Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 27, 2025
First Reading: 1 John 1.1-4
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--2the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us--3that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.4And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
Psalm 97
1The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!2Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.3Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.4His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.5The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.6The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.7All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!8Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD.9For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.10O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.11Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.12Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
Gospel: John 20.2-8
2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."3So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.4Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.5And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,7and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.8Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, 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.