Saturday, June 14, 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, June  15 // The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Thursday, June 19 // Optional Memorial of Saint Romuald, Abbot Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,God created the earth so that we might have a relationship with Him, that His creatures may say yes to Him and love Him in return. This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. We contemplate the reality that our God is three Divine Persons in one. The Father is eternally pouring Himself into the Son and the Son eternally pouring Himself out in love in return, and from this endless love the Holy Spirit proceeds. The love is so excessive that our God wanted to create us and share this love with us. The Psalmist asks in wonder, “What is man that you should be mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:5)  Before anything was created, His Wisdom was there ready to find “delight in the human race” (Proverbs 8:31).  God created us in His image—to have the likeness of the Trinity, “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts” (Romans 5:5). And as the love is poured into us, we are meant to pour His love into others. The Holy Spirit will help us, showing us how to love others as He loves others. The Spirit “will guide [us] in all truth” (John 16:13), doing so from Pentecost until now and beyond. Jesus has given us all that the Father has given Him (see John 16:14-15). Let us dwell on that truth—let us be covered in God’s love and let it transform us more and more into His likeness, so that we may be crowned “with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:6). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity:  First Reading // Proverbs 8:22-31 Responsorial Psalm // Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Second Reading // Romans 5:1-5 Gospel // John 16:12-15  

Saturday, June 7, 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, June 8 // Solemnity of Pentecost Monday, June 9 // Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church  Wednesday, June 11 // Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle Friday, June 13 //Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On tomorrow’s Solemnity of Pentecost, the Church remembers the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room as upon the heads of the Apostles and the Blessed Mother “there appeared to them tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3). These tongues represented the presence of the Holy Spirit in each of them, and from that moment, instead of hiding in fear in the Upper Room, they had the courage to preach to the whole world the truth about Jesus. This same Spirit dwells in each of us today with the Father and the Son. The Trinity first came to dwell in us at our Baptism and the Holy Spirit was strengthened in us at Confirmation and “will teach [us] everything” (John 14:26). We can rely on the Holy Spirit to give us all we need to keep the Lord’s commandments (see John 14:15). The Psalmist pleads with the Lord this Sunday to “send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth” (Psalm 104:30). No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, we know that staying close to God requires constant renewal. We have to recommit to Him every day,  spend regular time in prayer, and receive the Sacraments. When we neglect these, the breath of the Lord cannot remain with us. We want to stay close to Him and live “by the Spirit” so that we may be adopted children and joint heirs with Christ, suffering in this life with Him, “so that we may be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17). We must embrace the Holy Spirit in our lives today and every day.In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for Pentecost Sunday (Mass during the Day):  First Reading // Acts 2:1-11 Psalm // Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 Second Reading (2nd Option) // Romans 8:8-17 Gospel (2nd Option) // John 14:15-16, 23b-26  

Saturday, May 31, 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 Saturday, May 31 (today!) // Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary  Sunday, June 1 // Solemnity of the Ascension // or Seventh Sunday of Easter [In Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, and Philadelphia] Monday, June 2 // Optional Memorial of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs Tuesday, June 3 // Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs Thursday, June 5 // Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr Friday, June 6 // Optional Memorial of Saint Norbert, Bishop Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  In the readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (which is celebrated tomorrow in most dioceses),  we can imagine ourselves standing among the Apostles, watching as Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). We can trace Jesus’ time on earth from the Incarnation to the Ascension, seeing how He redeemed every part of our human existence: in the womb, in His birth, in His obedience to His parents, in His work as a carpenter, in how He entered into the joy and suffering of all He encountered in His ministry, and finally in His suffering and death as He took on all of our sin. And now we are among those “who believe, in accord with the exercise of [the Father’s] great might which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion” (Ephesians 1:19-21).   Our King is in Heaven and His reign is forever. It is easy to forget this when we get caught up in the toils of daily life. But He wants us to live as people who know He redeemed every part of our lives and sits beside His Father “not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21). He wants us to worship Him this Sunday and then return to our homes and daily work, like the Apostles returned to Jerusalem, “with great joy” (Luke 24:52). The Easter season may be almost over, but the time of joy is always here, for our “God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy” (Psalm 47:6). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord:  First Reading // Acts 1:1-11 Psalm // Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 Second Reading (1st Option)  // Ephesians 1:17-23 Gospel // Luke 24:46-53 Prayer Practice // Ask for an increase of joy so that you might experience more of the Risen Christ’s life in your daily life.  

Saturday, May 24, 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, May 25 // Sixth Sunday of Easter Monday, May 26 // Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest Tuesday, May 27 // Optional Memorial of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop Thursday, May 28 // Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter // Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord [In Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, and Philadelphia] Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On this  Sixth Sunday of Easter we are plopped into the Acts of the Apostles in the middle of a discussion among the Apostles, our first bishops, about the Christian Gentiles, and whether they should be obliged to follow the laws of the Old Covenant. When Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Holy Orders, He promised that, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (John 14:26). Acts shows us how the Holy Spirit is at work in the early Church and how the prophecy found in today’s Psalm is fulfilled, so that the Lord’s “way [would] be known upon earth” and “among all nations, [His] salvation” (Psalm 67:3). The Holy Spirit still works in the Church today. We must trust that God will bring about His will despite the human failings of our leaders, just like He did with Peter and James, whose failings we see in the Gospels. We can thank Jesus for the Church, for through its ministers at our Baptisms He fulfills His promise to us, that “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14:23). And we can hope for the day when we will worship Him with the whole Church in the heavenly Jerusalem without mediation when the “temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22).  In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter:  First Reading // Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 Psalm // Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 Second Reading // Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 Gospel // John 14:23-29 Prayer Practice // What do you love about being Catholic? Thank Jesus for that today.  

Saturday, May 17, 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, May 18 // Fifth Sunday of Easter Tuesday, May 20 // Optional Memorial of Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest Wednesday, May 21 // Optional Memorial of Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs Thursday, May 22 // Optional Memorial of Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On this Fifth Sunday of Easter we read about the great love God has for us, like that of a husband for his bride. He wants to be with us, to love us to the end. Saint John writes, “He will dwell with them and they will be his people” (Revelation 21:3). He has modeled for us what this love looks like, a love poured out, one that glorifies God. In the Gospel we are given part of Jesus’ teaching from the Last Supper. As He prepares to go and lay down His life for us, He tells us, “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34).  He wants us to be filled with His own love; that is the virtue of charity. With this love, He wants to make us and “all things new” (Revelation 21:5a). And He does not want us to keep this Good News to ourselves. He has a unique call for each of us to spread the truth of His love. When Saints Paul and Barnabas exhort us that “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22), they want us to know that it will not be easy. But it will be worth it. The Lord dwells with us now and He wants to come to dwell in everyone. He has chosen us to bring the truth of His great love to the whole world. May we accept the grace to “make known [the Lord’s] might to the children of Adam, and the glorious splendor of [His] kingdom” (Psalm 145:12). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter:  First Reading // Acts 14:21-27 Psalm // Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13 Second Reading // Revelation 21:1-5a Gospel // John 13:31-33a, 34-35 Prayer Practice // How will you choose to love like Christ today?  

Saturday, May 10, 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, May 11 // Fourth Sunday of Easter Monday, May 12 // Optional Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs; Optional Memorial of Saint Pancras, Martyr Tuesday, May 13 //  Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima Wednesday, May 14 // Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle Thursday, May 15 // Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore [in the dioceses of the United States] Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  This Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday is our first with our newly elected shepherd Pope Leo XIV. He is the successor of our first pope, Saint Peter, and continues the mission of all the Apostles to evangelize the world. As members of the Church, we are a part of this mission, “For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47). In his first papal homily, Pope Leo echoed these words of Saint Paul, “This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which[. . .] we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour" (source). All throughout the Old Testament, God draws a parallel between His relationship with His chosen people Israel and that of a shepherd and his sheep. “Know that the LORD is God,” the Psalmist writes. “He made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends” (Psalm 100:3). Jesus is the Good Shepherd and His sheep hear His voice: “I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). He came to Shepherd all humanity back to Him, and He does this through His Church. Let us pray for our new holy father, that under his leadership “the word of the Lord [will continue] to spread” (Acts 13:48). Let us trust in the care of our Good Shepherd who has given us the Church to help us “remain faithful to the grace of God” (Acts 13:43), for He the Lamb Who has washed us white in His blood has come for “every nation, race, people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9). May our lives be witnesses of joyful faith. In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter:  First Reading // Acts 13:14, 43-52 Psalm // Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5 Second Reading // Revelation 7:9, 14b-17 Gospel // John 10:27-30 Prayer Practice // What was the last thing the Good Shepherd spoke to your heart?   

Saturday, May 3, 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 Saturday, May 3 (today!) // Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles Sunday, May 4 // Third Sunday of Easter Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  The Third Sunday of Easter gives us a vision of heavenly worship of the “Lamb that was slain” (Revelation 5:12), worship we join in with each and every Mass and worship we hope to be a part of for eternity. But for now, we often find ourselves like the Apostles in the boat, fishing all night without catching a thing. The Lord’s will for us is not always explicit, so we often do what we think is best based on our gifts and talents. Yet, when we do not rely on Him, we often catch nothing. Then the Lord comes with the light, and tells us where to “cast the net” (John 21:6). We have to learn the lesson again and again that only when we cast our net with Him will we make a catch.  The Apostles are given strict orders by the Sanhedrin in the First Reading to “stop teaching in that name” (Acts 5:28). When we follow Christ, and “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), we will find that the world is against us. When these things happen and like Saint Peter, we are led where we do not want to go (see John 21:18), we must remember that this world is not for us. Our time in the boat of life is brief, and soon we will be with Jesus on those heavenly shores and praising the Lord with the choirs in Heaven, Who has “brought [us] up from the netherworld” (Psalm 30:4). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Third Sunday of Easter:  First Reading // Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41 Psalm // Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13 Second Reading // Revelation 5:11-14 Gospel // John 21:1-19 Prayer Practice // Where is the Lord inviting you to cast your nets again?

Saturday, April 26, 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 Saturday, April 26 // Saturday in the Octave of Easter Sunday, April 27 // Second Sunday of Easter // Sunday of Divine Mercy Monday, April 28 //Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, Optional Memorial of Saint Louis Mary de Montfort, Priest Tuesday, April 29 // Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church Wednesday, April 30 // Optional Memorial of Saint Pius V, Pope, religious Thursday, May 1 // Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker Friday, May 2 // Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On this Divine Mercy Sunday of the Second Sunday of Easter we find ourselves in the Upper Room. Will we believe what Saint John the Evangelist wrote down for us? Are his words that he wrote enough for us to believe, “and through this belief [. . .] have life in [Jesus’] name” (John 20:31)? Jesus tells us that we are blessed because we “have not seen and have believed” (John 20:29). Sometimes though, we want to be like Saint Thomas the Apostle and reach into the Lord’s side, the side from which His Blood along with water poured out with mercy for the whole world. We hear about the signs and wonders done by the Apostles in Jerusalem after Pentecost (see Acts 5:12), and we want to witness a miracle ourselves.  But sister, we often overlook the miracle of mercy that is before us every Sunday, the Sacrifice made present before us on the altar, the Death which gives us life. Jesus was dead, “but now He is alive forever” (Revelation 19:17). He wants us to join Him, to be with Him forever. He wants us to experience His pierced side in the Eucharist, and as the priest raises the consecrated host, cry out in our hearts with Saint Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) This miracle occurs every single day on countless altars around the world. May we always pray, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it” (Psalm 118:24). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Second Sunday of Easter:  First Reading // Acts 5:12-16 Psalm // Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 Second Reading // Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19 Gospel // John 20:19-31 Prayer Practice // How is Jesus inviting you to believe without seeing in this season?  

Saturday, April 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 Saturday, April 19 (today!) // Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil April 20 // Easter Sunday of The Resurrection of the Lord April 21 // Monday in the Octave of Easter April 22 // Tuesday in the Octave of Easter April 23 //Wednesday in the Octave of Easter April 24 // Thursday in the Octave of Easter April 25  // Friday in the Octave of Easter Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  Today is Holy Saturday, a day when the tabernacles in Catholic churches all over the world stand open and empty. The altars are stripped bare, and we wait beside the tomb, which we know will be empty tomorrow on Easter Sunday, as empty as the tabernacles of today. But for now let us rest here and wait with all of creation, which anticipates tomorrow. Then tomorrow, as Mary of Magdala does in the Gospel, we go to the tomb “early in the morning” while it is “still dark” (John 20:1). Tomorrow we can follow her back to the Apostles and hear her worried report. Tomorrow we can run back with Peter and the other disciple and see the burial cloths and believe (see John 20:8).  But for today, let us hide with Jesus in the Tomb. We can tuck our hearts into His pierced side and ask Him for all that is sinful in us to die with Him. In doing this our “life is hidden with Christ in God,” and we know that tomorrow we will be “raised with Christ” and will have good reason to hope to one day “appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1, 3-4). And when He rises, we can be bold like Saint Peter in bearing witness to the whole world (see Acts 10:39), that those of us who believe “shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (Psalm 118:17).  In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Resurrection of the Lord (Mass of Easter Day):  First Reading // Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm // Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Second Reading // Colossians 3:1-4 Gospel // John 20:1-9 Prayer Practice // How will you rest and wait with hope today?   

Saturday, April 12, 2025Happy 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 April 13 // Palm Sunday of Passion of the Lord April 14 // Monday of Holy Week April 15 // Tuesday of Holy Week April 16 // Wednesday of Holy Week April 17 // Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper April 18 // Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  We are about to enter into the holiest week of the year, beginning with tomorrow, Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord. Before Mass even begins, the priest will bless palms and read from the Gospel of Luke, which tells of Jesus’ glorious entrance into Jerusalem. First, He goes on to the Mount of Olives, anticipating His Agony in the Garden. Will we join in the praise tomorrow of our Savior Who is ready to die for us, to give His “back to those who beat” Him and His “cheeks to those who plucked [His] beard” (Isaiah 50:6)? Will we stay with Him when He cries out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Psalm 22:2a) This week is the reason He became a Man. In giving us His life, He teaches us how to live—to empty ourselves and humble ourselves, to give all for love of God (see Philippians 2:7-8). When you hear the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Luke tomorrow at Mass, imagine yourself in the scene. Will you be beside Jesus the whole time consoling Him? Can you imagine following Him beside His sorrowful Mother or weeping with the women of Jerusalem? Stand in the crowd and witness how your sins have condemned the One Whom you ought to love. Cry with Peter after denying Jesus. Hang beside the good thief and ask Jesus to remember you. Prepare Jesus’s body for burial with Joseph and lay Him in the tomb. This week is for you. In Christ’s Love, Susanna   Read the readings for the Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord (Year C) //  Gospel at the Procession with Palms // Luke 19:28-40First Reading // Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm // Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 Second Reading // Philippians 2:6-11 Gospel // Luke 22:14–23:56 Prayer Practice // Where in the Passion do you feel drawn to remain with Jesus this Holy Week?  

Saturday, April 5, 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 Saturday, April 5 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint Vincent Ferrer, Priest Sunday, April 6 // Fifth Sunday of Lent Monday, April 7 // Optional Memorial of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Priest Friday, April 11 // Memorial of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop, Martyr Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  As we come to the Fifth Sunday of Lent tomorrow, let us keep pace with Saint Paul and “continue [our] pursuit toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14), that of following through on our Lenten commitments. In them we are “sharing of [Christ’s] sufferings by being conformed to his death,” and with Saint Paul we hope to “attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11). At this point in Lent,  we might ask ourselves, Why should I keep giving this good thing up?  It is too much effort for two more weeks! But the Lord reminds us that, “Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing” (Psalm 126:5). We cannot avoid suffering in this life and we know we become better by taking sacrifices voluntarily, and all of it can be joined with Jesus’—our own Savior’s— suffering.  When we join with Him in suffering in Lent, we will find truth in His words, “I put water in the desert, and rivers in the wasteland, for my chosen people to drink” (Isaiah 43:20). This water is grace, which restores us to be more in union with Him. We meet Him there and He tells us, “See, I am doing something new!” (Isaiah 43:19) And when we let His grace wash over we will find when we are brought before Him sinful and sorrowful at the end of our lives, that He will say to us like He did to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11). In Christ’s Love, Susanna   Read the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C):  First Reading // Isaiah 43:16-21 Psalm // Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6. Second Reading // Philippians 3:8-14 Gospel // John 8:1-11 Prayer Practice // What “new thing” is the Lord doing this Lent? Share your Lenten prayer with a friend.  

Saturday, March 29, 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, March 30 // Fourth Sunday of Lent Wednesday, April 2 // Optional Memorial of Saint Francis of Paola, Hermit Friday, April 4  // Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  “Look to him that you may be radiant with joy” (Psalm 34:6), the Psalmist tells us on this Laetare (“Rejoice!”) Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. When we called Him, He answered us and saved us from all our distress. Saint Paul tells us how God sent His Son to reconcile “the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:18), more than restoring what was lost in the Garden of Eden. For in Christ we are “a new creation: the old things have passed away” and “new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Yet, despite all of this, we still wander away.  We take our inheritance of grace, and like the prodigal son in the Gospel, we squander it. The grace is always there waiting for us, but we make ourselves impenetrable to it, cutting ourselves off through sin. The parable, though, does not end there. For like the prodigal son, we can pick ourselves up and stumble back to the Father, with the words on our lips that we “no longer deserve to be called your son” or daughter (Luke 15:19). But the Father loves us too much to leave us as servants; He takes off the robe of His divine life and wraps it around our shoulders. And then we feast with Him off the fruits of the Promised Land, for He has “removed the reproach of Egypt from you” (Joshua 5:9). Sister, this and every Sunday we can “taste and see the goodness of the Lord” (Psalm 34:9a) in the glory of the Mass and glorify Him for all He has done for us. In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year C):  First Reading // Joshua 5:9a, 10-12 Psalm // Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 Second Reading // 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Gospel // Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Prayer Practice // How is your joy? Take an inventory of all the blessings and graces this past week (or so far this Lent) and give thanks!  

Saturday, March 22, 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, March 23 // Third Sunday of Lent Tuesday, March 25 // Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On the Third Sunday of Lent, Jesus tells us a parable about a fig tree in an orchard, one that is bearing no fruit. When the owner of the orchard decides to cut it down, the gardener asks for another chance for the tree, saying, “I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future” (Luke 13:8-9). Sister, we are like fig trees in the orchard of the Church, and Jesus is our Gardener. During Lent especially, He wants to cultivate the ground of our hearts to fertilize us with His Word and grace. He wants to help us to repent of our old ways and bear fruit. As we press on through the first half of Lent, let us be careful to not let the spiritual fertilizer being offered to us go to waste. We are warned by Saint Paul about how the Israelites were not faithful even as the Lord nourished them, grumbling and falling into temptation. The Lord knows our afflictions. He sees our struggles. Like He did for those in slavery in Egypt, “I AM who am,” Who is existence and the source of all created things, wants to lead us to “a good and spacious land” (Exodus 3:14, 3:8), to be united forever with Him. When we stay close to the Lord and His mercy, we will be able to join the Psalm and praise the Lord, Who “redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion” (Psalm 103:4). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent (Year C):  First Reading // Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 Psalm // Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11. Second Reading // 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 Gospel // Luke 13:1-9 Prayer Practice // What bad fruit is the Lord asking to prune in your heart and life this Lent? What good fruit is being cultivated?  

Saturday, March 15, 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, March 16 // Second Sunday of Lent Monday, March 17 // Optional Memorial of Saint Patrick, Bishop Tuesday, March 18 // Optional Memorial of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Wednesday, March 19 // Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister, Last Sunday we compared Lent to a desert; on the Second Sunday of Lent the Church compares our time of Lent to a mountain. In the Gospel, we go with Jesus, Peter, John, and James “up the mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28).  Jesus is transfigured before them as the Father proclaims, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him” (Luke 9:35). While the Transfiguration demonstrates the divinity of Jesus, it also points to a truth about the Lord’s will for us. Saint Paul tells us that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). As adopted children of God, adopted into the promise of Abraham, the Lord wants to transfigure us as well. He will transform us in this life to be united with Him, and He will ultimately “change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body” at the end of time  (Philippians 3:21). This Lent, let us continue to “wait for the LORD with courage,” believing that we “shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13-14). The Lord has proved His promise to us through His Sacrifice on the Cross, one that Abram anticipates in his offering of “a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon” (Genesis 15:9). Abram’s sacrifice was first fulfilled in the Law given to Moses, and finally by Jesus Himself. Let us live into that promise, believing that as baptized Christians, we are meant to be one of the stars of Abram’s descendants.In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent:  First Reading // Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 Psalm // Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14. Second Reading // Philippians 3:17-4:1 Gospel // Luke 9:28b-36 Prayer Practice // How have you been transfigured into Christ’s likeness? How do you hope to be transfigured in this season?

Saturday, March 8, 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 Saturday, March 8 (today) // Optional Memorial of Saint John of God, Religious Sunday, March 9 // First Sunday of Lent Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13), Saint Paul writes to us on this First Sunday of Lent. In these Readings we see the merciful Heart of the Lord, hearing us, pursuing us, dying for us to be close to Him. He wants to lead us from the desert of our sin into the Promised Land. Jesus in the Gospel goes out to the desert for forty days, and we join Him there during Lent. While He goes to pray, He also encounters temptations—ones that appeal to His human needs and desires. And because His human will was always completely aligned to His divine will, He rebukes the tempter. But we, dear sister, are only human.   When we are tempted in the desert of our lives, we must rely on God’s help. In the First Reading, Moses tells the Israelites what to say when offering the first fruits of the Promised Land to the priest: “[The LORD] heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 26:7-8). We can relate to these words, as we remember all the times the Lord has forgiven our sins, delivered us in moments of temptation, and brought us deeper into His Heart, which is for us a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Deuteronomy 26:9) and blood and water flowing from His wounded side. Let us cling to Him, and He will deliver us (see Psalm 91:14). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the First Sunday of Lent:  First Reading // Deuteronomy 26:4-10 Psalm // Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 Second Reading // Romans 10:8-13 Gospel // Luke 4:1-13 Prayer Practice // What temptations are you already facing this Lent? Tell Jesus about your struggles and ask Him to lead you through.  

Saturday, March 1, 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, March 2 // Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday, March 3 // Optional Memorial of Saint Katharine Drexel, Virgin [In the Dioceses of the United States] Tuesday, March 4 // Optional Memorial of Saint Casimir Wednesday, March 5 // Ash Wednesday (Fasting and Abstinence Day!) Friday, March 7 // Optional Memorial of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs   Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On this Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time the opening words of the First Reading show us our need for healing: “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks” (Sirach 27:4). How often do we respond to trials with complaints and excuses, revealing the depths of our ingratitude? Jesus echoes this theme in the Gospel, proclaiming that “from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). The words that we speak and the things we do reveal our true character. As we begin the season of Lent this Wednesday with the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we will likely see more of our failings uncovered. But this is no reason to lose hope, for Saint Paul reminds us that, “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54).  We can dive into this season with renewed purpose. In our prayer we can “give thanks to the LORD” and “sing praise to [His] name, Most High” (Psalm 92:2), forming new habits in our speech. In our fasting we can ask the Lord to help us to “remove the wooden beams from [our] eye first” (Luke 6:42). And as we give alms, we can detach ourselves from worldly things and be “planted in the house of the Lord,” so that we will be the good tree of the Gospel which bears good fruit. And as we fast, may we proclaim God’s “kindness at dawn and [His] faithfulness throughout the night” (Psalm 92:3).In Christ’s Love, Susanna   Read the readings for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Sirach 27:4-7 Psalm //Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 Second Reading // 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 Gospel // Luke 6:39-45 Prayer Practice // Spend time seeking Jesus’ Heart in prayer today. How is He inviting you to pray, fast, and give alms this coming Lent?  

Saturday, February 22, 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 Saturday, February 22 (today!) // Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle Sunday, February 23 // Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Thursday, February 27 // Optional Memorial of Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time we are shown much about the Lord’s great mercy toward us. We hear in the Psalm, “Not according to our sins does he deal with us” (Psalm 103:10). In the First Reading we enter right into the story of David fleeing from King Saul, who is unjustly seeking to kill David. David finds himself with an opportunity to kill the king in his sleep and chooses not to (see 1 Samuel 26:9, 12). While David knows he is destined to be king after Saul, he is not willing to take matters into his own hands. He knows that the Lord will make any wrong right again. David’s act of mercy prefigures the mercy which Jesus has shown to us, and David’s inspired words in the Psalm show us how to receive the Lord’s mercy with gratitude and praise. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). Yet, we often forget the Lord’s mercy when we are hurt by others. Jesus tells us to “love [our] enemies and do good to them” (Luke 6:35). We are to be as merciful as the Father, the Father Who sent His Son to be the new Adam, so that we can be forgiven, become His anointed ones in Baptism, and “bear the image of the heavenly one” (1 Corinthians 15:49).In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time:  First Reading // 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23 Psalm // Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13 Second Reading // 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 Gospel // Luke 6:27-38 Prayer Practice // Where do you need to receive mercy? Where are you being invited to offer mercy?