Saturday, October 25, 2025
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
Last Sunday, the Readings encouraged us to persevere in prayer. On the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Church has given us Readings that tell us how we should pray. We hear that “the one who serves God willingly is heard” and the “prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds” (Sirach 35:16). When we seek the Lord’s will in our daily lives, He will help us follow Him. We may not have many outward, material blessings, but when we live His call for us, He will give us what we need to stay close to Him and to be with Him forever. Our hope in this life is to keep the faith, like Saint Paul in the Second Reading, to compete well and to finish the race. The Lord will stand by us and give us strength (see 2 Timothy 4:17).
In the Gospel, Jesus shows us an example of two people praying before God. The first is self-reliant and justifies himself before God. The second realizes that he is a sinner, that all that he has came first from God and that only God can redeem him. The Lord desires us to rely on Him. He has given us all we have and are, and wants us to give ourselves back to Him in trust and love. Sister, lean into the Lord’s grace as you seek to follow Him each day. Remind yourself that you are the poor, the weak one who has nothing without Him. And when you are one of the poor, the Lord will hear your cry; and your soul will “glory in the LORD” (Psalm 34:3).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time:
First Reading // Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18
Psalm // Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23
Second Reading // 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Gospel // Luke 18:9-14
Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days
Sunday, October 26 // Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday, October 28 // Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
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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