Aedhóg means “the servant of Mogue”. Since Mogue, or Aidan, was an Irish saint from Connacht who became active in the south-east and patron of Ferns diocese, this naming shows his parents had an interest in the Irish church tradition beyond the local. His father died at the monastery of Mungret near Limerick, when Malachy was eight. Ceallach and Church Reform Around this time in Ireland the main church centres were ruled by lay abbots (coarba) who claimed their position by succession in their extended family. Such a’coarba’ or lay abbot would usually but not always have a bishop to perform liturgical functions, but the real power was with the ‘coarba’. A start was made to reform this lay control at the 1st Synod of Cashel in 1101. In Armagh this system of dynastic succession had gone on for many centuries, and it was by this process that in 1091 Ceallach succeeded as abbot of Armagh and ‘coarba’ of Patrick. But in 1105 Ceallach presented himself for ordination to the priesthood and the following year, while visiting Munster, was consecrated bishop by Maol Muire Ua Dúnáin, Bishop of Meath and papal legate to Ireland. Malachy as Ceallach’s Vicar Malachy had his first schooling in Armagh. When he was about twenty he decided to became a monk under the abbot Imar and after five years was ordained priest in 1119. Ceallach was absent at first in Munster and then in Dublin following the death of Bishop Samuel Ó h-Ainglí of Dublin and before the installation of the new Bishop Gregory. During this time Malachy acted as vicar in Armagh. Even then he was noted for promoting reform, especially with regard to Mass and the chanting of the hours as well as the other sacraments. Benedictine Monastic Formation On Ceallach’s return, Malachy went to Lismore for further training as a monk under Bishop Malchus, who previously had been a Benedictine monk at Winchester. On his return to the north, Malachy set about rebuilding the monastery at Bangor and was consecrated bishop of Connor. Again he supported reforms, but after three years war broke out and forced him to go again to Lismore. From here he founded a new monastery – Ibracanse – possibly not too far from Cashel. His struggles as Ceallach’s Successor Ceallach died in 1129 nominating Malachy as his successor, but the tradition of dynastic succession was not so easily set aside. Muircheartach, son of Domhnall, a layman, was installed as abbot and ‘coarba’ of Patrick; he held the symbols of the office – the crozier (bacall Íosa) and the Book of Armagh. Malachy, supported by Bishops Malchus of Lismore and Gilbert of Limerick, put forward his claim. He was able to administer part of the diocese while living outside the town and not claiming the revenues. In 1134 Muircheartach died and was succeeded by Niall, but three years later there was a change of ‘coarbas‘. Malachy resigned as archbishop and was able to have Gille Mac Liag, up till then abbot of Derry, installed and accepted by all as ‘coarba‘ and archbishop for the next forty years. Malachy returned to Bangor and consecrated a bishop for Connor, keeping Down for himself. Help from Airghialla All this entailed much struggle and hardship. Malachy was helped by the neighbouring King of Airghialla (Oriel), Donchadh Ua Cearbhaill, and by the fact that Malachy’s own brother, Christian, was bishop of Arghialla (Clochar). Part of the price Malachy paid for the support of the King of Airghialla was that during this time the part of Armagh diocese that is in Co Louth was moved to the diocese of Airghialla/Clochar. Visits to Clairvaux and Rome In 1139-40 Malachy travelled to Rome via Scotland and the Cistercian monastery of Clairvaux, where he met and befriended St Bernard. Malachy left some followers here to be trained as Cistercians and this resulted in setting up in 1145 of the Cistercian abbey of Mellifont in Ireland. At Rome Malachy pressed Pope Innocent II for two pallia for the archbishoprics of Cashel and Armagh. Although he himself did not receive the pallia, Pope Innocent appointed him as papal legate and on his return he organised the Synod of Inis Phádraig, an island off Skerries, to make formal application to Rome for the pallia. Eventually four pallia were given, but Malachy did not live to receive his. Death and Canonisation Setting off in the hope of meeting the new Cistercian pope, Eugene III, in France, Malachy died in the arms of St Bernard at Clairvaux on the night of the 1-2 November 1148. Bernard wrote his Life and from this his cult spread especially among the Cistercians. In 1190 Pope Clement named him among the Cistercian saints. Influence Malachy was the foremost of several reforming bishops in 12th century Ireland. He was also responsible for introducing the first Cistercian monastery at Mellifont and the first Augustinian community at St Mary’s Abbey in Co. Louth, Ireland. Despite  searches, St Malachy does not seem to have left any writings. [The ‘Prophecies of Malachy’] The so-called ‘Prophecies of St Malachy,’ which purport to predict, in the form of riddles or symbolic titles, all the future  popes until the end of the world, are simply a forgery of the late 16th century, by somebody else using the name of ‘Malachy’ in an effort to gain credibility or authority)] ****************************** Memorable Saying for Today  We become, stay and grow as Christians by faith in Jesus. ~ J.C.Ryle ~ ******************************