Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Thus says the Lord GOD,
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
"This is the way; walk in it,"
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (see Isaiah 30:18d) Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Alleluia Isaiah 33:22
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The LORD is our Judge, our Lawgiver, our King;
he it is who will save us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest."
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."
- Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Nicholas, Bishop
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, January 25, 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, January 25 (today!)// Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle
Sunday, January 26 // Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday, January 27 // Optional Memorial of Saint Angela Merici, Virgin
Tuesday, January 28 //Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Friday, January 31, 2025 // Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
In the Gospel for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Saint Luke tells us that he “decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you” (Luke 1:3). He acknowledges that others who were eyewitnesses, have already done so, but he felt called to share his perspective, to speak to people and share their part in the narrative, and to give us stories such as the nativity of Saint John the Baptist and the Annunciation. He saw that, following in the footsteps of Jesus, he was anointed to bring “glad tidings” (Luke 4:18). Luke’s traveling companion, Saint Paul, tells us in the Second Reading that each and every one of us is “necessary” to the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:22).
Like Saint Luke, our telling of Christ’s story and our experience of Him in our own lives is important. At our Baptism, we were given the gift of prophecy to proclaim the truth of God’s love, and we were sent out like the apostles at our Confirmation. Our smallest acts of love can become mighty deeds that bring about the Lord’s healing in hearts that are wounded. Our tongues can interpret God’s message in a way no one else can proclaim it (see 1 Corinthians 12:28-30). Like the people returned from exile in First Reading from Nehemiah, there are people who have not heard the good news of God’s love, and the day you speak it to them will be “holy to our LORD” (Nehemiah 8:10). And as we do so, may the words of our mouths and the thoughts of our hearts find favor before the Lord (see Psalm 19:15).
I am praying you know His love for you, dear sister.
With You In Christ’s Body,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time:
First Reading // Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm // Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15
Second Reading // 1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Gospel // Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Prayer Practice // Ask the Lord to show you where He is calling you to speak the Gospel to others this week, both through your loving actions and charitable words.
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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