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, April 26, 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 26 // Saturday in the Octave of Easter
Sunday, April 27 // Second Sunday of Easter // Sunday of Divine Mercy
Monday, April 28 //Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, Optional Memorial of Saint Louis Mary de Montfort, Priest
Tuesday, April 29 // Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Wednesday, April 30 // Optional Memorial of Saint Pius V, Pope, religious
Thursday, May 1 // Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker
Friday, May 2 // Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
On this Divine Mercy Sunday of the Second Sunday of Easter we find ourselves in the Upper Room. Will we believe what Saint John the Evangelist wrote down for us? Are his words that he wrote enough for us to believe, “and through this belief [. . .] have life in [Jesus’] name” (John 20:31)? Jesus tells us that we are blessed because we “have not seen and have believed” (John 20:29). Sometimes though, we want to be like Saint Thomas the Apostle and reach into the Lord’s side, the side from which His Blood along with water poured out with mercy for the whole world. We hear about the signs and wonders done by the Apostles in Jerusalem after Pentecost (see Acts 5:12), and we want to witness a miracle ourselves.
But sister, we often overlook the miracle of mercy that is before us every Sunday, the Sacrifice made present before us on the altar, the Death which gives us life. Jesus was dead, “but now He is alive forever” (Revelation 19:17). He wants us to join Him, to be with Him forever. He wants us to experience His pierced side in the Eucharist, and as the priest raises the consecrated host, cry out in our hearts with Saint Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) This miracle occurs every single day on countless altars around the world. May we always pray, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it” (Psalm 118:24).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Second Sunday of Easter:
First Reading // Acts 5:12-16
Psalm // Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Second Reading // Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
Gospel // John 20:19-31
Prayer Practice // How is Jesus inviting you to believe without seeing 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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