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, May 3, 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 3 (today!) // Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
Sunday, May 4 // Third Sunday of Easter
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
The Third Sunday of Easter gives us a vision of heavenly worship of the “Lamb that was slain” (Revelation 5:12), worship we join in with each and every Mass and worship we hope to be a part of for eternity. But for now, we often find ourselves like the Apostles in the boat, fishing all night without catching a thing. The Lord’s will for us is not always explicit, so we often do what we think is best based on our gifts and talents. Yet, when we do not rely on Him, we often catch nothing. Then the Lord comes with the light, and tells us where to “cast the net” (John 21:6). We have to learn the lesson again and again that only when we cast our net with Him will we make a catch.
The Apostles are given strict orders by the Sanhedrin in the First Reading to “stop teaching in that name” (Acts 5:28). When we follow Christ, and “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), we will find that the world is against us. When these things happen and like Saint Peter, we are led where we do not want to go (see John 21:18), we must remember that this world is not for us. Our time in the boat of life is brief, and soon we will be with Jesus on those heavenly shores and praising the Lord with the choirs in Heaven, Who has “brought [us] up from the netherworld” (Psalm 30:4).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Third Sunday of Easter:
First Reading // Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
Psalm // Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
Second Reading // Revelation 5:11-14
Gospel // John 21:1-19
Prayer Practice // Where is the Lord inviting you to cast your nets again?
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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