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, March 8, 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, March 8 (today) // Optional Memorial of Saint John of God, Religious
Sunday, March 9 // First Sunday of Lent
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13), Saint Paul writes to us on this First Sunday of Lent. In these Readings we see the merciful Heart of the Lord, hearing us, pursuing us, dying for us to be close to Him. He wants to lead us from the desert of our sin into the Promised Land. Jesus in the Gospel goes out to the desert for forty days, and we join Him there during Lent. While He goes to pray, He also encounters temptations—ones that appeal to His human needs and desires. And because His human will was always completely aligned to His divine will, He rebukes the tempter. But we, dear sister, are only human.
When we are tempted in the desert of our lives, we must rely on God’s help. In the First Reading, Moses tells the Israelites what to say when offering the first fruits of the Promised Land to the priest: “[The LORD] heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 26:7-8). We can relate to these words, as we remember all the times the Lord has forgiven our sins, delivered us in moments of temptation, and brought us deeper into His Heart, which is for us a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Deuteronomy 26:9) and blood and water flowing from His wounded side. Let us cling to Him, and He will deliver us (see Psalm 91:14).
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the First Sunday of Lent:
First Reading // Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Psalm // Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Second Reading // Romans 10:8-13
Gospel // Luke 4:1-13
Prayer Practice // What temptations are you already facing this Lent? Tell Jesus about your struggles and ask Him to lead you through.
