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 20, 2025
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
“Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory” (Psalm 24: 7c, 10b). Christmas is so close, we can almost feel it, but still we wait on the cusp of hope for the gift of our God coming as a little Baby. On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, Saint Paul writes to us about what God “promised previously through his prophets in the Holy Spirit” which is “the gospel about his Son descended from David according to the flesh, but established as the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness” (Romans 1:3-4). Jesus is both God and Man and entered our world through our Blessed Mother’s yes to God’s request of her. The prophet Isaiah foretold this birth long before it came about writing that “the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Emmanuel—“God is with us.” In the Gospel, we hear Saint Joseph described as a righteous man, meaning he wants to follow the law of God and to do what is right. He is afraid and uncertain when Mary is found with the Child. How often do we fear God’s will or do not understand His plan for us even when we want to do the right thing? We can relate to Joseph’s uncertainty. Waiting for Christmas, for God to fulfill His plan of salvation for the world, is also a time for us to wait for the fulfillment of His promise to us. God is with us now, just as He was with Mary and Joseph. The words of the Gospel are for us too: “[D]o not be afraid” (Matthew 1:20). Do not be afraid, sister, to do what God is asking of you. He will give you the grace you need.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent:
First Reading // Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm // Psalm 24:1-6, 7, 10
Second Reading // Romans 1:1-7
Gospel // Matthew 1:18-24
Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days
Sunday, December 21 // Fourth Sunday of Advent
Wednesday, December 24 // Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent // Christmas Eve
Thursday, December 25 // The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) // Holy Day of Obligation
Friday, December 26 // Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr
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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