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Saints & Feasts Homilies & Readings

Saints & Feasts Homilies & Readings

By: Fr. Michael Black
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 Saints & Feasts Homilies delivers Catholic reflections tied to the yearly cycle of Catholic Masses and rooted in the deepest of deep traditions.Copyright Fr. Michael Black Christianity Spirituality
Episodes
  • 4-26-26: 4th Sunday of Easter Readings

    4-26-26: 4th Sunday of Easter Readings
    Apr 26 2026
    4th Sunday of Easter

    A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles

    Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: "Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

    Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers?" Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off,
    whomever the Lord our God will call." He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

    The Word of the Lord

    Responsorial Psalm

    The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
    .
    The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
    beside restful waters he leads me;
    he refreshes my soul.

    R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
    :
    He guides me in right paths
    for his name's sake.
    Even though I walk in the dark valley
    I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
    With your rod and your staff
    that give me courage.

    R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

    You spread the table before me
    in the sight of my foes;
    you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.

    R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

    Only goodness and kindness follow me
    all the days of my life;
    and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    for years to come.
    R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

    A Reading from the First Letter of Peter

    Beloved: If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.
    For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.

    When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten;
    instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

    The Word of the Lord

    A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to John

    Jesus said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
    but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own,
    he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.
    But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers." Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

    So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

    The Gospel of the Lord
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    5 mins
  • 4-26-26: 4th Sunday of Easter Readings & Homily

    4-26-26: 4th Sunday of Easter Readings & Homily
    Apr 25 2026
    4th Sunday of Easter

    A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles

    Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: "Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

    Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers?" Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off,
    whomever the Lord our God will call." He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

    The Word of the Lord






    Responsorial Psalm


    The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
    .
    The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
    beside restful waters he leads me;
    he refreshes my soul.

    R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
    :
    He guides me in right paths
    for his name's sake.
    Even though I walk in the dark valley
    I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
    With your rod and your staff
    that give me courage.

    R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

    You spread the table before me
    in the sight of my foes;
    you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.

    R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

    Only goodness and kindness follow me
    all the days of my life;
    and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    for years to come.
    R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.






    A Reading from the First Letter of Peter

    Beloved: If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.
    For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.

    When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten;
    instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

    The Word of the Lord







    A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to John

    Jesus said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
    but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own,
    he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.
    But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers." Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

    So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

    The Gospel of the Lord
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    13 mins
  • 4-19-26: 3rd Sunday of Easter Readings & Homily

    4-19-26: 3rd Sunday of Easter Readings & Homily
    Apr 19 2026
    A Reading from the Acts of the ApostlesThen Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. You who are Israelites, hear these words: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by Godwith mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. “My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to himthat he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God,he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured him forth, as you see and hear.”The Word of the LordRESPONSORIAL PSALMLord, you will show us the path of lifeKeep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,you it is who hold fast my lot.Lord, you will show us the path of lifeI bless the LORD who counsels me;even in the night my heart exhorts me.I set the LORD ever before me;with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.Lord, you will show us the path of lifeTherefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,my body, too, abides in confidence;because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.Lord, you will show us the path of lifeYou will show me the path to life,abounding joy in your presence,the delights at your right hand forever.A Reading from the First Letter of Peter Beloved: If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works,conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you,who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory,so that your faith and hope are in God.The Word of the LordA Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Luke That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place.Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomband found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.”And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther....
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    18 mins
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