Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 24, 2020
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7.1-5, 8-12, 16
1And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;2That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.3And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.4And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,5Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?8Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:9And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.10Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,11And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.12And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.16And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Psalm 89
1I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.2For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.3I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,4Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.5And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.6For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?7God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.8O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?9Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.10Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.11The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.12The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.13Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.14Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.15Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.16In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.17For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.18For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.19Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.20I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:21With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.22The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.23And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.24But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.25I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.26He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.27Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.28My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.29His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.30If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;31If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;32Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.33Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.34My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.35Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.36His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.37It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.38But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.39Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.40Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.41All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.42Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.43Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.44Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.45The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.46How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?47Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?48What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.49Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?50Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;51Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.52Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
Gospel: Luke 1.67-79
67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:71That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;73The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,74That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,75In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,78Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter profound reflections on God's promises and their fulfillment across the ages. The first reading from 2 Samuel recounts Nathan's prophecy to King David, where God establishes the Davidic dynasty, promising an eternal throne. This promise, given after David considered building a temple, shifts the focus from David's plans to God's greater plan—a dynasty, not a building. The Gospel from Luke presents Zechariah's song of praise, celebrating the redemption through the house of David and introducing John the Baptist's role in preparing the way for the Lord.
These readings are deeply connected, as both revolve around God's promises and their realization. The Davidic covenant in 2 Samuel finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, as hinted in Luke. Zechariah's canticle highlights this fulfillment, emphasizing redemption and mercy, with John the Baptist paving the way for Jesus.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to trust in God's providence. Just as David trusted God's promise for his dynasty, we too can trust in God's plan for our lives. Zechariah's song reminds us to live in holiness and justice, freed from fear, and to prepare the way for others to encounter God. The moral lesson here is one of faithfulness and hope—our trust and faithfulness contribute to God's larger plan, much like David and Zechariah. Let us embrace this hope, living with gratitude and preparing the way for others to know God's love.