Saturday, December 13, 2025
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
Gaudete! Rejoice! The liturgy for this Third Sunday of Advent reminds us to rejoice in our hopeful waiting for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. The First Reading is soaked through with this hope promising that “[t]he desert and the parched land will exult” (Isaiah 35:1). We may feel dry and worn out now, but the Lord is doing something great in our lives now, just as He did in those days He walked in Israel, when John the Baptist sent word to ask Who Jesus was. Jesus’ response in the Gospel is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, who promised that when the Savior came, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the deaf ears be clear; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing” (Isaiah 35: 5-6). The people of Jesus’ day witnessed these very things happening around them both in physical healings and in deeper, whole person healings.
Sister, the Lord is still working His healing power in the world. Our coming celebration of Christmas is an annual reminder of His healing love for us. There are many ways in which we are blind, deaf, and lame—unable to see the truth, hear God’s word clearly, and do the Lord’s work as we are called. The Lord offers us special grace at Christmas, the grace of healing. From the moment our God became Man, He began the work of our redemption. This Advent, pray to be set free from your captivity to your sins and inability to trust in Him (see Psalm 146:7). He will come soon. And as the world swirls around you, “[y]ou too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7-10).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent:
First Reading // Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10
Psalm // Psalm 146:6-10
Second Reading // James 5:7-10
Gospel // Matthew 11:2-11
Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days
Saturday, December 13 (today!) // Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Sunday, December 14 // Third Sunday of Advent
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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