Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist
Reading 1 1 John 1:1-4
Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life —
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us—
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Alleluia See Te Deum
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel John 20:1a and 2-8
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Saturday, July 19, 2025
Happy Saturday, friend! We are so excited to share with you what's coming up this week as we all prepare our hearts by praying with readings for Sunday, the day of rest with our Lord.
Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days
Sunday, July 20 // Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday, July 21 // Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Tuesday, July 22 // Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
Wednesday, July 23 // Optional Memorial of Saint Bridget of Sweden, Religious
Thursday, July 24 // Optional Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest
Friday, July 25 // Feast of Saint James, Apostle
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
On the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Readings teach us about two key parts of our growth in holiness: being present to the Lord in both the active life of service and the contemplative life of prayer. The sisters Martha and Mary in the Gospel model these two ways for us. Martha serves the Lord in her work, showing us the importance of attending to our duties. When she is “burdened with much serving,” she brings her cares to the Lord, and He reminds her of her need to be in His presence (Luke 10:40-41). Mary, with her “better part,” sits at the Lord’s feet and shows us how to pray (Luke 10:42).
In the First Reading, the Lord appears to Abraham as three men, which points us to the reality of God as a Trinity. Abraham welcomes the Lord, offers rest and refreshment, and waits “on them under the tree while they [eat]” (Genesis 18:8). We see in Abraham how to both be present to the Lord and serve the Lord. The Psalmist tells us, “He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord” (Psalm 15:1). Everything we do is meant to be done with hearts present to the Trinity Who has dwelled within us since our Baptisms. The Lord’s presence in us “bring[s] to completion for [us] the word of God” (Colossians 1:25). From the beginning, the Lord has desired for us to be united to Him, and because God became a Man, died, and rose, we can now be made “perfect in Christ” (Colossians 1:28).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:
First Reading // Genesis 18:1-10a
Responsorial Psalm // Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5
Second Reading // Colossians 1:24-28
Gospel // Luke 10:38-42
Susanna Spencer holds a master's in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the Devotions Editor for Blessed is She. She is a freelance writer and editor and a teacher-in-training living with her philosopher husband and four kids in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She loves reading theology, attending beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious food, and casually following baseball. She is the author of the Gospel Studies including Seek His Kingdom: A Meditation on Matthew , Listen to Him: A Meditation on Mark, and Abide in His Love: A Meditation on John. She was narrator for Found: Advent With the Good Shepherd and Rescued: Lent With the Lamb of God and a contributing author and editor for our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. She was the Theological Editor of the Blessed Conversations Studies. Find out more about her here.
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