Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 13, 2025
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 First Reading from Sirach offers a powerful tribute to the prophet Elijah, describing him as a man who arose like a fire, whose word burned like a torch, and who performed wondrous works including closing the heavens and ascending in a whirlwind. He is presented as a pivotal figure, destined to lessen wrath, reconcile hearts, and restore the tribes of Jacob. In the Gospel, immediately following the Transfiguration where Elijah appeared with Moses, the disciples question Jesus about the scribes' teaching that Elijah must come first. Jesus affirms that Elijah indeed comes to restore all things, but then reveals that Elijah "has already arrived" in John the Baptist, who was unrecognized and suffered, foreshadowing the suffering of the Son of Man.
These two texts illuminate the nature of prophecy and its fulfillment. Sirach encapsulates the traditional Jewish expectation of Elijah's glorious return, a powerful figure arriving dramatically to usher in the messianic age. However, Jesus reinterprets this expectation, revealing that God's plan unfolded not always in the spectacular manner anticipated, but through the humble, often unrecognized witness of John the Baptist. John, though not literally Elijah returned in a fiery chariot, embodied Elijah's spirit of prophetic zeal, preparing the way for the Lord, calling for repentance, and striving to "reconcile the heart of the father to the son," just as Sirach prophesied. Yet, this new Elijah faced rejection and suffering, mirroring the suffering Christ Himself would endure.
This teaches us a profound lesson about spiritual discernment and our own expectations of God. We often anticipate God's presence and action in grand, dramatic gestures, much like the anticipated return of the ancient Elijah. But the Lord frequently works in unexpected ways, through the humble, the unrecognized, and even through suffering and sacrifice. We are called to be attentive to the subtle movements of the Holy Spirit and to recognize God's messengers and His saving work, even when it challenges our preconceived notions. Our task is to prepare hearts for Christ in our own time, embracing our call to repentance and reconciliation, even if our efforts are humble or met with misunderstanding, trusting that God's plan unfolds in His own perfect, sometimes surprising, way.