Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist
Reading 1 1 John 1:1-4
Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life —
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us—
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Alleluia See Te Deum
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel John 20:1a and 2-8
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
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 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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