Saturday, May 31, 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, May 31 (today!) // Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sunday, June 1 // Solemnity of the Ascension // or Seventh Sunday of Easter [In Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, and Philadelphia]
Monday, June 2 // Optional Memorial of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs
Tuesday, June 3 // Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
Thursday, June 5 // Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
Friday, June 6 // Optional Memorial of Saint Norbert, Bishop
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
In the readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (which is celebrated tomorrow in most dioceses),
we can imagine ourselves standing among the Apostles, watching as Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). We can trace Jesus’ time on earth from the Incarnation to the Ascension, seeing how He redeemed every part of our human existence: in the womb, in His birth, in His obedience to His parents, in His work as a carpenter, in how He entered into the joy and suffering of all He encountered in His ministry, and finally in His suffering and death as He took on all of our sin. And now we are among those “who believe, in accord with the exercise of [the Father’s] great might which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion” (Ephesians 1:19-21).
Our King is in Heaven and His reign is forever. It is easy to forget this when we get caught up in the toils of daily life. But He wants us to live as people who know He redeemed every part of our lives and sits beside His Father “not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21). He wants us to worship Him this Sunday and then return to our homes and daily work, like the Apostles returned to Jerusalem, “with great joy” (Luke 24:52). The Easter season may be almost over, but the time of joy is always here, for our “God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy” (Psalm 47:6).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord:
First Reading // Acts 1:1-11
Psalm // Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Second Reading (1st Option) // Ephesians 1:17-23
Gospel // Luke 24:46-53
Prayer Practice // Ask for an increase of joy so that you might experience more of the Risen Christ’s life in your daily life.
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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