Saturday, August 2, 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, August 2 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Priest // Optional Memorial of Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop
Sunday, August 3 // Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday, August 4 // Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest
Tuesday, August 5 // Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome
Wednesday, August 6 // Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Thursday, August 7 // Optional Memorial of Saint Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and his Companions, Martyrs // Optional Memorial of Saint Cajetan, Priest
Friday, August 8 // Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
This Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time comes at the height of summer in the Northern hemisphere, a time when farms and gardens are producing a bountiful harvest, just like the one Jesus speaks about in the Gospel. As we partake of the fresh produce, it is a good time to examine the fruits we produce with our lives. Are we “rich in what matters to God”(Luke 12:21)? The parable of the rich man who dies and leaves his riches behind is a poignant reminder that all earthly things are vanity. Yes, our bodies are important to provide and care for—but the Lord does not want us to have “anxiety of heart” over our possessions (Ecclesiastes 2:22). Instead He would have us entrust our earthly needs to the “gracious care of the LORD our God” and ask Him to “prosper the work of our hand for us” (Psalm 90:17)! He would have us trust to His providence that when we use our gifts well, we will have what we need.
Saint Paul tells us that we “were raised with Christ” and our lives should reflect this here and now, for our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1, 3). So often our daily work feels like vanity, things that are easily undone, things that have to be done again and again, or things that pass away quickly. However, we have something eternal to add to our work if, when we do it, we are seeking “what is above” (Colossians 3:2). Only with the help of the Lord will we produce a bountiful harvest that will have eternal fruit, for the Lord has redeemed even the work of our hands.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:
First Reading // Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23
Psalm // Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17
Second Reading // Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Gospel // Luke 12:13-21
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. She lives with her philosopher husband, three teen daughters, one pre-teen son, and a miracle baby girl in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She loves reading theology and novels, 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, Preach in His Name: A Meditation on Luke, and Abide in His Love: A Meditation on John. She was the 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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