Seek His Face

Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ephesians 4:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R.   (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R.   Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R.   Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R.   Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Alleluia See Matthew 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 12:54-59

Jesus said to the crowds,
“When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny.”

Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, Priest

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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.

October 23, 2026 // Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time //Optional Memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, Priest

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

Reflect on the Word //

On an average day I probably see over three hundred faces before 10 a.m. Faces tell us a lot about people. With a quick glance across my classroom I can take in the faces of all my students and know, generally speaking, how class is going to go that day. I know especially that if a certain student in the corner has a mischievous grin there’s a scheme afoot to derail the lesson with some hypothetical, “Sister, what if . . . ?”

I have to ask myself, though, as I take in all the faces I encounter throughout a day, am I seeking the One face that truly matters?

“Lord this is the people that longs to see your face” (Psalm 24:6). Do I recognize that in every face, in every person I encounter throughout the day, I can seek the face of the Lord? In every circumstance, every decision, in every moment, am I seeking the face of the Lord present in time and in eternity? As the Creator of the universe, His “are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.” (Psalm 24:1).

It is easy to glance superficially at my day and miss out on opportunities to recognize the ways the Lord is speaking to me through a conversation with a friend, an interaction with a student or co-worker, a beautiful sunset. How often I let those things roll off my back and move on to the next encounter without pausing to ask the Lord to show me where He was in that moment.

We are “the race that seeks for Him” (Psalm 24:6), seeking to “stand in his holy place . . . [desiring] not what is vain” (Psalm 24:3-4). To do that, though, we have to look beyond what we notice at first glance. We have to be a people who acknowledge that He is present to us always, longing to show us His face in a myriad of ways so that we can truly come to know His love for us and, gazing upon His face, to truly know Him, our Savior and Redeemer.

Relate to the Lord // Pray for the grace to “seek His face” in the faces of those you meet today.

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About Sister Maria Fatima

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Sister Maria Fatima grew up in Rhode Island and entered the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in 2005. She holds a MA in Theology from the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Sister is in her eleventh year of enlightening middle school minds and drawing hearts to Jesus while teaching religion and history. She currently resides at the motherhouse in Ann Arbor, MI, having previously taught in Texas, Florida, and Ohio. She is a contributing author to our Lent devotional All She Had.