Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 8, 2025
First Reading: Genesis 3.9-15, 20
9But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"10And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."11He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"12The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."14The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.15I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."20The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Psalm 98
1Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.2The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.3He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.4Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!5Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!6With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!7Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!8Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together9before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
Second Reading: Ephesians 1.3-6, 11-12
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love5he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
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
Today's readings unfold a profound narrative of humanity's fall and God's unfailing plan of salvation. We begin in Genesis with the heartbreaking account of Adam and Eve's disobedience, their fear, and their attempts to shift blame after eating from the forbidden tree. Yet, even in this moment of sin, God pronounces a curse upon the serpent, promising enmity between him and the Woman, and that her offspring would crush his head – a mysterious foreshadowing of future victory. Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, lifts our gaze beyond this initial fall, reminding us that God's loving plan for our adoption as children was not a reaction, but a predestined act, chosen in Christ "before the foundation of the world," so that we might be holy and immaculate in His sight. This divine purpose reaches a pivotal moment in the Gospel of Luke, where the Angel Gabriel announces to a humble virgin named Mary that she will conceive Jesus, the Son of the Most High, who will reign eternally. Mary's simple, faith-filled response, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word," stands in stark contrast to the disobedience in the garden.
These passages are intricately linked, showing a divine tapestry woven from eternity. The "woman" whose offspring would crush the serpent's head, foretold in Genesis, is revealed in Luke as Mary, who through her "fiat" allows the Eternal Son of God to enter human history. She becomes the new Eve, not bringing sin into the world, but bringing forth the Savior who overcomes it. Paul's words in Ephesians give theological depth to this redemption, explaining that God's choice to save us through Christ was always part of His grand design, a plan of grace to restore us to the holiness we lost through Adam's sin. Our daily lives are deeply touched by this story. We, like Adam and Eve, face temptations and sometimes yield to them, experiencing fear and shame. But we are also, like Mary, given moments to say "yes" to God's will, to accept His grace, and to allow His divine plan to unfold through our lives.
The moral lesson here is one of profound hope and personal responsibility. While sin has consequences, God's love and His redemptive plan are always greater. He calls us not only to acknowledge our faults but also to embrace the grace offered through Christ, who, born of Mary, fulfills the ancient promise. Each of us is predestined for holiness and called to an intimate relationship with God. Our response, whether one of fearful hiding or humble submission, determines how deeply we participate in God's ongoing work of salvation in the world. Let us strive to emulate Mary's trusting "yes," allowing God's word to take root within us, transforming our lives into instruments of His praise and glory.