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Immaculate Conception Parish Luanshya Catholic Archdiocese of Ndola, Luanshya.

04/10/2026

CATHOLIC READINGS FOR MONDAY OCTOBER 5TH 2026

MONDAY IN THE TWENTY SEVENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)

SAINT (S) OF THE DAY: ST. MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON CF. EST 4:17

Within your will, O Lord, all things are established, and there is none that can resist your will. For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth, and all that is held within the circle of heaven; you are the Lord of all.

COLLECT

Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. 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

I did not receive the Gospel from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Christ.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians (Galatian 1:6-12)

Brethren: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel — not that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed.

As we have said before, so now I say again, If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.

Am I now seeking the favour of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.

For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel.

For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

*The word of the Lord...*

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PSALM 111:1b-2.7-8.9 and 10c (R. 5b)

R/. The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
Or: Alleluia.

I will praise the Lord with all my heart,
in the meeting of the just and the assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord,
to be pondered by all who delight in them. R/.

His handiwork is justice and truth;
his precepts are all of them sure,
standing firm forever and ever,
wrought in uprightness and truth. R/.

He has sent redemption to his people,
and established his covenant forever.
Holy his name, to be feared.
His praise endures forever! R/.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION...

ALLELUIA JOHN 13:34

Alleluia. A new commandment I give to you, says the Lord, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

“Who is my neighbour?”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 10:25-37)

At that time: Behold, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and w**e; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back. ’

Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

*The Gospel of the Lord...*



REFLECTION: BY CATHOLIC LIFE

*Moved by Compassion*

Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.

A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight." Luke 10:30-33

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was dangerous, and the man in Jesus’ story had suffered terribly. He had been robbed, stripped, beaten, and abandoned. He could not help himself. Anyone travelling along that road could see that he needed help.

Yet the first two people who saw him continued on their way. The priest saw him and crossed to the other side. The Levite did the same. Jesus does not tell us what they were thinking.

They may have had reasons for avoiding the injured man, but whatever their reasons were, the result was the same. They saw his suffering and kept walking.

Then the Samaritan arrived.

Jesus’ listeners would not have expected the Samaritan to become the example worth following. Jews and Samaritans carried a long history of hostility and mistrust.

Yet it was the Samaritan who stopped. He did not first ask whether the injured man belonged to his community, whether helping him would inconvenience his journey, or whether someone else might come along later. He saw a suffering person, and compassion moved him to act.

That difference matters. All three men saw the same person. Only one allowed what he saw to change what he did.

We can also become used to seeing needs around us without responding. Sometimes we are busy. Sometimes we assume someone else will help. At other times, we simply do not want the inconvenience.

Compassion can interrupt our schedule. It may require our time, attention, money, patience, or energy. It can place another person’s need directly in the middle of whatever we had planned for the day.

Not every act of compassion has to be dramatic. The person lying beside our road may be a family member going through a difficult season, a colleague who has become unusually withdrawn, an elderly neighbour who needs a little help, or a friend who keeps saying everything is fine even when something clearly is not.

Sometimes compassion begins by noticing what we might otherwise overlook.

There is also a difference between feeling sorry for someone and allowing compassion to affect our choices. We can hear about another person’s difficulty and feel bad for a moment, then return to our own concerns.

The Samaritan did more. He stopped his journey and became personally involved. His compassion became action.

Jesus invites us to live in the same way. Faith cannot remain only in prayer, worship, or what we say we believe. Our relationship with God should shape the way we respond to people, especially when helping them brings us no reward.

The Samaritan did not help because the injured man could repay him. He helped because another human being was suffering before his eyes.

There may also be people we find difficult to care about. Hurt, disagreement, prejudice, resentment, or past experiences can create distance between us and another person.

Yet Jesus deliberately made a Samaritan the compassionate person in this story. He reminds us that mercy is not meant only for people we naturally like or understand.

We will not be able to solve every problem we encounter. God does not ask us to carry every burden in the world. But there will be moments when someone is placed directly in our path, and we have a choice. We can find a reason to keep moving, or we can stop long enough to see what love requires from us.

Who has God placed in your path recently who may need your attention, encouragement, or practical help? Have you been passing by because helping would interrupt your plans or require something from you? What is one simple act of compassion you can offer that person today?

Lord Jesus, open my eyes to the people around me who need care. Forgive me for the times I have seen someone’s need and chosen to keep walking.

Give me a compassionate heart that does not stop at good intentions, but is willing to act. Help me recognise each opportunity to love another person as an opportunity to follow You. Amen.


STILL ON REFLECTION:

The message of truth is one message that must be re-echoed and sustained.

However, we must note that many people long to hear what is pleasing to them, just as many preachers also long to tell people what they desire to hear.

This attitude destroys true faith and it is not good.

Sincerity to the gospel must be upheld by teachers of the gospel just as followers of Christ must seek the truth and nothing else.

Just as Paul draws our attention to the table of truth, Jesus’ teaching on true love for neighbour cannot be undermined.

The question who is my neighbour asked by the lawyer in the gospel of today is also being asked by all of us Christians.

The simple answer given by Jesus is that our neighbour is every human being created in the image and likeness of God.

Consequently, our love must know no bounds whether tribal, religious or cultural.

This is the truth we must uphold.

SAINT (S) OF THE DAY: ST. MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska was born on August 25, 1905, in Poland, to Stanislaw and Marianna Kowalska; her father was a carpenter, and the family lived in poverty. Born Helena Kowalska, she joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Warsaw at age 20, receiving the religious name Maria Faustina upon taking the habit - "Faustina" meaning "fortunate" or "blessed one," a feminine form of the name of an early Christian martyr, Faustinus.

Visions Met with Skepticism:

Faustina reported seeing visions of Jesus Christ, though many around her dismissed her accounts. She commissioned an artist to paint the first Divine Mercy image, based directly on the details of the vision she described.

Suppression and Restoration of the Devotion:

Concerns at the Vatican, arising largely from flawed early translations of her writings, led the Holy See to restrict promotion of the Divine Mercy devotion in 1959; this restriction was lifted in 1978, at the urging of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, then Archbishop of Krakow, who would soon be elected Pope John Paul II.

A Reported Healing:

A woman named Maureen Digan, of Massachusetts, reported being healed of lymphedema after praying at Faustina's tomb in March 1981 - a healing formally accepted by the Vatican in 1992 as authentic.

Death and Canonization:

Faustina died of tuberculosis on October 5, 1938. She was beatified on April 18, 1993, and canonized on April 30, 2000, both by Pope John Paul II, who honored her as the "Apostle of Divine Mercy" - a title reflecting the devotion that, once dismissed and later restricted, has since become one of the most widely practiced in the modern Catholic Church.

ST. MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA, PRAY FOR US



TODAY ROSARY: JOYFUL MYSTERY

COLOUR:

GREEN



MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS HIS WORD IN OUR HEARTS THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD, AMEN.

HERE IS WISHING YOU A GREAT DAY AND GLORIOUS WEEK AHEAD OUR DEAR BRETHREN.

ICP MEDIA TEAM

Photo Highlights from 07.30hrs Sunday Mass
04/10/2026

Photo Highlights from 07.30hrs Sunday Mass

04/10/2026

SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2026

FEAST OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (A)

Vestment: GREEN

TODAY’S ROSARY: THE GLORIOUS MYSTERY

VESPERS II OF THE 27TH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

CATECHETICAL WEEK BEGINS

THEME OF THE SUNDAY: THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD. THE FIRST READING AND THE GOSPEL USE THE IMAGE OF A VINEYARD. ISRAEL, SAYS ISAIAH, IS THE VINEYARD THAT THE LORD LOVED, BUT IT YIELDED ONLY SOUR GRAPES. JESUS TAKES UP THAT SAME IMAGE BUT WITH A DIFFERENCE: ISAIAH SAYS THAT THE VINEYARD WILL BE DESTROYED; JESUS STATES THAT THE TENANTS WILL BE REPLACED AND THE VINEYARD WILL BE KEPT. THE SECOND READINGS, TAKEN TOGETHER, COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER. THE SHORT PASSAGE FROM THE LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS CAN BE CONNECTED TO THE THEME OF THIS SUNDAY. PAUL INSISTS ON THE CONCRETE ASPECT OF CHRISTIAN LIFE. THE MARK OF AUTHENTICITY OF FAITH ARE THE WORKS OF LOVE; FRUITS THAT ALL APPRECIATE.

04/10/2026

CATHOLIC READINGS FOR SUNDAY OCTOBER 4TH 2026

SUNDAY IN THE TWENTY SEVENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)

CATECHETICAL WEEK BEGINS

SAINT (S) OF THE DAY: ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

THEME OF THE SUNDAY:

THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD.

The first reading and the gospel use the image of a vineyard.

Israel, says Isaiah, is the vineyard that the Lord loved, but it yielded only sour grapes.

Jesus takes up that same image but with a difference: Isaiah says that the vineyard will be destroyed; Jesus states that the tenants will be replaced and the vineyard will be kept.

The second readings, taken together, complement each other.

The short passage from the letter to the Philippians can be connected to the theme of this Sunday.

Paul insists on the concrete aspect of Christian life.

The mark of authenticity of faith are the works of love; fruits that all appreciate.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

Within your will, O Lord, all things are established and there is none that can resist your will. For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth, and all that is held within the circle of heaven; you are the Lord of all.

THE GLORIA

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you. We bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

COLLECT

Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us: to pardon what conscience dreads, and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. Through our Lord...

FIRST READING

The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.

A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 5:1-7)

Let me sing for my beloved a love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a w**e vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I beg you, between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?

When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry!

*The word of the Lord...*

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

PS 80:8 and 11.12-13.14-15 and 17b.18-19 (R. Isaiah 5:7a)

R/. The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.

You brought a vine out of Egypt;
You drove out the nations and planted it.
It stretched out its branches to the sea;
To the River it stretched out its shoots. R/.

Then why have you broken down its walls?
It is plucked by all who pass by the way.
It is ravaged by the boar of the forest,
Devoured by the beasts of the field. R/.

R/. The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore;
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted,
the son of man you have claimed for yourself. R/.

And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.
O Lord God of hosts, bring us back;
Let your face shine forth, and we shall be saved. R/.

SECOND READING

This do and the God of peace will be with you.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (Philippians 4:6-9)

Brethren: Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.

*The word of the Lord...*

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION...

ALLELUIA JOHN 15:16

Alleluia. I chose you from the world that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, says the Lord. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

He leased the vineyard to other tenants.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 21:33-43)

At that time: Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, “Hear another parable.

There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a w**e press in it, and built a tower, and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.

When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his ‘servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them.

“Afterwards he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.

*The Gospel of the Lord...*

THE CREED (I BELIEVE)

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

CELEBRANT:

Christ, the Lord of the vineyard, invites us to bear the fruits of his kingdom. In faith, let us ask him for the grace to be able to respond positively to this call.

FOR THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH: (Pause) that their lives may confirm with the Gospel they preach, and that they may be ever committed to sowing the seeds of faith, especially in those who do not believe in Christ. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord.

FOR OUR COUNTRY’S LEADERS: (Pause) that they may be filled with God’s love, so that through them, the language of love and dialogue may always prevail over the language of conflict. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord.

FOR ALL CHRIST’S FAITHFUL: (Pause) that they may be able to practice their faith in full freedom, and thus be enhanced in fulfilling their mission of bearing fruits of the kingdom of God. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord.

FOR ALL WORKERS: (Pause) that in their labour, they may cooperate with God’s grace and help protect the precious gift of creation, so that it may yield abundant fruits for the good of all. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord.

FOR OTHER INTENTIONS: (Pause) (the sick, church projects or other activities). (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord.

FOR THE DEAD, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF OUR PARISH COMMUNITY AND FAMILY MEMBERS: (Pause) that they may find eternal rest with the Lord. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord.

We pray in silence for our private intentions.

CELEBRANT:

God our heavenly Father, you chose us from the world that we may serve you faithfully all the days of our lives. Give us the grace to bear abundant fruits of love and, in your mercy, grant our earnest petitions. Through Christ our Lord.

R/. Amen.



REFLECTION: BY CATHOLIC LIFE

*The Stone We Reject*

Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.

Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." Matthew 21:42-43

Jesus speaks of a stone rejected by the builders that later becomes the cornerstone. The image is simple, but it carries a serious message. Builders examine stones and decide which ones are useful. A rejected stone is pushed aside because it does not seem to fit their plans. Yet the very stone they dismissed becomes the most important one.

Jesus is speaking about Himself. Many religious leaders had heard His teaching, witnessed His works, and knew the Scriptures. Yet when God stood before them in the person of Jesus, they resisted Him. He did not fit what they expected. His words challenged their authority, their assumptions, and the way they had grown used to practising their faith. Rather than allowing Him to change them, they rejected Him.

It is easy for us to read this Gospel and keep the problem safely in the past. We can wonder how anyone could have encountered Jesus and still failed to recognise Him. But the same danger can appear in our own lives in less obvious ways.

We may believe in Jesus and still build parts of our lives without Him. We make plans, form opinions, decide what success should look like, and choose what we think will make us secure. Then, when Christ’s teaching does not fit comfortably into those plans, we can start pushing His words aside. Forgiving someone feels unreasonable. Being generous feels inconvenient. Admitting that we were wrong hurts our pride. Choosing honesty may cost us something.

Trusting God when we cannot see the outcome can feel much harder than relying on ourselves.

We may not openly reject Jesus, but we can reject His place as the cornerstone.

A cornerstone is not decorative. It determines how the rest of the structure is built. If Christ is truly our cornerstone, He cannot simply be one part of life among many others. Our decisions, relationships, ambitions, use of money, treatment of people, and response to difficulties all need to take their direction from Him.

Jesus then speaks about producing fruit. This reminds us that faith is meant to become visible. Knowing Scripture matters. Prayer matters. Going to church matters. But our relationship with God should also shape how we live once the prayer ends and we return to ordinary life.

The fruit may appear in very ordinary moments. We hold back a hurtful reply even when we feel justified in sending it. We apologise instead of protecting our pride. We give someone another chance. We choose honesty when nobody would know otherwise.

We make time for a person who needs us. We refuse to join in when others are tearing someone down. We keep doing what is right even when there is no recognition for it.

None of this means we will produce good fruit perfectly. We will still fail, lose patience, make selfish choices, and discover parts of ourselves that need changing. The question is not whether our lives already look perfect. The question is what they are being built upon.

Jesus, the stone rejected by others, remains the cornerstone God has given us. When we keep returning to Him, even after failure, He can reshape what has grown crooked in us.

Faith then becomes more than something we say we have. Over time, it begins to produce something others can see.

Is there an area of your life where you have been asking Jesus to fit into your plans rather than allowing Him to guide them? What kind of fruit are your choices producing, and is there something you need to place back into His hands today?

Lord Jesus, You are the cornerstone of my life. Forgive me for the times I have pushed Your words aside because they challenged what I wanted. Help me build my choices upon You and let my faith bear good fruit in the way I speak, act, forgive, love, and serve.

Shape my heart so that my life reflects the faith I profess. Amen.


STILL ON REFLECTION:

Today the scripture tells us to turn from our wicked ways or face the justice of God.

When we, as creatures of God, begin to bear fruit of the evil one, there is a problem.

We practice religiosity so intensely yet our attitude towards others is questionably bad.

Isaiah makes a figurative expression of the expectation of God: justice and righteousness.

This is realizable when we follow the instructions of St. Paul in the second reading, to fill our hearts with whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious.

These virtues will guide and guard us in living a righteous life worthy of the plans God has for us.

Imbibing these virtues, we will never despise the word of God and his messengers like the tenants did in the Gospel text.

Do you treat the word of God with contempt, or disregard ministers of his word?

Never forget those you describe as non-entities in the discharge of their duties…..

God is interested in those; will you abuse them or speak to them with scorn?

When we turn from our wicked ways and fill our hearts with virtues, the fruits of blessedness will follow us, and God’s justice will look upon us with kindness, else we shall be deprived of the kingdom of God.

SAINT (S) OF THE DAY: ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

St. Francis of Assisi was born in 1181 in Assisi, in the Umbria region of Italy. His mother baptized him Giovanni, after John the Baptist, but his father, Pietro Bernardone, a prosperous cloth merchant who hoped his son would follow him into the family trade, renamed him Francesco.

A Vision and a Humiliating Return:

While traveling to join the Fourth Crusade, Francis experienced a vision in which God told him he had misunderstood his true calling and instructed him to return home.

When he did, the people of his village mocked him openly as a coward.

Encountering a L***r:

According to tradition, Francis once came face to face with a l***r and, overcoming his revulsion, dismounted his horse and kissed the man's hand.

When he later looked back, the l***r had vanished - an episode Francis came to regard as a genuine encounter with Christ Himself.

From that point, though born to considerable wealth, Francis began living an increasingly simple life, wearing only cast-off rags.

Popular Legends:

Among the best-loved traditions associated with Francis is the account of his preaching to a gathering of hundreds of birds, who reportedly remained motionless around him until he told them they were free to leave.

Another cherished story recounts his encounter with a wolf that had been attacking the people of a nearby town; through Francis's intervention, the wolf is said to have become a friend to the townsfolk and abandoned its former hunting of humans.

Papal Approval and the Stigmata:

Pope Innocent III granted Francis permission to preach. While praying on Mount La Verna on September 14, 1224, Francis received the stigmata- the wounds Christ suffered at His crucifixion - appearing on his own body.

Before the Sultan:

While accompanying the Fifth Crusade, Francis was captured and brought before the Sultan of Egypt.

According to tradition, the sultan told him, "I would convert to your religion, which is beautiful, but both of us would be killed for it" - a remarkable moment of mutual respect between two men on opposite sides of a bitter conflict.

Death and Canonization:

Francis died on October 3, 1226, at 45 years old. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 16, 1228, less than two years after his death - one of the swiftest canonizations in the history of the Church, reflecting the immense and immediate devotion his life had inspired.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, PRAY FOR US



TODAY ROSARY: GLORIOUS MYSTERY

COLOUR:

GREEN



MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS HIS WORD IN OUR HEARTS THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD, AMEN.

HAPPY SUNDAY, HERE IS WISHING YOU A NICE DAY AND GLORIOUS WEEK AHEAD OUR DEAR BRETHREN.

ICP MEDIA TEAM

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