Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 3, 2025
First Reading: Isaiah 25.6-10a
6And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.7And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.8He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.9And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.10For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.
Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Gospel: Matthew 15.29-37
29And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.30And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:31Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.32Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.33And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?34And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.35And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.36And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.37And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
Sermon
The prophet Isaiah paints a majestic vision of a future feast on Mount Zion, a divine banquet for all peoples. Here, God promises to destroy death forever, wipe away every tear, and remove the disgrace of His people from the entire earth. It is a powerful prophecy of ultimate salvation and restoration, where God Himself will triumph over all suffering and evil, offering an abundance of joy and purified wine, a glorious reversal of all human hardship. In the Gospel, we see a concrete manifestation of this divine compassion as Jesus, on a mountain by the Sea of Galilee, performs numerous healings for the mute, blind, lame, and disabled. Moved by their hunger after three days, He takes seven loaves and a few small fish, gives thanks, and miraculously feeds a vast multitude, with plenty left over.
These two readings, separated by centuries, resonate profoundly with one another. Isaiah foretells a spiritual feast of liberation and abundance, while Matthew shows Jesus literally providing for physical hunger and healing physical ailments on a mountain, offering a tangible foretaste of God's promised salvation. The mountain in both passages symbolizes a place of divine encounter and revelation—Isaiah's mountain is where God’s ultimate victory is declared, and Jesus’ mountain is where His divine power and compassion are vividly displayed, preparing the way for that eternal banquet. We are reminded that God's compassion extends to both our spiritual longings and our everyday needs.
In our own lives, we often experience various forms of hunger or brokenness, be they physical, emotional, or spiritual. These passages invite us to bring these needs to the Lord with trust, just as the crowds brought their sick to Jesus. They assure us that God is not indifferent to our suffering; rather, He desires to feed us, heal us, and ultimately free us from all that binds us. Like the disciples with their few loaves, we may feel our resources are meager in the face of immense needs. Yet, when we offer what little we have to Christ with gratitude, He has the power to multiply it beyond our imagination, satisfying not only our own deepest hungers but also enabling us to be instruments of His abundant provision for others.