Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 4, 2025
First Reading: Isaiah 26.1-6
1In that day, this canticle will be sung in the land of Judah. Within it will be set the city of our strength: Zion, a savior, a wall with a bulwark2Open the gates, and let the just people who guard the truth enter3The old error has gone away. You will serve peace: peace, for we have hoped in you4You have trusted in the Lord for all eternity, in the Lord God almighty forever5For he will bend down those living in the heights. He will bring low the lofty city. He will lower it, even to the ground. He will tear it down, even to the dust6The foot will tread it down: the feet of the poor, the steps of the indigent
Psalm 118
1Alleluia. Confess to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is forever2Let Israel now say: For he is good, for his mercy is forever3Let the house of Aaron now say: For his mercy is forever4Let those who fear the Lord now say: For his mercy is forever5In my tribulation, I called upon the Lord. And the Lord heeded me with generosity6The Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man can do to me7The Lord is my helper. And I will look down upon my enemies8It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in man9It is good to hope in the Lord, rather than to hope in leaders10All the nations have surrounded me. And, in the name of the Lord, I have been avenged over them11Surrounding me, they closed in on me. And, in the name of the Lord, I have been avenged over them12They surrounded me like a swarm, and they burned like fire among the thorns. And, in the name of the Lord, I have been avenged over them13Having been pushed, I was overturned so as to fall. But the Lord took me up14The Lord is my strength and my praise. And he has become my salvation15A voice of exultation and salvation is in the tabernacles of the just16The right hand of the Lord has wrought virtue. The right hand of the Lord has exalted me. The right hand of the Lord has wrought virtue17I will not die, but I will live. And I will declare the works of the Lord18When chastising, the Lord chastised me. But he has not delivered me over to death19Open the gates of justice to me. I will enter them, and I will confess to the Lord20This is the gate of the Lord. The just will enter by it21I will confess to you because you have heard me. And you have become my salvation22The stone which the builders have rejected, this has become the head of the corner23By the Lord has this been done, and it is a wonder before our eyes24This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us exult and rejoice in it25O Lord, grant salvation to me. O Lord, grant good prosperity26Blessed is he who arrives in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you from the house of the Lord27The Lord is God, and he has enlightened us. Establish a solemn day amid a dense crowd, even to the horn of the altar28You are my God, and I will confess to you. You are my God, and I will exalt you. I will confess to you, for you have heeded me. And you have become my salvation29Confess to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is forever
Gospel: Matthew 7.21, 24-27
21Not all who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does the will of my Father, who is in heaven, the same shall enter into the kingdom of heaven24Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them shall be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock25And the rains descended, and the floods rose up, and the winds blew, and rushed upon that house, but it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them shall be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand27And the rains descended, and the floods rose up, and the winds blew, and rushed upon that house, and it did fall, and great was its ruin.
Sermon
The prophet Isaiah sings of a day when God's people will celebrate in Zion, the city of their strength, where the just who guard the truth will enter. God is revealed as the eternal rock, who humbles the proud and lifts up the poor, showcasing His everlasting justice and steadfastness. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus delivers a crucial warning, reminding us that merely professing "Lord, Lord" will not open the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead, true discipleship requires actively doing the will of the Father. This teaching is vividly illustrated by the parable of the wise builder who establishes his house on solid rock, and the foolish builder who constructs his on shifting sand, underscoring the vital importance of practical obedience.
These readings resonate deeply, both pointing to the essential nature of a firm foundation for our lives. Isaiah's imagery of God as the "city of our strength" and the "Lord God almighty forever" provides the ultimate, unshakeable rock upon which we are called to build. The "just people who guard the truth" who are invited into Zion are precisely those whom Jesus identifies as hearing his words and putting them into practice, thereby building on a secure foundation. Just as God promises to humble the lofty and elevate the humble, Jesus warns that those who only profess faith without genuine obedience will find their spiritual house unable to withstand life's inevitable storms. Our daily choices and actions are constantly shaping the structure of our lives; each decision to live according to God's commandments lays another stone on that enduring rock, making our spiritual edifice strong against trials and temptations.
The profound lesson for us today is that our faith must extend beyond mere words or fleeting sentiment; it must be a dynamic, lived reality rooted in active obedience to God's will. When we truly place our trust in the Lord, as Isaiah implores, and when we diligently apply Jesus's teachings in our daily walk, we are building our lives on an eternal foundation that will endure any challenge or adversity. Let us therefore examine the foundations of our own spiritual lives, ensuring they rest not on the shifting sands of superficiality or convenience, but on the solid rock of Christ's commands, translated into our daily actions, leading to lasting peace and true life in His Kingdom.