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, December 21, 2024 //
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, December 21 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Sunday, December 22 // Fourth Sunday of Advent
Monday, December 23 // Optional Memorial of Saint John of Kanty, Priest
Wednesday, December 25 // The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) (Holy Day of Obligation!)
Thursday, December 26 // Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr
Friday, December 27 // Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
Tomorrow is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and the urgency of our waiting is reaching its height. “Rouse your power and come to save us” (Psalm 80:3), our hearts will cry out with the Psalmist at Mass this weekend. We know our weakness, we know we cannot do it on our own as we plead with the Lord, “make us turn to you” (Psalm Response). In the Gospel, Mary, our Blessed Mother, travels in haste to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary is also hastening to us, bringing us her Son, the One Who will save us. Will our hearts leap as we hear her greeting? Let us respond with the faith of Elizabeth: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42).
Mary, a model for all of us, is “blessed” because she believes in the promises that were spoken to her by the angel. She responded by accepting the Lord’s will for her. And through her yes, the prophecy of Micah from the First Reading was fulfilled with Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. The author of Hebrews tells us how Christ had the same response to the Father, saying, “Behold, I come to do your will” (Hebrew 10:9). The Lord desires the same response from us, to humbly—with the Son who became Man and with His Mother—say to the Lord that we want to do His will. Let us be found among the flock this Christmas drawing on the strength of our Shepherd, Who draws His strength from the Father (see Micah 5:3). I am ready to be saved. Are you?
I am praying for you this week, dear sister.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent:
First Reading // Micah 5:1-4a
Responsorial Psalm // Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Second Reading // Hebrews 10:5-10
Gospel // Luke 1:39-45
Prayer Practice // How is the Lord inviting you to say yes in this season? Ask for Mary’s intercession to help you offer it to Jesus.
Susanna Spencer est titulaire d'une maîtrise en théologie de l'Université franciscaine de Steubenville et est l'éditrice théologique de Blessed is She. Elle vit avec son mari philosophe et ses quatre enfants à Saint Paul, Minnesota. Elle aime lire la théologie, assister à de belles liturgies, cuisiner de délicieux plats et suivre le baseball avec désinvolture. Elle était la narratrice de Maranatha, L'histoire de notre Sauveur et de notre livre pour enfants, Rise Up . En savoir plus sur elle ici .
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