Saturday, June 28, 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, June 28 (today!)// Optional Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary // Optional Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr
Sunday, June 29 // Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Tuesday, July 1 // Optional Memorial of Saint Junipero Serra, Priest [In the Dioceses of the United States]
Thursday, July 3 // Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle
Friday, July 4 // Independence Day [In the Dioceses of the United States]
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
Tomorrow we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul instead of having the regular Sunday readings. In the Gospel, we hear when Peter became one of the “Pillars of the Church,” our first pope. Peter makes his confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus responds that it is His “heavenly father” that revealed this to Peter (Matthew 16:16-17). Jesus shows us that the only way for a mere human to lead the Church is for him to teach what is revealed by the Father. This is why we must follow the example in Acts when “prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God on [Peter’s] behalf” (Acts 12:5). Being pope is not easy, and while we can trust that the “gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against” the Church (Matthew 16:18), our new pope, Leo XIV, needs our daily prayers to lead the Church in truth and charity.
Saint Paul is the Pillar of the Church who was sent personally by Jesus (after His Ascension) to evangelize those who were not Jews—he helped the Church see that Jesus came to save the whole world. He wrote many of the letters that make up the New Testament, and, like Peter, relied on the Lord, Whom he says, “stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17). We can thank the Lord for the gift of His Apostles, pray for their successors who are our bishops, and trust that the “angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:8).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles (Mass during the Day):
First Reading // Acts 12:1-11
Responsorial Psalm // Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Second Reading // 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Gospel // Matthew 16:13-19
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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