Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 3, 2025
First Reading: Isaiah 25.6-10a
6And the Lord of hosts will cause all the peoples on this mountain to feast on fatness, to feast on wine, a fatness full of marrow, a purified wine7And he will cast down violently, on this mountain, the face of the chains, with which all peoples had been bound, and the net, with which all nations had been covered8He will violently cast down death forever. And the Lord God will take away the tears from every face, and he will take away the disgrace of his people from the entire earth. For the Lord has spoken it9And they will say in that day: "Behold, this is our God! We have waited for him, and he will save us. This is the Lord! We have endured for him. We will exult and rejoice in his salvation.10For the hand of the Lord will rest upon this mountain. And Moab will be trampled under him, just as stubble is worn away by a wagon
Psalm 23
1A Psalm of David. The Lord directs me, and nothing will be lacking to me2He has settled me here, in a place of pasture. He has led me out to the water of refreshment3He has converted my soul. He has led me away on the paths of justice, for the sake of his name4For, even if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils. For you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they have given me consolation5You have prepared a table in my sight, opposite those who trouble me. You have anointed my head with oil, and my cup, which inebriates me, how brilliant it is6And your mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and so may I dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days
Gospel: Matthew 15.29-37
29And when Jesus had passed from there, he arrived beside the sea of Galilee. And ascending onto a mountain, he sat down there30And great multitudes came to him, having with them the mute, the blind, the lame, the disabled, and many others. And they cast them down at his feet, and he cured them31so much so that the crowds wondered, seeing the mute speaking, the lame walking, the blind seeing. And they magnified the God of Israel32And Jesus, calling together his disciples, said: "I have compassion on the crowds, because they have persevered with me now for three days, and they do not have anything to eat. And I am not willing to dismiss them, fasting, lest they faint along the way.33And the disciples said to him: "From where, then, in the desert, would we obtain enough bread to satisfy so a great multitude?34And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" But they said, "Seven, and a few little fish.35And he instructed the crowds to recline upon the ground36And taking the seven loaves and the fish, and giving thanks, he broke and gave to his disciples, and the disciples gave to the people37And they all ate and were satisfied. And, from what was left over of the fragments, they took up seven full baskets
Sermon
The prophet Isaiah paints a majestic vision of a future feast on Mount Zion, a divine banquet for all peoples. Here, God promises to destroy death forever, wipe away every tear, and remove the disgrace of His people from the entire earth. It is a powerful prophecy of ultimate salvation and restoration, where God Himself will triumph over all suffering and evil, offering an abundance of joy and purified wine, a glorious reversal of all human hardship. In the Gospel, we see a concrete manifestation of this divine compassion as Jesus, on a mountain by the Sea of Galilee, performs numerous healings for the mute, blind, lame, and disabled. Moved by their hunger after three days, He takes seven loaves and a few small fish, gives thanks, and miraculously feeds a vast multitude, with plenty left over.
These two readings, separated by centuries, resonate profoundly with one another. Isaiah foretells a spiritual feast of liberation and abundance, while Matthew shows Jesus literally providing for physical hunger and healing physical ailments on a mountain, offering a tangible foretaste of God's promised salvation. The mountain in both passages symbolizes a place of divine encounter and revelation—Isaiah's mountain is where God’s ultimate victory is declared, and Jesus’ mountain is where His divine power and compassion are vividly displayed, preparing the way for that eternal banquet. We are reminded that God's compassion extends to both our spiritual longings and our everyday needs.
In our own lives, we often experience various forms of hunger or brokenness, be they physical, emotional, or spiritual. These passages invite us to bring these needs to the Lord with trust, just as the crowds brought their sick to Jesus. They assure us that God is not indifferent to our suffering; rather, He desires to feed us, heal us, and ultimately free us from all that binds us. Like the disciples with their few loaves, we may feel our resources are meager in the face of immense needs. Yet, when we offer what little we have to Christ with gratitude, He has the power to multiply it beyond our imagination, satisfying not only our own deepest hungers but also enabling us to be instruments of His abundant provision for others.