Daily Readings

  • Saturday, December 6 : Book of Isaiah 30,19-21.23-26.

    Thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: "This is the way; walk in it," when you would turn to the right or to the left. He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, And the wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant. On that day your cattle will graze in spacious meadows; The oxen and the asses that till the ground will eat silage tossed to them with shovel and pitchfork. Upon every high mountain and lofty hill there will be streams of running water. On the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall, The light of the moon will be like that of the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times greater (like the light of seven days). On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people, he will heal the bruises left by his blows.

  • Saturday, December 6 : Psalms 147(146),1-2.3-4.5-6.

    Praise the LORD, for he is good; sing praise to our God, for he is gracious; it is fitting to praise him. The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; the dispersed of Israel he gathers. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He tells the number of the stars; He calls each by name. Great is our LORD and mighty in power: to his wisdom there is no limit. The LORD sustains the lowly; the wicked he casts to the ground.

  • Saturday, December 6 : Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9,35-38.10,1.6-8.

    Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."

  • Saturday, December 6 : Saint Bernard

    Brethren, you know who it is who is coming, now consider whence he comes and where he is going. He comes from the Father's heart into the womb of the Virgin Mary. He comes from the heights of heaven into the lowest regions of the earth. What, then? Don't we have to live on this earth? Yes indeed, provided he is dwelling there himself, for where will we be at ease without him? “Whom else have I in heaven but you, what can I desire on earth if not you, God of my heart and my portion forever?” (Ps 73[72],25-26). Some great benefit must have been at stake for so high a majesty to condescend to come down from so far away into a resting place so unworthy of it. Indeed there was a great benefit at stake in that mercy, goodness and charity were revealed there in great and abundant measure. For why did Jesus Christ come?... His words and deeds show us clearly. He came with great speed from the mountains to search for the hundredth sheep who was lost, to make his mercy towards the children of men shine forth. He came for us. O wonderful condescension of the God who seeks! O wonderful dignity of the man thus sought! Recklessly can we take pride in this: not because we are something of ourselves but because he who has done it has valued us at so great a price! By comparison with this glory, all the riches and glory of the world and all we could possibly aim to achieve are worthless. What is man, O Lord, that you thus raise him up, that you set your heart on him? It was for us to make our way towards Jesus Christ... Yet a double obstacle stood in our way: our eyes were so feeble and God dwells in inaccessible light (1Tm 6,16). Cripples lying on our stretchers, we were unable to reach a dwelling place so high as that of God. That is why our good Savior and sweet physician of our souls came down from on high where he dwells. He softened the brightness of his light for the sake of our eyes' feebleness.

  • Friday, December 5 : Book of Isaiah 29,17-24.

    Thus says the Lord GOD: But a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest! On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrant will be no more and the arrogant will have gone; All who are alert to do evil will be cut off, those whose mere word condemns a man, Who ensnare his defender at the gate, and leave the just man with an empty claim. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham: Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of, nor shall his face grow pale. When his children see the work of my hands in his midst, They shall keep my name holy; they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob, and be in awe of the God of Israel. Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding, and those who find fault shall receive instruction.

  • Friday, December 5 : Psalms 27(26),1.4.13-14.

    The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid? One thing I ask of the LORD this I seek: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple.   I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

  • Friday, December 5 : Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9,27-31.

    As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!”   When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

  • Friday, December 5 : Saint Augustine

    «Our God will come openly and will not keep silent» (Ps 50[49],3 Vg). The first coming of Christ the Lord, God's Son and our God, was in obscurity; the second will be in sight of the whole world. When he came in obscurity no one recognized him but his own servants; when he comes openly he will be known by both good people and bad. When he came in obscurity, it was to be judged; when he comes openly it will be to judge. He was silent at his trial, as the prophet foretold: «He was like a sheep led to the slaughter, like a lamb before his shearers. He did not open his mouth» (Is 53,7). But, «Our God will come openly; our God will come and will not keep silence»... Nowadays, good people and bad enjoy this world's so-called happiness; good people and bad suffer from what are deemed this world's misfortunes. Those whose lives are geared to the present rather than the future are impressed by the fact that this world's blessings and sufferings fall to the lot of good and bad without distinction. If wealth is their ambition, they see it being enjoyed not only by decent folk, but also by people of the worst kind. If they are in dread of poverty and all the other miseries of this world, they also see that the good and the bad both suffer from them. Therefore they say to themselves, "God does not see» (Ps 94[93],7); he does not care about human affairs, he exercises no control over them. On the contrary; he has sent us into the abyss of this world, and simply abandoned us to its sufferings. He shows no sign of his providence. Consequently, seeing no evidence of anyone being called to account, such people hold God's commands in derision... If God always gave sentence here and now, there would be nothing reserved for the Day of Judgment. That is why much is kept for that day. But in order to put the fear of God into those whose cases are deferred, and so convert them, some judgments are made here and now. For it is clear that God takes no pleasure in condemning. His desire is to save, and he bears patiently with evil people in order to make them good.

  • Thursday, December 4 : Book of Isaiah 26,1-6.

    On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: "A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you." Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; He tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor.

  • Thursday, December 4 : Psalms 118(117),1.8-9.19-21.25-27a.

    Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes. Open to me the gates of justice; I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; the just shall enter it. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior. O LORD, grant salvation! O LORD, grant prosperity! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD; we bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and he has given us light.

  • Thursday, December 4 : Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 7,21.24-27.

    Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

  • Thursday, December 4 : Saint Gertrude of Helfta

    One day when Gertrude was praying for [their Mother's health] with the desire to know in what situation she found herself, the Lord replied: “It is with incomparable joy that I waited for this day to lead into solitude, the one I have chosen, in order to speak to her heart (cf. Hos 2,16). I have not been disappointed in my expectation (cf. Ps 77:30): she always responds according to my perfect pleasure and obeys me in everything for my sweetest joy. » Which means: illness is this solitude where the Lord speaks to the heart and not to the ear of his beloved. (…) These words that the Lord says to his chosen one are the trials and preoccupations of his heart: the sick person thinks that she is useless, that she is wasting her time without result, that others are working for her, and this is a pure waste since the good of health will perhaps never follow. To all this she responds in a manner consistent with divine good pleasure, keeping patience in her heart, desiring that the will of God be accomplished perfectly in her. (…) And the Lord added: “My chosen one submits to me for my greatest joy when she does not seek to escape the inconveniences of illness. (…) Now, the more I make infirmity and fatigue weigh on her, the more docile she is to me by patiently and discreetly accepting for the pleasure of my very sweet Heart, the relief and care necessary for her body. And this is another stone in her crown, because sometimes she does not do it without difficulty. However, let her take courage by remembering that thanks to my benevolence and my tenderness “all things work together for the good of those who love Him” (cf. Rom 8:28)