Saturday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Words Become Deeds
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
The prophets, like Joel today, do not speak of the day of judgment as an unqualified day of vengeance and punishment; hope is there, for the prophecy is a warning to seek conversion. If God’s people change their ways, God will be merciful and restore them.
In the gospel, a woman admires Jesus, and with perhaps a hint of jealousy, she exclaims that indeed the mother of Jesus must be a fortunate woman to have such a son. Jesus’ answer goes deeper, to a deeper motherhood, for those who bear Jesus, the Word of God, in their hearts and their lives: those, therefore, who bring forth Jesus in faith.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Your Son was born into this world
from the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We praise you for your goodness
but we also ask this of you:
Let your Son be born in us in faith,
in our lives: in our words, our thoughts,
our attitudes and all we do.
And then, out of the fullness in us,
may we share him with those around us
as the Lord who belongs to all
now and for ever.
Responsorial Psalm
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about 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 Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out to him and said:
“Blessed is the one who gave you birth and nursed you!”
Jesus replied:
“Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”
Prayers of the Faithful
– That we may be grateful to the Lord Jesus that we know him and love him, we pray:
– That with Mary we may pray that God’s word may be fulfilled in us, we pray:
– That there may be more people to hear the word of God proclaimed to them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
your sons and daughters pray to you
to give us here and now your Son Jesus Christ.
Let him warm our hearts,
make us similar to him,
fill us with his Holy Spirit,
that he may become fully alive in us and we in him
and that through us his light may shine
and drive away the darkness of this world,
for Jesus is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
create us anew through your word
and let Jesus, your living Word,
grow in us day after day.
May we keep rising with him
above our self-sufficiency
and learn from him to bring him to life in others
with an extended hand, a gesture of compassion,
and a smile of hope to the lonely.
Let him live in us now and for ever.
Blessing
The word of God is not just a word but an action. That is even the meaning of “word” in the Old Testament: both word and action. May the word of God become action in us, deeds of goodness and love and service. And may almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
11 October 2025
St John XXIII
Beyond Hearing: The Joy of Keeping God's Word
Today’s Gospel reminds us of the true source of blessedness. When a woman praises Jesus by exclaiming, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” Jesus does not deny her words but deepens them. He points us to the foundation of all happiness: hearing the Word of God and keeping it.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is indeed blessed, not only because she bore the Son of God, but because she listened with faith and surrendered to God’s plan. At the Annunciation, she declared: “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Her greatness lies in her obedience of faith, a model for all of us who long to belong to God’s family.
This is the challenge and the invitation for us: are we a blessing to our families and neighbours? Do our lives reflect the joy of those who hear God’s Word and live it? Jesus tells us that true kinship goes beyond flesh and blood. Our deepest identity is found in being children of God, adopted into His family through Christ. This transforms all our relationships and calls us to a higher loyalty—to seek first the Kingdom of God.
To hear without keeping is to welcome the Word only superficially. Blessedness comes when the Word takes root, filling the soul with grace, shaping desires, and conforming the heart to God’s own will.
Let us pray for this hunger: that our lives may be filled, not with passing satisfactions, but with the abiding joy of those who hear the Word and keep it.
Let us pray for the grace to hunger for God’s Word, to prefer His will over our own, and to become a blessing to those around us by living as faithful disciples. Amen.
Listen to him and do what he tells you
The term "beatitude" immediately brings to mind the eight blessings or the eight occasions in which one is blessed by God, as explained by Matthew in the sermon on the Mount. Those who are poor, mourning, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, those who are merciful, clean-hearted, peace-makers, and those who are persecuted and insulted for the sake of the Kingdom are the blesseds of the Beatitudes. There is, however, more to the list of beatitudes. Today’s Gospel adds one more to the list of those who are blessed: blessed are those who listen to the Word of God and observe it.
The Blessedness of the Blessed Mother is first acknowledged in the Gospel even before the birth of Jesus. At the time of the annunciation, we hear similar words from the mouth of the angel, who says, “Blessed are you among women.” Moreover, as we pray the “Hail Mary,” we continue to acknowledge her blessedness in this Month of the Rosary.
According to Jesus, the true blessedness of his Mother is a result of her faithfulness to God's Word. She listened and observed it. In the Gospels, Jesus emphasizes the importance of listening. He invited his disciples to be attentive to the Word, to take it to heart, discover its beauty and truth, and live it. Today, he invites us to enter into that blessedness and relationship with him by listening to him and living by his Word.
In the story of Mary and Martha's family, Mary stays at the feet of Jesus and listens to him. Jesus praised her attentiveness to the Word and affirmed – that Mary had chosen the best part, and it would not be taken from her: Sitting with him, wasting our time with him to listen to him is something the Lord values most.
On another occasion, in Matthew 12: 50, we would listen to Jesus saying, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. The message is clear: “Listen to him”, and Mary reminds us during the wedding at Cana: “Do what he tells you.” “Listen to him and do what he tells you.”
12 October 2024
Faith comes by listening
The concept of "beatitude" often brings to mind the eight blessings, as outlined in the sermon on the mount by Matthew. These blessings are for the poor, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted and insulted for the Kingdom. However, today's Gospel introduces another group who are blessed: those who listen to the Word of God and follow it.
The blessedness of the Blessed Mother is first recognized in the Gospel even before Jesus is born. When the annunciation takes place, we hear comparable words from the angel, who says, “Blessed are you among women.” Moreover, as we pray the “Hail Mary,” we continue to acknowledge her blessedness.
Jesus is clarifying: The true blessedness of his Mother – is her faithfulness to the Word of God. She listened and observed it. Jesus invited his disciples to be attentive to the Word, to take it to heart, discover its beauty and truth, and live it. Today, he invites us to enter into that blessedness and relationship with Jesus by listening to him and living by his Word.
In Matthew 12: 50, we would listen to Jesus saying, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. The message is clear: “Listen to him”, and Mary reminds us during the wedding at Cana: “Do what he tells you.” “Listen to him and do what he tells you.”