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, 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!
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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