Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Thus says the Lord GOD,
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
"This is the way; walk in it,"
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (see Isaiah 30:18d) Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Alleluia Isaiah 33:22
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The LORD is our Judge, our Lawgiver, our King;
he it is who will save us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest."
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."
- Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Nicholas, Bishop
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 5, 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 5 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint Vincent Ferrer, Priest
Sunday, April 6 // Fifth Sunday of Lent
Monday, April 7 // Optional Memorial of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Priest
Friday, April 11 // Memorial of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop, Martyr
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
As we come to the Fifth Sunday of Lent tomorrow, let us keep pace with Saint Paul and “continue [our] pursuit toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14), that of following through on our Lenten commitments. In them we are “sharing of [Christ’s] sufferings by being conformed to his death,” and with Saint Paul we hope to “attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11). At this point in Lent, we might ask ourselves, Why should I keep giving this good thing up? It is too much effort for two more weeks! But the Lord reminds us that, “Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing” (Psalm 126:5). We cannot avoid suffering in this life and we know we become better by taking sacrifices voluntarily, and all of it can be joined with Jesus’—our own Savior’s— suffering.
When we join with Him in suffering in Lent, we will find truth in His words, “I put water in the desert, and rivers in the wasteland, for my chosen people to drink” (Isaiah 43:20). This water is grace, which restores us to be more in union with Him. We meet Him there and He tells us, “See, I am doing something new!” (Isaiah 43:19) And when we let His grace wash over we will find when we are brought before Him sinful and sorrowful at the end of our lives, that He will say to us like He did to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C):
First Reading // Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm // Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6.
Second Reading // Philippians 3:8-14
Gospel // John 8:1-11
Prayer Practice // What “new thing” is the Lord doing this Lent? Share your Lenten prayer with a friend.
