Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist
Reading 1 1 John 1:1-4
Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life —
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us—
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Alleluia See Te Deum
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel John 20:1a and 2-8
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
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, March 29, 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, March 30 // Fourth Sunday of Lent
Wednesday, April 2 // Optional Memorial of Saint Francis of Paola, Hermit
Friday, April 4 // Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
“Look to him that you may be radiant with joy” (Psalm 34:6), the Psalmist tells us on this Laetare (“Rejoice!”) Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. When we called Him, He answered us and saved us from all our distress. Saint Paul tells us how God sent His Son to reconcile “the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:18), more than restoring what was lost in the Garden of Eden. For in Christ we are “a new creation: the old things have passed away” and “new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Yet, despite all of this, we still wander away.
We take our inheritance of grace, and like the prodigal son in the Gospel, we squander it. The grace is always there waiting for us, but we make ourselves impenetrable to it, cutting ourselves off through sin. The parable, though, does not end there. For like the prodigal son, we can pick ourselves up and stumble back to the Father, with the words on our lips that we “no longer deserve to be called your son” or daughter (Luke 15:19). But the Father loves us too much to leave us as servants; He takes off the robe of His divine life and wraps it around our shoulders. And then we feast with Him off the fruits of the Promised Land, for He has “removed the reproach of Egypt from you” (Joshua 5:9). Sister, this and every Sunday we can “taste and see the goodness of the Lord” (Psalm 34:9a) in the glory of the Mass and glorify Him for all He has done for us.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year C):
First Reading // Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
Psalm // Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Second Reading // 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Gospel // Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Prayer Practice // How is your joy? Take an inventory of all the blessings and graces this past week (or so far this Lent) and give thanks!
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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