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, May 10, 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, May 11 // Fourth Sunday of Easter
Monday, May 12 // Optional Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs; Optional Memorial of Saint Pancras, Martyr
Tuesday, May 13 // Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima
Wednesday, May 14 // Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
Thursday, May 15 // Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore [in the dioceses of the United States]
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
This Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday is our first with our newly elected shepherd Pope Leo XIV. He is the successor of our first pope, Saint Peter, and continues the mission of all the Apostles to evangelize the world. As members of the Church, we are a part of this mission, “For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47). In his first papal homily, Pope Leo echoed these words of Saint Paul, “This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which[. . .] we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour" (source).
All throughout the Old Testament, God draws a parallel between His relationship with His chosen people Israel and that of a shepherd and his sheep. “Know that the LORD is God,” the Psalmist writes. “He made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends” (Psalm 100:3). Jesus is the Good Shepherd and His sheep hear His voice: “I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). He came to Shepherd all humanity back to Him, and He does this through His Church. Let us pray for our new holy father, that under his leadership “the word of the Lord [will continue] to spread” (Acts 13:48). Let us trust in the care of our Good Shepherd who has given us the Church to help us “remain faithful to the grace of God” (Acts 13:43), for He the Lamb Who has washed us white in His blood has come for “every nation, race, people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9). May our lives be witnesses of joyful faith.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter:
First Reading // Acts 13:14, 43-52
Psalm // Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5
Second Reading // Revelation 7:9, 14b-17
Gospel // John 10:27-30
Prayer Practice // What was the last thing the Good Shepherd spoke to your heart?
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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