Friday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Isaiah 29:17-24
Thus says the Lord GOD:
But a very little while,
and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book;
And out of gloom and darkness,
the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,
and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more
and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,
those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate,
and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the LORD,
the God of the house of Jacob,
who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,
nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
and those who find fault shall receive instruction.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 9:27-31
As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,
"Son of David, have pity on us!"
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
"Do you believe that I can do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
"Let it be done for you according to your faith."
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
"See that no one knows about this."
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
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 30, 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, August 31 // Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wednesday, September 3 // Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Friday, September 5 // Optional Memorial of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Virgin
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
On the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time we hear a call to “conduct your affairs with humility” (Sirach 3:17)—to see ourselves as little and as loved as we truly are, created by an omnipotent God Who gave us all we have. But He is also a God Who wants to give us more and more. He wants us to love and serve Him humbly, so that He can raise us up beside Him in Heaven at the “wedding banquet” that will be our life in Heaven. Like those in the Gospel, we are “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” who are invited to the Lamb’s Supper and are unable to repay the Lord for the gift of being created by Him, loved by Him, and redeemed by Him (Luke 14:13-14). He does not ask us to make ourselves great, but simply to receive and return His love.
He shows His love with His grace, which is a “bountiful rain” that is “showered down” upon us (Psalm 68:10). It is given to us through “Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant” and His “sprinkled blood” which makes the “spirits of the just” perfect (Hebrews 12:23-24). When we willingly receive this gift of grace, our lives are changed—we are changed now and into eternity. It is only because God humbled Himself to become a Man that we can now approach the heavenly Jerusalem, never fearing to touch and be touched by the living God in the Holy Eucharist where Heaven touches earth. Sister, let us humbly accept this gift and never take it for granted.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time:
First Reading // Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
Psalm // Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11
Second Reading // Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a
Gospel // Luke 14:1, 7-14
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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