Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 21, 2025
First Reading: Isaiah 7.10-14
10And the Lord spoke further to Ahaz, saying11Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God, from the depths below, even to the heights above12And Ahaz said, "I will not ask, for I will not tempt the Lord.13And he said: "Then listen, O house of David. Is it such a small thing for you to trouble men, that you must also trouble my God14For this reason, the Lord himself will grant to you a sign. Behold, a virgin will conceive, and she will give birth to a son, and his name will be called Immanuel
Psalm 24
1For the First Sabbath. A Psalm of David. The earth and all its fullness belong to the Lord: the whole world and all that dwells in it2For he has founded it upon the seas, and he has prepared it upon the rivers3Who will ascend to the mountain of the Lord? And who will stand in his holy place4The innocent of hands and the clean of heart, who has not received his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbor5He will receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God, his Saviour6This is the generation that seeks him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob7Lift up your gates, you princes, and be lifted up, eternal gates. And the King of Glory shall enter8Who is this King of Glory? The Lord who is strong and powerful; the Lord powerful in battle9Lift up your gates, you princes, and be lifted up, eternal gates. And the King of Glory shall enter10Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of virtue. He himself is the King of Glory
Second Reading: Romans 1.1-7
1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called as an Apostle, separated for the Gospel of God2which he had promised beforehand, through his Prophets, in the Holy Scriptures3about his Son, who was made for him from the offspring of David according to the flesh4the Son of God, who was predestined in virtue according to the Spirit of sanctification from the resurrection of the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ5through whom we have received grace and Apostleship, for the sake of his name, for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles6from whom you also have been called by Jesus Christ7To all who are at Rome, the beloved of God, called as saints. Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ
Gospel: Matthew 1.18-24
18Now the procreation of the Christ occurred in this way. After his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they lived together, she was found to have conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit19Then Joseph, her husband, since he was just and was not willing to hand her over, preferred to send her away secretly20But while thinking over these things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to accept Mary as your wife. For what has been formed in her is of the Holy Spirit21And she shall give birth to a son. And you shall call his name JESUS. For he shall accomplish the salvation of his people from their sins.22Now all this occurred in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying23"Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb, and she shall give birth to a son. And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us.24Then Joseph, arising from sleep, did just as the Angel of the Lord had instructed him, and he accepted her as his wife
Sermon
Today's readings unfold a beautiful tapestry of divine promise and its fulfillment, centered on the coming of our Lord. In Isaiah, we hear God, through the prophet, offer King Ahaz a sign of reassurance amidst political turmoil. When Ahaz refuses, God declares He will nonetheless provide one: "Behold, a virgin will conceive, and she will give birth to a son, and his name will be called Immanuel." This ancient prophecy finds its stunning realization in Matthew's Gospel. Here, we witness Joseph grappling with the mysterious pregnancy of his betrothed, Mary. An angel appears in a dream to affirm the divine origin of the child, conceived by the Holy Spirit, instructing Joseph to accept Mary as his wife and name the son Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew explicitly connects this miraculous birth to Isaiah's prophecy, revealing Jesus as Immanuel, "God is with us."
Paul's letter to the Romans further frames this mystery, asserting that Jesus Christ, born of David's lineage according to the flesh, is truly the Son of God, promised beforehand through the prophets. He proclaims that through Jesus, we have received grace and an apostleship for the obedience of faith among all nations. The interconnectedness of these readings reminds us that God's plan for salvation is not a spontaneous event, but a meticulously woven design unfolding across centuries, culminating in the Incarnation. In our own lives, when confronted with the unexpected or the seemingly impossible, like Joseph, we are called to trust in God's mysterious ways. His presence is not distant; He is Immanuel, "God with us," actively involved in our personal stories, guiding us toward salvation and inviting our humble, faithful obedience, even when His path defies our human understanding.