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, February 15, 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, February 16 // Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday, February 17 // Optional Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites, religious
Friday, February 21 // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Letter from the Editor //
Dear Sister,
The Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time are all about the virtue of hope. With this being the Jubilee Year of Hope, let us pay special attention to God’s Words about hope. Christian hope is based in the truth that Christ is the Son of God and that after He died, He rose from the dead. Saint Paul writes that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Our hope is meant to be in the next life, that we will rise with Christ. And some days, this whole idea does seem a little bizarre. In the eyes of the world, our hope and faith seem ridiculous. This is why we need hope to give us the oomph to push through the doubts of the world. The First Reading shows us that hope gives us trust in the Lord, so that we are not “a barren bush” (Jeremiah 17:6) with no faith. With hope we are “planted beside waters” and “in the year of drought [. . .] still bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:8).
“Blessed are they who hope in the Lord,” (Psalm 40:5a) from the Psalm Response this week sums up the Beatitudes, which Jesus proclaims in the Gospel. The Beatitudes only make sense when we have the virtue of hope, for only with hope can we be happy when we are poor, hungry, weeping, and hated. The Lord wants to fill us with His deep joy, that no matter what trials and temptations we face, He is with us. He has been raised, and we can “rejoice and leap for joy” (Luke 6:23) because of it.
In Christ’s Love,
Susanna
Read the readings for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time:
First Reading // Jeremiah 17:5-8
Psalm // Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 & 6
Second Reading // 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
Gospel // Luke 6:17, 20-26
Prayer Practice // How is your hope? Ask the Holy Spirit for an infusion of this heavenly virtue today.
