Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
Reading 1 Isaiah 7:10-14
The LORD spoke to Ahaz:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary men,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
R. (see 7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Key of David,
opening the gates of God's eternal Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
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, December 21, 2024 //
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, December 21 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Sunday, December 22 // Fourth Sunday of Advent
Monday, December 23 // Optional Memorial of Saint John of Kanty, Priest
Wednesday, December 25 // The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) (Holy Day of Obligation!)
Thursday, December 26 // Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr
Friday, December 27 // Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
Tomorrow is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and the urgency of our waiting is reaching its height. “Rouse your power and come to save us” (Psalm 80:3), our hearts will cry out with the Psalmist at Mass this weekend. We know our weakness, we know we cannot do it on our own as we plead with the Lord, “make us turn to you” (Psalm Response). In the Gospel, Mary, our Blessed Mother, travels in haste to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary is also hastening to us, bringing us her Son, the One Who will save us. Will our hearts leap as we hear her greeting? Let us respond with the faith of Elizabeth: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42).
Mary, a model for all of us, is “blessed” because she believes in the promises that were spoken to her by the angel. She responded by accepting the Lord’s will for her. And through her yes, the prophecy of Micah from the First Reading was fulfilled with Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. The author of Hebrews tells us how Christ had the same response to the Father, saying, “Behold, I come to do your will” (Hebrew 10:9). The Lord desires the same response from us, to humbly—with the Son who became Man and with His Mother—say to the Lord that we want to do His will. Let us be found among the flock this Christmas drawing on the strength of our Shepherd, Who draws His strength from the Father (see Micah 5:3). I am ready to be saved. Are you?
I am praying for you this week, dear sister.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent:
First Reading // Micah 5:1-4a
Responsorial Psalm // Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Second Reading // Hebrews 10:5-10
Gospel // Luke 1:39-45
Prayer Practice // How is the Lord inviting you to say yes in this season? Ask for Mary’s intercession to help you offer it to Jesus.
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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