Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 9, 2025
First Reading: Isaiah 40.1-11
1Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.3A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.5And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."6A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.7The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass.8The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.9Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"10Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.11He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Psalm 96
1Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!2Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!4For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.5For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.6Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.7Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!8Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!9Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!10Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity."11Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;12let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy13before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Gospel: Matthew 18.12-14
12What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?13And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.14So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Sermon
The Prophet Isaiah brings a message of profound comfort to a people in distress, assuring Jerusalem that her time of punishment is over, her iniquity forgiven. He speaks of a voice crying out to prepare the way for the Lord, whose glory will be revealed, and who will come as a gentle shepherd, gathering and carrying His flock with immense tenderness. This vision contrasts the fleeting nature of all human glory with the eternal, enduring Word of our God. In the Gospel, we hear Jesus' parable of the lost sheep, illustrating the extraordinary joy of a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to tirelessly seek and find the one that has strayed, concluding that it is not the will of our heavenly Father that even one of His little ones should be lost.
Both readings reveal the depth of God's compassionate heart and His active pursuit of His people. Isaiah's prophecy of God's coming as a shepherd finds its fulfillment and deepest meaning in Christ's teaching about His Father's relentless love for each individual soul, particularly those who are lost or vulnerable. The call to "prepare the way" in Isaiah is a call for us to prepare our hearts for this loving God who seeks us out. In our daily lives, this means trusting in His promise of forgiveness and consolation when we feel burdened by our failings, and recognizing that even in our wanderings, we are not abandoned, but actively sought by a God who desires our salvation above all else.
Let us take to heart the profound truth that our God is one who relentlessly pursues us, not with judgment, but with an overwhelming desire to bring us home. He gathers us tenderly, even carrying us when we are weakest. This divine concern for the one lost sheep reminds us of the infinite worth of every soul in God's eyes. Our spiritual journey, then, is not merely about finding our way back to God, but more fundamentally, about allowing ourselves to be found by Him, trusting in His patient and joyful search for us, and extending that same compassionate spirit to those we encounter who may be feeling lost or overlooked.