Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Reading I Hosea 6:1-6
“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Verse before the Gospel Psalm 95:8
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
Gospel Luke 18:9-14
Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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 15, 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 16 // Second Sunday of Lent
Monday, March 17 // Optional Memorial of Saint Patrick, Bishop
Tuesday, March 18 // Optional Memorial of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Wednesday, March 19 // Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
Last Sunday we compared Lent to a desert; on the Second Sunday of Lent the Church compares our time of Lent to a mountain. In the Gospel, we go with Jesus, Peter, John, and James “up the mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28). Jesus is transfigured before them as the Father proclaims, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him” (Luke 9:35). While the Transfiguration demonstrates the divinity of Jesus, it also points to a truth about the Lord’s will for us. Saint Paul tells us that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). As adopted children of God, adopted into the promise of Abraham, the Lord wants to transfigure us as well. He will transform us in this life to be united with Him, and He will ultimately “change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body” at the end of time (Philippians 3:21).
This Lent, let us continue to “wait for the LORD with courage,” believing that we “shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13-14). The Lord has proved His promise to us through His Sacrifice on the Cross, one that Abram anticipates in his offering of “a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon” (Genesis 15:9). Abram’s sacrifice was first fulfilled in the Law given to Moses, and finally by Jesus Himself. Let us live into that promise, believing that as baptized Christians, we are meant to be one of the stars of Abram’s descendants.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent:
First Reading // Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Psalm // Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.
Second Reading // Philippians 3:17-4:1
Gospel // Luke 9:28b-36
Prayer Practice // How have you been transfigured into Christ’s likeness? How do you hope to be transfigured in this season?
Susanna Spencer holds a master's in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the Content and Theological Editor for Blessed is She. She is a freelance writer, editor, and speaker 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; narrator for Found: Advent With the Good Shepherd and Rescued: Lent With the Lamb of God; a contributing author to our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up; and Theological Editor of the Blessed Conversations Studies. Find out more about her here.
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