Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 8, 2025
First Reading: Genesis 3.9-15, 20
9But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"10He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."11And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"12The man said, "The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."14So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."20Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
Psalm 98
1Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.2The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.3He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.4Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;5make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,6with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn- shout for joy before the LORD, the King.7Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.8Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy;9let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
Second Reading: Ephesians 1.3-6, 11-12
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
Gospel: Luke 1.26-38
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.37For nothing is impossible with God."38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left 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.