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 22, 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 23 // Third Sunday of Lent
Tuesday, March 25 // Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
On the Third Sunday of Lent, Jesus tells us a parable about a fig tree in an orchard, one that is bearing no fruit. When the owner of the orchard decides to cut it down, the gardener asks for another chance for the tree, saying, “I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future” (Luke 13:8-9). Sister, we are like fig trees in the orchard of the Church, and Jesus is our Gardener. During Lent especially, He wants to cultivate the ground of our hearts to fertilize us with His Word and grace. He wants to help us to repent of our old ways and bear fruit.
As we press on through the first half of Lent, let us be careful to not let the spiritual fertilizer being offered to us go to waste. We are warned by Saint Paul about how the Israelites were not faithful even as the Lord nourished them, grumbling and falling into temptation. The Lord knows our afflictions. He sees our struggles. Like He did for those in slavery in Egypt, “I AM who am,” Who is existence and the source of all created things, wants to lead us to “a good and spacious land” (Exodus 3:14, 3:8), to be united forever with Him. When we stay close to the Lord and His mercy, we will be able to join the Psalm and praise the Lord, Who “redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion” (Psalm 103:4).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent (Year C):
First Reading // Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
Psalm // Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11.
Second Reading // 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Gospel // Luke 13:1-9
Prayer Practice // What bad fruit is the Lord asking to prune in your heart and life this Lent? What good fruit is being cultivated?
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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