Fourth Sunday of Advent
Reading 1 Isaiah 7:10-14
The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6.
R. (7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
Reading 2 Romans 1:1-7
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia Matthew 1:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 1:18-24
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us."
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
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, February 1, 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, February 2 // Presentation of the Lord
Monday, February 3 // Optional Memorial of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr; Optional Memorial of Saint Ansgar, Bishop
Wednesday, February 5 // Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
Thursday, February 6 // Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
Tomorrow we celebrate a very special feast, one so important that it takes the place of the normal Sunday. It is the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, on which the Holy Family went to the temple in Jerusalem forty days after Jesus’ birth. They followed the law of Moses by dedicating Jesus to God with an offering of two pigeons. This first sacrifice of He Who is our “merciful and faithful high priest” makes way for His ultimate sacrifice (Hebrews 2:17).
The temple was the dwelling place of God on earth, and, did you know, dear sister, that you are a temple? From the moment of your Baptism the Trinity has dwelt within you. While God cannot dwell in us when we are separated from Him by grave sins, He comes back every time we repent and are healed in Confession. In the words of the prophet Malachi, “suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek” (Malachi 3:1). Every Mass we attend we share in offering “due sacrifice to the LORD” (Malachi 3:3). And as we prepare to receive the Eucharist, we rejoice and “lift up, o gates, [. . .] that the king of glory may come in!” (Psalm 24:7) In living our faith through the Sacraments we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, offering to God due worship. Like Anna in the Gospel, may we never leave “the temple” of our hearts and of the Church, but “worship night and day” (Luke 2:22-40).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord:
First Reading // Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm // Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10
Second Reading // Hebrews 2:14-18
Gospel // Luke 2:22-40
Prayer Practice // What will you offer to the Lord at Mass this Sunday?
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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