Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 22, 2025
First Reading: 1 Samuel 1.24-28
24After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh.25When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli,26and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.27I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.28So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.
1 Samuel 2
Gospel: Luke 1.46-56
46And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,49for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is his name.50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.52He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.53He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.54He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful55to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
Sermon
Today's readings present us with two women of profound faith, Hannah and Mary, both responding to God's miraculous intervention in their lives. In the first reading, Hannah, having been granted her petition for a son, faithfully brings young Samuel to the house of the Lord at Shiloh, dedicating him to God's service, just as she had promised. Her act is one of ultimate gratitude, returning the precious gift back to its divine source. Similarly, in the Gospel, Mary, having conceived by the Holy Spirit, responds to her cousin Elizabeth's greeting with the magnificent Magnificat, a joyful hymn of praise. She extols God for looking with favor on her lowliness, for doing great things for her, and for His everlasting mercy that exalts the humble and fills the hungry.
Both Hannah and Mary stand as testaments to God's faithfulness and His unique way of working through the humble. Hannah’s sacrifice of her long-awaited son is not a loss, but an act of profound trust that places Samuel within God’s greater plan for Israel. Mary’s song, while deeply personal, is also a prophetic declaration of God’s justice, celebrating His power to overturn human hierarchies, scattering the proud and lifting up the lowly. Their responses are deeply personal yet universal, demonstrating how divine grace calls for a response of dedication and praise, reminding us that God often chooses the unassuming to accomplish His greatest works and to fulfill His ancient promises.
What do these women teach us for our own lives? They invite us to reflect on our own gratitude for the blessings God bestows, and how we, in turn, dedicate our gifts—our children, our talents, our very lives—back to Him. When God grants us a petition, or calls us to an unexpected service, do we respond with Hannah’s profound sacrifice and trust, or Mary’s exuberant praise and humble acceptance? We are called to cultivate a heart that magnifies the Lord, recognizing His hand in our daily lives, trusting that He continues to do great things through the humble and to fulfill His promises of mercy from generation to generation.