Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 3, 2025
First Reading: Isaiah 25.6-10a
6On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine- the best of meats and the finest of wines.7On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;8he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.9In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."10The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain; but Moab will be trampled under him as straw is trampled down in the manure.
Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,3he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.6Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Gospel: Matthew 15.29-37
29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."33His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"34"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Sermon
The prophet Isaiah paints a majestic vision of a future feast on Mount Zion, a divine banquet for all peoples. Here, God promises to destroy death forever, wipe away every tear, and remove the disgrace of His people from the entire earth. It is a powerful prophecy of ultimate salvation and restoration, where God Himself will triumph over all suffering and evil, offering an abundance of joy and purified wine, a glorious reversal of all human hardship. In the Gospel, we see a concrete manifestation of this divine compassion as Jesus, on a mountain by the Sea of Galilee, performs numerous healings for the mute, blind, lame, and disabled. Moved by their hunger after three days, He takes seven loaves and a few small fish, gives thanks, and miraculously feeds a vast multitude, with plenty left over.
These two readings, separated by centuries, resonate profoundly with one another. Isaiah foretells a spiritual feast of liberation and abundance, while Matthew shows Jesus literally providing for physical hunger and healing physical ailments on a mountain, offering a tangible foretaste of God's promised salvation. The mountain in both passages symbolizes a place of divine encounter and revelation—Isaiah's mountain is where God’s ultimate victory is declared, and Jesus’ mountain is where His divine power and compassion are vividly displayed, preparing the way for that eternal banquet. We are reminded that God's compassion extends to both our spiritual longings and our everyday needs.
In our own lives, we often experience various forms of hunger or brokenness, be they physical, emotional, or spiritual. These passages invite us to bring these needs to the Lord with trust, just as the crowds brought their sick to Jesus. They assure us that God is not indifferent to our suffering; rather, He desires to feed us, heal us, and ultimately free us from all that binds us. Like the disciples with their few loaves, we may feel our resources are meager in the face of immense needs. Yet, when we offer what little we have to Christ with gratitude, He has the power to multiply it beyond our imagination, satisfying not only our own deepest hungers but also enabling us to be instruments of His abundant provision for others.