Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time — Daily Word

Greeting

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Penitential Act

Lord Jesus, you are the firstfruits of the resurrection: Lord, have mercy. Christ Jesus, you lift up the lowly and fill us with good things: Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you defeat death and lead us into eternal life: Lord, have mercy.

♪ “Penitential Act (Organ)” — A song for Ben

Liturgy of the Word

Reading 1 · Revelation 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB

God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.” A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians 15:20-27 Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for “he subjected everything under his feet.”

Gospel · Luke 1:39-56

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Alleluia

♪ International Liturgy Publications (ilpmusic.org)

The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

Homily

In the vision of Revelation, Heaven’s temple is opened, and a magnificent sign appears—a woman clothed with the sun, and a child caught up to God and His throne.

And in today’s Gospel, when Mary visits Elizabeth, joy leaps across generations before a word is even finished. Elizabeth feels her infant leap in her womb, and Mary sings her great song of praise: “The Almighty has done great things for me… He has filled the hungry with good things.”

St. Paul completes this glorious promise in his letter to the Corinthians: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep… For as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life.”

The last enemy to be destroyed, Paul tells us, is death itself.

What a hopeful, radiant truth for our hearts today! In Christ, death does not get the final word… love does.

In that heavenly light, we remember Benjamin Vo.

Benjamin had a spirit of extraordinary, unselfish generosity. He possessed a heart that naturally wanted to care for those around him. When his uncle William was recovering after suffering two strokes, young Ben didn't hesitate—he offered his entire piggy bank, every cent he had saved, simply wanting to help ease his uncle's burden. That was Ben… sweet, thoughtful, and instinctively loving.

His dad recently had a sweet dream of standing in line with Ben to buy ice cream, and Ben proudly paid for them both. Even in a quiet dream, Ben’s caring, giving spirit shone bright.

Nine weeks have passed since Benjamin went home to the Lord. Nine weeks where the house feels too quiet, and missing him weighs heavily on your hearts.

Yet Scripture assures us today: Benjamin belongs to Christ, the firstfruits of resurrection. He is safe in that heavenly realm where the Almighty has done great things, and where no good act of love is ever forgotten.

To Alan, Thao, and dear Ryan: Jesus walks right beside you in your sorrow. Lean into His tender strength, hold close to one another, and continue living with courage and love for Ryan.

To Ben’s extended family, those joining us from afar, children who are suffering, and every family carrying a heavy cross: Our Lady, clothed with the sun, wraps her gentle mantle around you. You are seen, loved, and held by God.

Benjamin rests peacefully in the light of the resurrection… watching over us with his gentle smile.

Meditation

♪ “The Solid Ground (Choral)” — A song for Ben

Universal Prayer

For the intentions entrusted to Ben on our prayer wall:

“Ben - I miss you so much. Please help come say hi as much as you'd like. Help us carry-on without so much pain my son. Please pray for us.”