Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 27, 2025
First Reading: 1 John 1.1-4
1He who was from the beginning, whom we have heard, whom we have seen with our eyes, upon whom we have gazed, and whom our hands have certainly touched: He is the Word of Life2And that Life has been made manifest. And we have seen, and we testify, and we announce to you: the Eternal Life, who was with the Father, and who appeared to us3He whom we have seen and heard, we announce to you, so that you, too, may have fellowship with us, and so that our fellowship may be with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ4And this we write to you, so that you may rejoice, and so that your joy may be full
Psalm 97
1This is to David, when his land was restored to him. The Lord has reigned, let the earth exult. Let the many islands rejoice2Clouds and mist are all around him. Justice and judgment are corrections from his throne3A fire will precede him, and it will enflame his enemies all around4His lightnings have enlightened the whole world. The earth saw, and it was shaken5The mountains flowed like wax before the face of the Lord, before the face of the Lord of all the earth6The heavens announced his justice, and all peoples saw his glory7May all those who adore graven images be confounded, along with those who glory in their false images. All you his Angels: Adore him8Zion heard, and was glad. And the daughters of Judah exulted because of your judgments, O Lord9For you are the Most High Lord over all the earth. You are greatly exalted above all gods10You who love the Lord: hate evil. The Lord watches over the souls of his holy ones. He will free them from the hand of the sinner11The light has risen for the just, and joy for the upright of heart12Rejoice in the Lord, you just ones, and confess to the memory of his sanctuary
Gospel: John 20.2-8
2Therefore, she ran and went to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and she said to them, "They have taken the Lord away from the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.3Therefore, Peter departed with the other disciple, and they went to the tomb4Now they both ran together, but the other disciple ran more quickly, ahead of Peter, and so he arrived at the tomb first5And when he bowed down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not yet enter6Then Simon Peter arrived, following him, and he entered the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there7and the separate cloth which had been over his head, not placed with the linen cloths, but in a separate place, wrapped up by itself8Then the other disciple, who had arrived first at the tomb, also entered. And he saw and believed
Sermon
Our first reading, from the First Letter of John, offers a profound testimony to the tangible reality of Jesus Christ. The apostle declares that he and his fellow witnesses have heard, seen, gazed upon, and even touched the Word of Life. This isn't a myth or a distant concept, but a person they experienced intimately. Their purpose in sharing this eyewitness account is so that we, too, might enter into this same fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and in doing so, find our joy made full. It establishes the concrete foundation of our faith: God truly entered human history, visible and touchable.
The Gospel account from John picks up on this theme of seeing and believing, but in the context of the empty tomb on Resurrection morning. Mary Magdalene's distress sends Peter and the beloved disciple racing to the tomb. The beloved disciple, arriving first, sees the linen cloths lying undisturbed, and the head covering neatly rolled up in a separate place. These details, far from suggesting a frantic theft, speak volumes. When he enters, he sees these signs, and in that moment, he believes. This isn't yet a direct encounter with the Risen Lord, but an act of faith born from observing the evidence, confirming that Jesus was not merely gone, but Risen in a mysterious, yet real, way.
Both passages call us to ground our faith not in abstract ideas, but in the historical and transformative reality of Jesus Christ. Just as the apostles bore witness to a Christ they experienced physically, and the beloved disciple believed based on the evidence of the empty tomb, so too are we invited to encounter the Risen Lord in our lives. The testimony of the early Church provides the foundation, inviting us into a fellowship that brings complete joy. Our spiritual journey, then, involves a constant turning towards the truth of the Incarnation and Resurrection, seeking out the signs of God's presence, and responding with a faith that sees and believes, leading us into deeper communion with Him.