by Norbert Doulanni | Oct 29, 2025 | Evangelium
Saint Marcellus (d. 300)
Psalter: Week II
Green
A centurion from Tingis (Morocco), he not only refused to worship Roman gods but also threw down his soldier’s insignia in front of the legion’s standards. As he did this, he proclaimed his Christian identity, his allegiance to the Lord and rejected the worship of gods made of stone and wood. He was put to death by the sword around the year 300.
Entrance Antiphon : Ps 104: 3-4
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Romans 8:31-39
With God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. As scripture promised: For your sake we are being massacred daily, and reckoned as sheep for the slaughter. These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 108(109):21-22,26-27,30-31
R/ Save me, O Lord, because of your love.
For your name’s sake act in my defence;in the goodness of your love be my rescuer.For I am poor and needyand my heart is pierced within me.
Help me, Lord my God;save me because of your love.Let them know that is your work,That this is your doing, O Lord.
Loud thanks to the Lord are on my lips. I will praise him in the midst of the throng,for he stands at the poor man’s sideto save him from those who condemn him.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps147:12,15
Alleluia, alleluia! O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!He sends out his word to the earth.Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 13:31-35
Some Pharisees came up to Jesus. ‘Go away’ they said. ‘Leave this place, because Herod means to kill you.’ He replied, ‘You may go and give that fox this message: Learn that today and tomorrow I cast out devils and on the third day attain my end. But for today and tomorrow and the next day I must go on, since it would not be right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem. ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! So be it! Your house will be left to you. Yes, I promise you, you shall not see me till the time comes when you say:‘Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, we pray, O Lord, on the offerings we make to your majesty, that whatever is done by us in your service may be directed above all to your glory. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Ps 19: 6
We will ring out our joy at your saving help and exult in the name of our God.
Prayer after Communion
May your Sacraments, O Lord, we pray, perfect in us what lies within them, that what we now celebrate in signs we may one day possess in truth. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus wanted to establish a community that would bring together diverse individuals who would typically not gather — Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles, the rich and the poor, law-abiding citizens, and sinners, as well as men and women. In today’s gospel, Jesus laments that the people of Jerusalem are unwilling for Him to bring them together. His desire is to gather them in much the same way as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but they resist and are not simply open to the idea. Jesus deeply longs for others to love to the full, but for this desire to be fulfilled, others need to accept the idea. In the first reading, Saint Paul tells us that there are spiritual forces at work trying to hinder us from responding to the Lord’s effort to gather us to Himself. Paul says that human strength alone is not sufficient to combat such forces. We require God’s grace, God’s armour, emphasising the need to pray in the Spirit on every possible occasion to confront and overcome these spiritual challenges.
by Norbert Doulanni | Oct 28, 2025 | Evangelium
Saint Colman MacDuagh (632)
Psalter: Week II
Green
He was the son of an Irish chieftain. He was educated at Saint Enda’s monastery in the Aran Islands. Thereafter he was a recluse, living in prayer fasting. With the King of Connaught he founded the monastery of Kilmacduagh which he governed as abbot-bishop.
Entrance Antiphon : Ps 104: 3-4
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Romans 8:26-30
The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God. We know that by turning everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those that he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 12(13):4-6
R/ Lord, I trust in your mercy.
Look at me, answer me, Lord my God! Give light to my eyes lest I fall asleep in death, lest my enemy say: ‘I have overcome him’; lest my foes rejoice to see my fall.
As for me, I trust in your merciful love. Let my heart rejoice in your saving help. Let me sing to the Lord for his goodness to me, singing psalms to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn14:6
Alleluia, alleluia! I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord; No one can come to the Father except through me. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 13:22-30
Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your b st to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. ‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!” ‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. ‘Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, we pray, O Lord, on the offerings we make to your majesty, that whatever is done by us in your service may be directed above all to your glory. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Ps 19: 6
We will ring out our joy at your saving help and exult in the name of our God.
Prayer after Communion
May your Sacraments, O Lord, we pray, perfect in us what lies within them, that what we now celebrate in signs we may one day possess in truth. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
In today’s gospel, Jesus is asked, ‘Will only a few be saved?’ Seizing the moment, He responds by encouraging people to strive to enter through the narrow door. He suggests that the path to salvation, to a fullness of life, requires effort and focus on our part, much the same way as entering through a narrow door demands concentration and attention. The narrowness of the door does not imply that only a few will enter since He indicates that many will come from east and west, north and south, to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Hence, Jesus clarifies: ‘No, not a few, but many will be saved.’ However, the key is to strive to enter through the narrow door by following Jesus, walking in his way, listening to Him, and putting His Word into practice.
by Norbert Doulanni | Oct 27, 2025 | Evangelium
Saints Simon and Jude,
Apostles – Feast
Psalter: Week IV
Red
Jude, also called Thaddaeus, is the apostle who at the Last Supper asked the Lord why he showed himself only to the disciples and not to the world. For many centuries he was scarcely venerated because people confused him with Judas Iscariot. He is the patron saint of lost and desperate causes.
Entrance Antiphon
These are the holy men whom the Lord chose in his own perfect love; to them he gave eternal glory.
Collect
O God, who by the blessed Apostles have brought us to acknowledge your name, graciously grant, through the intercession of Saints Simon and Jude, that the Church may constantly grow by increase of the peoples who believe in you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
First reading : Ephesians 2:19-22
You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 18(19):2-5
R/ Their word goes forth through all the earth.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story and night unto night makes known the message.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard yet their span extends through all the earth, their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
Gospel Acclamation :cf.Te Deum
Alleluia, alleluia! We praise you, O God, we acknowledge you to be the Lord. The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 6:12-16
Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles’: Simon whom he called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.
Prayer over the Offerings
As we venerate the perpetual glory of the holy Apostles Simon and Jude, O Lord, we ask that you receive our prayers and lead us to worthy celebration of the sacred mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Jn 14: 23
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.
Prayer after Communion
Having received this Sacrament, O Lord, we humbly implore you in the Holy Spirit, that what we do to honour the glorious passion of the Apostles Simon and Jude may keep us ever in your love. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Luke, more than any other evangelist, presents Jesus as a man of prayer. In today’s gospel, Jesus spends the entire night in prayer before choosing the twelve from among his disciples. The choice of this significant group is a fruit of our Lord’s deep meditation and prayer. Even though He prayerfully selects the apostles, the leader of this group will later deny him, and another will betray him for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus’ prayer does not guarantee a perfect outcome. The act of praying is not an assurance that everything will work out right. However, prayer strengthens our communion with God, and when circumstances deviate from our expectations we confront them with the strength derived from our connection with God. Jesus will experience abandonment by those he has selected, yet, because of his prayerful communion with God, he will triumph over that dark episode of His life and enter into a new life, which is accessible to all who approach him in faith.
by Norbert Doulanni | Oct 26, 2025 | Evangelium
Saint Otteran
Psalter: Week II
Green
He was abbot of Meath and later came to Iona. He died in 548 and his grave on Iona was greatly revered. As a result, the Vikings chose Otteran, the titular guardian of their ancestors’ ashes, as patron of the city of Waterford in 1096. He is now patron saint of the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore.
Entrance Antiphon : Ps 104: 3-4
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Romans 8:12-17
My brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live. Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 67(68):2,4,6-7,20-21
R/ This God of ours is a God who saves.
Let God arise, let his foes be scattered. Let those who hate him flee before him. But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God, they shall exult and dance for joy.
Father of the orphan, defender of the widow, such is God in his holy place. God gives the lonely a home to live in; he leads the prisoners forth into freedom.
May the Lord be blessed day after day. He bears our burdens, God our saviour. This God of ours is a God who saves. The Lord our God holds the keys of death.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn17:17
Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is truth, O Lord: consecrate us in the truth. Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 13:10-17
One sabbath day Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright. When Jesus saw her he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God. But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, and he addressed the people present. ‘There are six days’ he said ‘when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the sabbath.’ But the Lord answered him. ‘Hypocrites!’ he said ‘Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, we pray, O Lord, on the offerings we make to your majesty, that whatever is done by us in your service may be directed above all to your glory. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Ps 19: 6
We will ring out our joy at your saving help and exult in the name of our God.
Prayer after Communion
May your Sacraments, O Lord, we pray, perfect in us what lies within them, that what we now celebrate in signs we may one day possess in truth. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus is doing God’s will by setting a woman free. He releases her from her bonds, freeing her from the obstacle that has been binding her. Jesus maintains that such life-giving work is consistently timely and significant, going beyond any particular day or time. He calls upon us to join Him in his redemptive work. Today’s liturgy invites us to foster friendship, kindness, and forgiveness towards one another, echoing God’s forgiveness in Christ, and exemplifying love as Christ loves us. By so doing, we actively participate in Jesus’ life-giving and liberating work, which is always timely. There is never an appropriate moment for God’s will to be done. Jesus’ compassionate intervention on behalf of the suffering woman makes her glorify God rather than Jesus Himself. The ultimate purpose of sharing in the Lord’s work is to bring others to glorify God, prioritising divine glory over personal glorification.
by Norbert Doulanni | Oct 25, 2025 | Evangelium
Saint Chad (672)
Psalter: Week II
Green
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 104: 3-4
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Ecclesiasticus 35:12-14, 16-19
The Lord is a judge who is no respecter of personages. He shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poor man, he listens to the plea of the injured party. He does not ignore the orphan’s supplication, nor the widow’s as she pours out her story. The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted, his petitions will carry to the clouds. The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds, until it arrives he is inconsolable, And the Lord will not be slow, nor will he be dilatory on their behalf.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33(34):2-3,17-19,23
R/ This poor man called; the Lord has heard him.
I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips; in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth. The just call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants. Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
Second reading : 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18
My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing. The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Acclamation : Mt11:25
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 18:9-14
Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, we pray, O Lord, on the offerings we make to your majesty, that whatever is done by us in your service may be directed above all to your glory. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 19: 6
We will ring out our joy at your saving help and exult in the name of our God.
Prayer after Communion
May your Sacraments, O Lord, we pray, perfect in us what lies within them, that what we now celebrate in signs, we may one day possess in truth. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Two individuals go to the Temple to pray, but their approaches to God are starkly different. The Pharisee expresses a self-satisfied gratitude, saying, “I thank you God that I’m not like all the rest.” On the other hand, the tax collector humbly implores, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Even though both use the traditional methods of prayer, only the tax collector’s prayer is well-directed. The crucial distinction lies in the attitude emanating from their hearts. As we reflect on this parable, let us consider which of the two characters we most resemble. The Pharisee’s attitude is tainted with arrogant judgment towards others, while the tax collector acknowledges his utter dependence on God. Both are spiritually poor before God, but only the tax collector recognises this truth. In our encounters with God, we often come before Him with empty hands. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses.” This prayer, which is similar to the tax-collector’s plea, can be recited in rhythm with our breathing. It serves as a prolonged version of the tax collector’s prayer. It is a prayer that preserves us in humility and reminds us of our nothingness before God. It is a prayer that will always receive an answer from God, who always awaits for and is ready to forgive a repented heart.
by Norbert Doulanni | Oct 24, 2025 | Evangelium
Saturday memorial of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
Saint Chrysanthus and Daria
Psalter: Week IGreen
They are Roman martyrs, buried on the Via Salaria Nova. The feast of these saints stands in the Roman martyrology on the 25th of October, dating from the seventh century.
Entrance Antiphon : Ps 16: 6, 8
To you I call; for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words. Guard me as the apple of your eye; in the shadow of your wings protect me.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Romans 8:1-11
The reason why those who are in Christ Jesus are not condemned is that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. God has done what the Law, because of our unspiritual nature, was unable to do. God dealt with sin by sending his own Son in a body as physical as any sinful body, and in that body God condemned sin. He did this in order that the Law’s just demands might be satisfied in us, who behave not as our unspiritual nature but as the spirit dictates. The unspiritual are interested only in what is unspiritual, but the spiritual are interested in spiritual things. It is death to limit oneself to what is unspiritual; life and peace can only come with concern for the spiritual. That is because to limit oneself to what is unspiritual is to be at enmity with God: such a limitation never could and never does submit to God’s law. People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 23(24):1-6
R/ Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all its peoples. It is he who set it on the seas; on the waters he made it firm.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? The man with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord and reward from the God who saves him. Such are the men who seek him, seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps144:13
Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 13:1-9
Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’ He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant us, Lord, we pray, a sincere respect for your gifts, that, through the purifying action of your grace, we may be cleansed by the very mysteries we serve. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Ps 32: 18-19
Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, who hope in his merciful love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, O Lord, we pray, that, benefiting from participation in heavenly things, we may be helped by what you give in this present age and prepared for the gifts that are eternal. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
True repentance involves reflecting on aspects of our lifestyle that are unproductive. When Jesus declares, “Repent, or you will perish,” His saying echoes Socrates’ words at his trial when he opted for death over exile: “The un-examined life is not worth living.” The parable of the unproductive fig tree is thought-provoking. It focuses not on wrongdoing but on the failure to engage in positive actions. The unproductive fig tree symbolises a Christian who fails to perform good works and is leading a self-centered existence. The gardener implores the vineyard owner to give the barren fig tree another chance to yield fruit. He pledges to cultivate and fertilise it, providing one last chance for it to prove its worth. This parable suggests that we, too, must nurture our faith and commit ourselves to helping others to live productive lives as well. Jesus offers us another chance to change our lives and be productive in our faith and relationships with one another and with God.
