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 10, 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, May 11 // Fourth Sunday of Easter
Monday, May 12 // Optional Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs; Optional Memorial of Saint Pancras, Martyr
Tuesday, May 13 // Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima
Wednesday, May 14 // Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
Thursday, May 15 // Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore [in the dioceses of the United States]
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
This Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday is our first with our newly elected shepherd Pope Leo XIV. He is the successor of our first pope, Saint Peter, and continues the mission of all the Apostles to evangelize the world. As members of the Church, we are a part of this mission, “For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47). In his first papal homily, Pope Leo echoed these words of Saint Paul, “This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which[. . .] we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour" (source).
All throughout the Old Testament, God draws a parallel between His relationship with His chosen people Israel and that of a shepherd and his sheep. “Know that the LORD is God,” the Psalmist writes. “He made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends” (Psalm 100:3). Jesus is the Good Shepherd and His sheep hear His voice: “I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). He came to Shepherd all humanity back to Him, and He does this through His Church. Let us pray for our new holy father, that under his leadership “the word of the Lord [will continue] to spread” (Acts 13:48). Let us trust in the care of our Good Shepherd who has given us the Church to help us “remain faithful to the grace of God” (Acts 13:43), for He the Lamb Who has washed us white in His blood has come for “every nation, race, people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9). May our lives be witnesses of joyful faith.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter:
First Reading // Acts 13:14, 43-52
Psalm // Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5
Second Reading // Revelation 7:9, 14b-17
Gospel // John 10:27-30
Prayer Practice // What was the last thing the Good Shepherd spoke to your heart?
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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