Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 8, 2025
First Reading: Genesis 3.9-15, 20
9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?12And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.13And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.20And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Psalm 98
1O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.2The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.3He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.4Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.5Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.6With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.7Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.8Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together9Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
Second Reading: Ephesians 1.3-6, 11-12
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.11In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Gospel: Luke 1.26-38
26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.34Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.37For with God nothing shall be impossible.38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Sermon
Today's readings unfold a profound narrative of humanity's fall and God's unfailing plan of salvation. We begin in Genesis with the heartbreaking account of Adam and Eve's disobedience, their fear, and their attempts to shift blame after eating from the forbidden tree. Yet, even in this moment of sin, God pronounces a curse upon the serpent, promising enmity between him and the Woman, and that her offspring would crush his head – a mysterious foreshadowing of future victory. Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, lifts our gaze beyond this initial fall, reminding us that God's loving plan for our adoption as children was not a reaction, but a predestined act, chosen in Christ "before the foundation of the world," so that we might be holy and immaculate in His sight. This divine purpose reaches a pivotal moment in the Gospel of Luke, where the Angel Gabriel announces to a humble virgin named Mary that she will conceive Jesus, the Son of the Most High, who will reign eternally. Mary's simple, faith-filled response, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word," stands in stark contrast to the disobedience in the garden.
These passages are intricately linked, showing a divine tapestry woven from eternity. The "woman" whose offspring would crush the serpent's head, foretold in Genesis, is revealed in Luke as Mary, who through her "fiat" allows the Eternal Son of God to enter human history. She becomes the new Eve, not bringing sin into the world, but bringing forth the Savior who overcomes it. Paul's words in Ephesians give theological depth to this redemption, explaining that God's choice to save us through Christ was always part of His grand design, a plan of grace to restore us to the holiness we lost through Adam's sin. Our daily lives are deeply touched by this story. We, like Adam and Eve, face temptations and sometimes yield to them, experiencing fear and shame. But we are also, like Mary, given moments to say "yes" to God's will, to accept His grace, and to allow His divine plan to unfold through our lives.
The moral lesson here is one of profound hope and personal responsibility. While sin has consequences, God's love and His redemptive plan are always greater. He calls us not only to acknowledge our faults but also to embrace the grace offered through Christ, who, born of Mary, fulfills the ancient promise. Each of us is predestined for holiness and called to an intimate relationship with God. Our response, whether one of fearful hiding or humble submission, determines how deeply we participate in God's ongoing work of salvation in the world. Let us strive to emulate Mary's trusting "yes," allowing God's word to take root within us, transforming our lives into instruments of His praise and glory.