Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 11, 2021
First Reading: Sirach 48.1-4, 9-11
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Psalm 80
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.3Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.4O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?5Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.6Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.7Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.8Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.9Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.10The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.11She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.12Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?13The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.14Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;15And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.16It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.17Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.18So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.19Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Gospel: Matthew 17.10-13
10And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.12But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.13Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the figure of Elijah, a prophet whose fiery spirit and unwavering dedication to God left an indelible mark on Israel’s history. In the first reading from Sirach, Elijah is portrayed as a powerful instrument of God’s judgment and mercy. He brought famine upon the land, called down fire from heaven, and was eventually taken up in a whirlwind, a sign of his unique relationship with God. The passage highlights Elijah’s role as a restorer of balance and a reconciler, sent to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.
In the Gospel, Jesus engages his disciples in a conversation about Elijah, revealing that the prophet’s spirit had already been fulfilled in the person of John the Baptist. The disciples, like many of their contemporaries, were expecting Elijah to return in a dramatic fashion to herald the Messiah’s arrival. Jesus gently corrects them, explaining that Elijah’s coming was not about grandeur but about humility and preparation. John the Baptist, in his simple yet courageous witness, fulfilled the role of Elijah by calling people to repentance and pointing them to the Messiah.
These readings remind us that God often works in unexpected ways, through ordinary people and humble circumstances. Like Elijah and John the Baptist, we are called to be instruments of God’s mercy and truth in our own time. This means being open to recognizing God’s presence in the world around us, even when it doesn’t fit our expectations. It also calls us to live with integrity, preparing the way for others to encounter God by the way we live and love. Let us ask for the grace to be like Elijah and John—faithful, courageous, and attentive to the voice of God, so that we too can bring light and hope to a world in need.