Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 17, 2025

First Reading: Genesis 49.2, 8-10

²Gather together and listen, O sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father⁸Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be at the necks of your enemies; the sons of your father will reverence you⁹Judah is a lion’s young. You have gone up to the prey, my son. While resting, you have lain like a lion. And just like a lioness, who would rouse him¹⁰The scepter from Judah and the leader from his thigh will not be taken away, until he who will be sent arrives, and he will be the expectation of Gentiles

Psalm 72

Psalms

Chapter 72

¹A Psalm according to Solomon²Give your judgment, O God, to the king, and your justice to the king’s son, to judge your people with justice and your poor with judgment³Let the mountains take up peace for the people, and the hills, justice⁴He will judge the poor of the people, and he will bring salvation to the sons of the poor. And he will humble the false accuser⁵And he will remain, with the sun and before the moon, from generation to generation⁶He will descend like rain upon fleece, and like showers showering upon the earth⁷In his days, justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away⁸And he will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the limits of the whole world⁹In his sight, the Ethiopians will fall prostrate, and his enemies will lick the ground¹⁰The kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer gifts. The kings of Arabia and of Seba will bring gifts¹¹And all the kings of the earth shall adore him. All nations will serve him¹²For he will free the poor from the powerful, and the poor one who has no helper¹³He will spare the poor and the indigent, and he will bring salvation to the souls of the poor¹⁴He will redeem their souls from usuries and from iniquity, and their names shall be honorable in his sight¹⁵And he will live, and to him will be given from the gold of Arabia, and by him they will always adore. They will bless him all day long¹⁶And there will be a firmament on earth, at the summits of mountains: its fruits will be extolled above Lebanon, and those of the city will flourish like the grass of the earth¹⁷May his name be blessed forever; may his name remain before the sun. And all the tribes of the earth will be blessed in him. All nations will magnify him¹⁸Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things¹⁹And blessed is the name of his majesty in eternity. And all the earth will be filled with his majesty. Amen. Amen²⁰The praises of David, the son of Jesse, have reached an end

Gospel: Matthew 1.1-17

Matthew

Chapter 1

¹The book of the lineage of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham²Abraham conceived Isaac. And Isaac conceived Jacob. And Jacob conceived Judah and his brothers³And Judah conceived Perez and Zerah by Tamar. And Perez conceived Hezron. And Hezron conceived Ram⁴And Ram conceived Amminadab. And Amminadab conceived Nahshon. And Nahshon conceived Salmon⁵And Salmon conceived Boaz by Rahab. And Boaz conceived Obed by Ruth. And Obed conceived Jesse⁶And Jesse conceived king David. And king David conceived Solomon, by her who had been the wife of Uriah⁷And Solomon conceived Rehoboam. And Rehoboam conceived Abijah. And Abijah conceived Asa⁸And Asa conceived Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat conceived Joram. And Joram conceived Uzziah⁹And Uzziah conceived Jotham. And Jotham conceived Ahaz. And Ahaz conceived Hezekiah¹⁰And Hezekiah conceived Manasseh. And Manasseh conceived Amos. And Amos conceived Josiah¹¹And Josiah conceived Jechoniah and his brothers in the transmigration of Babylon¹²And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechoniah conceived Shealtiel. And Shealtiel conceived Zerubbabel¹³And Zerubbabel conceived Abiud. And Abiud conceived Eliakim. And Eliakim conceived Azor¹⁴And Azor conceived Zadok. And Zadok conceived Achim. And Achim conceived Eliud¹⁵And Eliud conceived Eleazar. And Eleazar conceived Matthan. And Matthan conceived Jacob¹⁶And Jacob conceived Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ¹⁷And so, all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the transmigration of Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the transmigration of Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations

Sermon

Today's readings offer us a profound glimpse into God's meticulous plan for salvation. In the first reading from Genesis, we hear Jacob on his deathbed pronouncing a powerful blessing and prophecy over his son Judah. He foretells that Judah's line will hold leadership, symbolized by the scepter, and that this authority will endure until the coming of "him who is to be sent," the one who will be the expectation of all nations. This ancient promise sets the stage for the lineage of the Messiah. The Gospel reading from Matthew then lays out the extensive genealogy of Jesus Christ, tracing his descent through Joseph all the way back to King David and ultimately to Abraham. Matthew's opening clearly aims to establish Jesus' credentials as the promised Messiah, demonstrating his rightful place within the royal line of Judah. The connection between these two readings is unmistakable and deeply significant, especially as we prepare for Christmas. Genesis proclaims the coming of a leader from Judah, and Matthew provides the irrefutable evidence that Jesus is precisely that promised one, fulfilling a prophecy spoken thousands of years prior. This reminds us of God's immense faithfulness and patience. His plan unfolds not in a rush, but deliberately, working through generations, through human history with all its imperfections and triumphs, to bring about His perfect will. For us today, this calls for a similar patience and trust in God's timing. Our lives, with their routines and challenges, are part of this grand narrative. Even when we cannot see the full picture, we are invited to trust that God is always at work, faithfully bringing His promises to fruition and making Christ, the hope of the Gentiles, present in our own lives and in the world around us.