Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 9, 2025
First Reading: Isaiah 40.1-11
1Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.2Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.3The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.4Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:5And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.6The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:7The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.8The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.9O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Psalm 96
1O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.2Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.3Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.4For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.5For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.6Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.7Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.8Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.9O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.10Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.11Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.12Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice13Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
Gospel: Matthew 18.12-14
12How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?13And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Sermon
The Prophet Isaiah brings a message of profound comfort to a people in distress, assuring Jerusalem that her time of punishment is over, her iniquity forgiven. He speaks of a voice crying out to prepare the way for the Lord, whose glory will be revealed, and who will come as a gentle shepherd, gathering and carrying His flock with immense tenderness. This vision contrasts the fleeting nature of all human glory with the eternal, enduring Word of our God. In the Gospel, we hear Jesus' parable of the lost sheep, illustrating the extraordinary joy of a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to tirelessly seek and find the one that has strayed, concluding that it is not the will of our heavenly Father that even one of His little ones should be lost.
Both readings reveal the depth of God's compassionate heart and His active pursuit of His people. Isaiah's prophecy of God's coming as a shepherd finds its fulfillment and deepest meaning in Christ's teaching about His Father's relentless love for each individual soul, particularly those who are lost or vulnerable. The call to "prepare the way" in Isaiah is a call for us to prepare our hearts for this loving God who seeks us out. In our daily lives, this means trusting in His promise of forgiveness and consolation when we feel burdened by our failings, and recognizing that even in our wanderings, we are not abandoned, but actively sought by a God who desires our salvation above all else.
Let us take to heart the profound truth that our God is one who relentlessly pursues us, not with judgment, but with an overwhelming desire to bring us home. He gathers us tenderly, even carrying us when we are weakest. This divine concern for the one lost sheep reminds us of the infinite worth of every soul in God's eyes. Our spiritual journey, then, is not merely about finding our way back to God, but more fundamentally, about allowing ourselves to be found by Him, trusting in His patient and joyful search for us, and extending that same compassionate spirit to those we encounter who may be feeling lost or overlooked.