Daily Catholic Mass Readings for March 25, 2019
First Reading: Isaiah 7.10-14; 8.10d
10Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz,11"Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven."12But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test."13And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Psalm 40
1I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.2He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.4Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!5You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.6Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.7Then I said, "Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:8I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."9I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.10I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.11As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!12For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.13Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!14Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt!15Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, "Aha, Aha!"16But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, "Great is the LORD!"17As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!
Second Reading: Hebrews 10.4-10
4For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.5Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;6in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.7Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'"8When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law),9then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.10And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Gospel: Luke 1.26-38
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.28And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.30And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."34And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"35And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God.36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.37For nothing will be impossible with God."38And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the profound mystery of God’s plan of salvation and our response to it. In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear the prophet offering King Ahaz a sign of God’s presence and fidelity—a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, Immanuel, “God with us.” This prophecy, spoken in a time of crisis, points to the hope of divine intervention and the promise of Emmanuel, who would later be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The second reading from Hebrews emphasizes that the sacrifices of the old covenant could not fully take away sins, but Christ’s self-offering, in obedience to the Father’s will, accomplishes what the law could not. This highlights the uniqueness of Christ’s sacrifice and the grace it brings to humanity. In the Gospel, Luke presents the Annunciation, where Mary, in humility and faith, accepts God’s plan to bear the Son of God. Her “Yes” to God’s will becomes the pivotal moment that changes the course of history.
These readings are deeply interconnected. Isaiah’s prophecy of Emmanuel finds its fulfillment in the Gospel, where Mary’s womb bears the Son of God. The letter to the Hebrews bridges the Old and New Testaments, showing how Christ’s sacrifice is the ultimate expression of God’s will and love. Together, they reveal the continuity of God’s plan and the central role of faith and obedience in receiving His grace. Mary’s response—“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word”—stands as a model of trust and surrender to God’s plan.
In our daily lives, these readings call us to reflect on our own response to God’s will. Like Mary, we are invited to embrace God’s plan, even when it seems uncertain or challenging. The readings remind us that faith is not about understanding every detail but about trusting in God’s providence. Just as Mary’s “Yes” brought Emmanuel into the world, our “Yes” to God can allow His grace to flow through us, transforming our lives and the lives of those around us. Let us, like Mary, open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and allow God’s will to be done in us. In doing so, we become part of the ongoing story of salvation, living as children of God who trust in His love and provision.