Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 7, 2025
First Reading: Isaiah 11.1-10
1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;3And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.6The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.10And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Psalm 72
1Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.2He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.3The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.4He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.5They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.6He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.7In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.8He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.9They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.11Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.12For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.13He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.14He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.15And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.16There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.17His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.19And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Second Reading: Romans 15.4-9
4For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.5Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:6That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.7Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.8Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:9And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
Gospel: Matthew 3.1-12
1In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,2And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.3For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.4And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.5Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,6And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?8Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:9And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.10And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.11I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:12Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Sermon
The ancient prophet Isaiah paints a vivid picture of a future king, a descendant of Jesse, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord will rest in its fullness. This Messiah will bring forth justice for the poor and meek, and establish a kingdom of profound peace, where even natural enemies coexist in harmony. It is a vision of creation transformed by divine wisdom and righteousness. Into this anticipation, the Gospel presents John the Baptist, crying out in the wilderness, urging us to "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near." John serves as the immediate herald, preparing the path for this very Messiah described by Isaiah. His stark call to "produce fruit worthy of repentance" is not merely about acknowledging past wrongs, but about a radical turning of the heart, a necessary purification to welcome the transformative reign that Isaiah foretold.
Saint Paul, in his letter to the Romans, builds upon this foundation, reminding us that all Scripture is written to teach us, to fill us with patience and hope. He connects the prophetic vision of Isaiah and the urgent call of John to the universal embrace of Christ. Paul explains that Christ came to confirm God’s promises to the Jewish people and, in His mercy, to extend salvation to the Gentiles. This is the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy that the "root of Jesse" would be a sign for all nations. Just as John called for individual repentance, Paul calls for collective unity, urging us to accept one another, just as Christ has accepted us, so that "together with one mouth, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." This mutual acceptance, rooted in Christ's own inclusive love, is the very essence of the harmonious kingdom Isaiah envisioned.
These readings challenge us to embody this coming kingdom in our daily lives. The call to repentance remains ever-present, reminding us that we must continually examine our hearts and align our actions with God's will. We are invited to cultivate the gifts of the Spirit—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord—to become instruments of justice and peace in a world that hungers for it. In accepting one another, especially those different from us, we begin to live out the unity that Christ established and the reconciliation that marks His reign. Through humble repentance and active love, we prepare the way for the Lord not just in our own souls, but in our families, communities, and indeed, the entire world, allowing the knowledge of the Lord to fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.