A reading from the Book of Joel
4:12-21
Thus says the LORD:
Let the nations bestir themselves and come up
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there will I sit in judgment
upon all the neighboring nations.
Apply the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe;
Come and tread,
for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow,
for great is their malice.
Crowd upon crowd
in the valley of decision;
For near is the day of the LORD
in the valley of decision.
Sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars withhold their brightness.
The LORD roars from Zion,
and from Jerusalem raises his voice;
The heavens and the earth quake,
but the LORD is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the children of Israel.
Then shall you know that I, the LORD, am your God,
dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain;
Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall pass through her no more.
And then, on that day,
the mountains shall drip new wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk;
And the channels of Judah
shall flow with water:
A fountain shall issue from the house of the LORD,
to water the Valley of Shittim.
Egypt shall be a waste,
and Edom a desert waste,
Because of violence done to the people of Judah,
because they shed innocent blood in their land.
But Judah shall abide forever,
and Jerusalem for all generations.
I will avenge their blood,
and not leave it unpunished.
The LORD dwells in Zion.
From the Gospel according to Luke
11:27-28
While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
"Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed."
He replied, "Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it."
“Blessed is the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” (Luke 11:27). This is what "a woman in the crowd" cried out, wishing to express her admiration for all that Jesus did and taught. In the woman’s words, admiration for the Son is transferred to the Mother. The woman is especially aware that to be human, to be the “Son of Man” (as Jesus often referred to Himself), means to be born of a woman, to be born of a mother. […] This "woman in the crowd" may not realize that, by pronouncing these words, she even fulfills the prophetic announcement of Mary in the “Magnificat”: “From now on, all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). The “woman in the crowd,” whose cry is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, belongs to the first generation of those who have called the Mother of the Redeemer "blessed." […] It is significant that in response to the cry of “a woman in the crowd,” Jesus replies: “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it!” (Luke 11:28). Did He perhaps want to divert attention away from His earthly Mother? Perhaps yes, at first glance. But, in substance, the Son of Mary explained even more clearly in His response why she is blessed. Why is her human maternity blessed? In fact, the phrase about “those who hear the word of God and observe it” refers par excellence to her, to Mary. Is not her very motherhood the fruit of her “hearing” the word of God? Is it not the fruit of her perfect “consent” to it? (St. John Paul II, Homily, Mass for the University Students of Rome, 16 December 1987)
Gospel and Word of the Day – 11 October 2025 –
A reading from the Book of Joel
4:12-21
Thus says the LORD:
Let the nations bestir themselves and come up
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there will I sit in judgment
upon all the neighboring nations.
Apply the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe;
Come and tread,
for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow,
for great is their malice.
Crowd upon crowd
in the valley of decision;
For near is the day of the LORD
in the valley of decision.
Sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars withhold their brightness.
The LORD roars from Zion,
and from Jerusalem raises his voice;
The heavens and the earth quake,
but the LORD is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the children of Israel.
Then shall you know that I, the LORD, am your God,
dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain;
Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall pass through her no more.
And then, on that day,
the mountains shall drip new wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk;
And the channels of Judah
shall flow with water:
A fountain shall issue from the house of the LORD,
to water the Valley of Shittim.
Egypt shall be a waste,
and Edom a desert waste,
Because of violence done to the people of Judah,
because they shed innocent blood in their land.
But Judah shall abide forever,
and Jerusalem for all generations.
I will avenge their blood,
and not leave it unpunished.
The LORD dwells in Zion.
From the Gospel according to Luke
11:27-28
While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
"Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed."
He replied, "Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it."
“Blessed is the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” (Luke 11:27). This is what "a woman in the crowd" cried out, wishing to express her admiration for all that Jesus did and taught. In the woman’s words, admiration for the Son is transferred to the Mother. The woman is especially aware that to be human, to be the “Son of Man” (as Jesus often referred to Himself), means to be born of a woman, to be born of a mother. […] This "woman in the crowd" may not realize that, by pronouncing these words, she even fulfills the prophetic announcement of Mary in the “Magnificat”: “From now on, all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). The “woman in the crowd,” whose cry is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, belongs to the first generation of those who have called the Mother of the Redeemer "blessed." […] It is significant that in response to the cry of “a woman in the crowd,” Jesus replies: “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it!” (Luke 11:28). Did He perhaps want to divert attention away from His earthly Mother? Perhaps yes, at first glance. But, in substance, the Son of Mary explained even more clearly in His response why she is blessed. Why is her human maternity blessed? In fact, the phrase about “those who hear the word of God and observe it” refers par excellence to her, to Mary. Is not her very motherhood the fruit of her “hearing” the word of God? Is it not the fruit of her perfect “consent” to it? (St. John Paul II, Homily, Mass for the University Students of Rome, 16 December 1987)
A reading from the Book of Joel
4:12-21
Thus says the LORD:
Let the nations bestir themselves and come up
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there will I sit in judgment
upon all the neighboring nations.
Apply the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe;
Come and tread,
for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow,
for great is their malice.
Crowd upon crowd
in the valley of decision;
For near is the day of the LORD
in the valley of decision.
Sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars withhold their brightness.
The LORD roars from Zion,
and from Jerusalem raises his voice;
The heavens and the earth quake,
but the LORD is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the children of Israel.
Then shall you know that I, the LORD, am your God,
dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain;
Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall pass through her no more.
And then, on that day,
the mountains shall drip new wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk;
And the channels of Judah
shall flow with water:
A fountain shall issue from the house of the LORD,
to water the Valley of Shittim.
Egypt shall be a waste,
and Edom a desert waste,
Because of violence done to the people of Judah,
because they shed innocent blood in their land.
But Judah shall abide forever,
and Jerusalem for all generations.
I will avenge their blood,
and not leave it unpunished.
The LORD dwells in Zion.
From the Gospel according to Luke
11:27-28
While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
"Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed."
He replied, "Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it."
“Blessed is the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” (Luke 11:27). This is what "a woman in the crowd" cried out, wishing to express her admiration for all that Jesus did and taught. In the woman’s words, admiration for the Son is transferred to the Mother. The woman is especially aware that to be human, to be the “Son of Man” (as Jesus often referred to Himself), means to be born of a woman, to be born of a mother. […] This "woman in the crowd" may not realize that, by pronouncing these words, she even fulfills the prophetic announcement of Mary in the “Magnificat”: “From now on, all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). The “woman in the crowd,” whose cry is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, belongs to the first generation of those who have called the Mother of the Redeemer "blessed." […] It is significant that in response to the cry of “a woman in the crowd,” Jesus replies: “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it!” (Luke 11:28). Did He perhaps want to divert attention away from His earthly Mother? Perhaps yes, at first glance. But, in substance, the Son of Mary explained even more clearly in His response why she is blessed. Why is her human maternity blessed? In fact, the phrase about “those who hear the word of God and observe it” refers par excellence to her, to Mary. Is not her very motherhood the fruit of her “hearing” the word of God? Is it not the fruit of her perfect “consent” to it? (St. John Paul II, Homily, Mass for the University Students of Rome, 16 December 1987)