Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 22, 2025
First Reading: 1 Maccabees 6.1-13
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Psalm 9
1I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.2I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.3My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.4For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.5You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.6Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.7The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.8He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.10Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.11Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.12For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.13O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,14that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.15The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.16The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah17The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.18But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.19Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.20Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men. Selah
Gospel: Luke 20.27-40
27Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question.28"Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother.29Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless.30The second31and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children.32Finally, the woman died too.33Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"34Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.35But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage,36and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.37But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'38He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."39Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!"40And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two very different narratives, yet both invite us to reflect on the nature of human ambition, the consequences of our choices, and the ultimate hope that lies beyond this life. The first reading from 1 Maccabees tells the story of King Antiochus, who, having failed in his attempt to plunder a temple in Persia, is overwhelmed by grief and regret. His once-proud spirit is broken as he confronts the reality of his own mortality and the evil deeds he has committed. This passage serves as a cautionary tale about the fleeting nature of earthly power and the inevitable consequences of sin.
The Gospel reading from Luke shifts our focus from the temporal to the eternal. Jesus engages in a debate with the Sadducees, who deny the resurrection of the dead. Using a hypothetical scenario about a woman who marries seven brothers in succession, the Sadducees attempt to discredit the idea of an afterlife. Jesus, however, turns their question on its head. He explains that life in the resurrection is fundamentally different from life in this world. There will be no marriage or earthly relationships, for the resurrected will live in a state akin to the angels, free from death and decay. Jesus grounds this teaching in the Scriptures, reminding his listeners that God is the God of the living, not the dead.
These readings invite us to reflect on the ultimate purpose of our lives. The story of Antiochus warns us against allowing ambition and greed to dominate our hearts, for such pursuits ultimately lead to emptiness and regret. Jesus, on the other hand, offers us hope. He reminds us that our true fulfillment is not found in the things of this world but in the eternal life that awaits us. As we navigate the challenges of daily life, let us keep our eyes fixed on the horizon of eternity. May we strive to live in such a way that we are prepared to meet God face to face, trusting in his promise of resurrection and eternal life.