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, August 16, 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 16 (today) // Optional Memorial of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Sunday, August 17 // Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday, August 19 // Optional Memorial of Saint John Eudes, priest
Wednesday, August 20 // Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
Thursday, August 21 // Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Friday, August 22 // Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
In the Readings for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we witness the zeal of Jesus to draw all people to Himself. “I have come to set the earth on fire!” He cries out in the Gospel (Luke 12:49). But He also recognizes the reality of free will and sin. The truth causes division, anger, and hate, because when we are attached to sin and set in our ways, we find the person who speaks the truth to be intolerable. Like the princes in the First Reading from Jeremiah, we tend to criticize someone who speaks the truth to us. Rather than humbly face our faults, we cast that person out and wish him or her to leave us alone. Only when we let the blazing fire of love burn away our selfish desires, do we become open to the Lord and the truth.
With the example of the “cloud of witnesses” of the Saints who came before us to those running this race alongside us, we are not alone in our desire to become holy; we can be inspired and helped by our fellow members of the Body of Christ to “rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us” and “persevere in running the race” (Hebrews 12:1). Within the Church and united to Jesus, we will endure His Cross with Him, as we give up our attachments to sins and face our trials. We can “look on in awe and trust in the LORD,” Who is our help and deliverer (Psalm 40:4). May we press on, bearing it all, “for the sake of the joy that lies before us” (Hebrews 12:2).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time:
First Reading // Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
Psalm // Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18
Second Reading // Hebrews 12:1-4
Gospel // Luke 12:49-53
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.
Walk With Us this Advent
Get Your Prayerful Planner
