Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Thus says the Lord GOD,
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
"This is the way; walk in it,"
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (see Isaiah 30:18d) Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Alleluia Isaiah 33:22
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The LORD is our Judge, our Lawgiver, our King;
he it is who will save us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest."
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."
- Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Nicholas, Bishop
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, April 19, 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
Saturday, April 19 (today!) // Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil
April 20 // Easter Sunday of The Resurrection of the Lord
April 21 // Monday in the Octave of Easter
April 22 // Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
April 23 //Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
April 24 // Thursday in the Octave of Easter
April 25 // Friday in the Octave of Easter
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
Today is Holy Saturday, a day when the tabernacles in Catholic churches all over the world stand open and empty. The altars are stripped bare, and we wait beside the tomb, which we know will be empty tomorrow on Easter Sunday, as empty as the tabernacles of today. But for now let us rest here and wait with all of creation, which anticipates tomorrow. Then tomorrow, as Mary of Magdala does in the Gospel, we go to the tomb “early in the morning” while it is “still dark” (John 20:1). Tomorrow we can follow her back to the Apostles and hear her worried report. Tomorrow we can run back with Peter and the other disciple and see the burial cloths and believe (see John 20:8).
But for today, let us hide with Jesus in the Tomb. We can tuck our hearts into His pierced side and ask Him for all that is sinful in us to die with Him. In doing this our “life is hidden with Christ in God,” and we know that tomorrow we will be “raised with Christ” and will have good reason to hope to one day “appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1, 3-4). And when He rises, we can be bold like Saint Peter in bearing witness to the whole world (see Acts 10:39), that those of us who believe “shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (Psalm 118:17).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Resurrection of the Lord (Mass of Easter Day):
First Reading // Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Psalm // Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Second Reading // Colossians 3:1-4
Gospel // John 20:1-9
Prayer Practice // How will you rest and wait with hope today?
