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, August 2, 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, August 2 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Priest // Optional Memorial of Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop
Sunday, August 3 // Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday, August 4 // Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest
Tuesday, August 5 // Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome
Wednesday, August 6 // Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Thursday, August 7 // Optional Memorial of Saint Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and his Companions, Martyrs // Optional Memorial of Saint Cajetan, Priest
Friday, August 8 // Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
This Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time comes at the height of summer in the Northern hemisphere, a time when farms and gardens are producing a bountiful harvest, just like the one Jesus speaks about in the Gospel. As we partake of the fresh produce, it is a good time to examine the fruits we produce with our lives. Are we “rich in what matters to God”(Luke 12:21)? The parable of the rich man who dies and leaves his riches behind is a poignant reminder that all earthly things are vanity. Yes, our bodies are important to provide and care for—but the Lord does not want us to have “anxiety of heart” over our possessions (Ecclesiastes 2:22). Instead He would have us entrust our earthly needs to the “gracious care of the LORD our God” and ask Him to “prosper the work of our hand for us” (Psalm 90:17)! He would have us trust to His providence that when we use our gifts well, we will have what we need.
Saint Paul tells us that we “were raised with Christ” and our lives should reflect this here and now, for our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1, 3). So often our daily work feels like vanity, things that are easily undone, things that have to be done again and again, or things that pass away quickly. However, we have something eternal to add to our work if, when we do it, we are seeking “what is above” (Colossians 3:2). Only with the help of the Lord will we produce a bountiful harvest that will have eternal fruit, for the Lord has redeemed even the work of our hands.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:
First Reading // Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23
Psalm // Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17
Second Reading // Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Gospel // Luke 12:13-21
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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