Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 13, 2025
First Reading: Sirach 48.1-4, 9-11
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Psalm 80
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us!3Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!4O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?5You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure.6You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.7Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!8You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.9You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.10The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.11It sent out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the River.12Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?13The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.14Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,15the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.16They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face!17But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!18Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name!19Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Gospel: Matthew 17.10-13
10And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?"11He answered, "Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.12But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands."13Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Sermon
The First Reading from Sirach offers a powerful tribute to the prophet Elijah, describing him as a man who arose like a fire, whose word burned like a torch, and who performed wondrous works including closing the heavens and ascending in a whirlwind. He is presented as a pivotal figure, destined to lessen wrath, reconcile hearts, and restore the tribes of Jacob. In the Gospel, immediately following the Transfiguration where Elijah appeared with Moses, the disciples question Jesus about the scribes' teaching that Elijah must come first. Jesus affirms that Elijah indeed comes to restore all things, but then reveals that Elijah "has already arrived" in John the Baptist, who was unrecognized and suffered, foreshadowing the suffering of the Son of Man.
These two texts illuminate the nature of prophecy and its fulfillment. Sirach encapsulates the traditional Jewish expectation of Elijah's glorious return, a powerful figure arriving dramatically to usher in the messianic age. However, Jesus reinterprets this expectation, revealing that God's plan unfolded not always in the spectacular manner anticipated, but through the humble, often unrecognized witness of John the Baptist. John, though not literally Elijah returned in a fiery chariot, embodied Elijah's spirit of prophetic zeal, preparing the way for the Lord, calling for repentance, and striving to "reconcile the heart of the father to the son," just as Sirach prophesied. Yet, this new Elijah faced rejection and suffering, mirroring the suffering Christ Himself would endure.
This teaches us a profound lesson about spiritual discernment and our own expectations of God. We often anticipate God's presence and action in grand, dramatic gestures, much like the anticipated return of the ancient Elijah. But the Lord frequently works in unexpected ways, through the humble, the unrecognized, and even through suffering and sacrifice. We are called to be attentive to the subtle movements of the Holy Spirit and to recognize God's messengers and His saving work, even when it challenges our preconceived notions. Our task is to prepare hearts for Christ in our own time, embracing our call to repentance and reconciliation, even if our efforts are humble or met with misunderstanding, trusting that God's plan unfolds in His own perfect, sometimes surprising, way.