Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection December 06, 2025

06th December 2025 (Saturday)

Psalter: Week 1

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26

Thus says the Lord God, the Holy one of Israel: For a people shall dwell in Sion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it”, when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (R. see Isaiah 30:18)

R/. Blessed are all those who wait for the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Alleluia

R/. Alleluia

V/. The Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us.

R/. Alleluia

Gospel: Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a,6-8

At that time: Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Saturday – First Week of Advent

Main Point: An authentic life is always integrated in word and action, as seen in Jesus himself. When there is dichotomy between what one believes and what one lives, it is only a fake faith, and against our very call itself

Jesus was always united with the Father, experiencing intimacy in serene moments of prayer. No amount of work, however busy and plenty it is, would rob this precious time. He was relentless in his preaching the good news. He was tireless and selfless in his healing ministry.

Thus, communion with the Father, compassion for the people and passion for the mission – these characterized his whole life. At times, God may allow us to go through hard times, but not so much to penalize us, but only to teach us, so as to correct and solidify us.

He bandages and heals the wounds that we have incurred. He will end our times of weeping. And he will give us fruition and that too in abundance. Certainly, the harvest of His grace is abundant in our life. But it is not to limit grace to ourselves. We need to radiate the same to others.

We need to help others as well to reap a rich harvest of God’s goodness. Therefore, his love for us also includes a mission. In other words, it is the mission of establishing and spreading the horizons of his kingdom. We are sent on the same mission through proclaiming and healing.

This is a tough task. But he empowers us with his own light and power. In a world that is often without direction, without committed labourers and without sanity, we are called to show the purpose and direction, to work committedly and to heal the infirmities.

My Practice: The realization that we are often like “sheep without shepherd” because of our precarious and misleading situations should not make us confused, misguided and deviated. Rather it should be to seek the only shepherd.