Daily Mass Readings – Tuesday, 7 December 2027

1 Be comforted, be comforted, my people, saith your God.

2 Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her: for her evil is come to an end, her iniquity is forgiven: she hath received of the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.

3 The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways plain.

5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see, that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken.

6 The voice of one, saying: Cry. And I said: What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the held.

7 The grass is withered, and the dower is fallen, because the spirit of the Lord hath blown upon it. Indeed the people is grass:

8 The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen: but the word of our Lord endureth for ever.

9 Get thee up upon a high mountain, thou that bringest good tidings to Sion: lift up thy voice with strength, thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem: lift it up, fear not. Say to the cities of Juda: Behold your God:

10 Behold the Lord God shall come with strength, and his arm shall rule: Behold his reward is with him and his work is before him.

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather together the lambs with his arm, and shall take them up in his bosom, and he himself shall carry them that are with young.

R. (Isaiah 40:10ab) The Lord our God comes with power.

1 Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: sing to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Sing ye to the Lord and bless his name: shew forth his salvation from day to day.

R. The Lord our God comes with power.

3 Declare his glory among the Gentiles: his wonders among all people.

10 Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned. he will judge the people with justice.

R. The Lord our God comes with power.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea be moved, and the fulness thereof:

12 The fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful. Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice

R. The Lord our God comes with power.

13 Before the face of the Lord, because he cometh: because he cometh to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with justice, and the people with his truth.

R. The Lord our God comes with power.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The day of the Lord is near; Behold, he comes to save us.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

12 What think you? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray: doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, and go to seek that which is gone astray?

13 And if it so be that he find it: Amen I say to you, he rejoiceth more for that, than for the ninety-nine that went not astray.

14 Even so it is not the will of your Father, who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

The God whose coming is announced is powerful, yet his power is revealed in tender care. He comes to end sin’s oppression, to bring comfort, and to gather his people like a shepherd carrying lambs in his arms. The Gospel makes this mercy personal: the Father does not will that even one little one should perish. When someone wanders, God seeks that person and rejoices when the lost is found.

Because human life is as fragile as grass and flowers, we cannot place our lasting hope in our own strength or achievements. The word of the Lord endures, and his judgment is marked by justice and truth. Preparing his way means allowing him to straighten what has become crooked in us: turning again from sin, receiving his forgiveness, and making room for his faithful presence. The whole creation is summoned to rejoice because the Lord comes—not to crush the weak, but to save and gather them. His mercy also shapes our discipleship: we must never treat the wandering or vulnerable as expendable. The Shepherd’s joy becomes our joy when we help make his care visible.

Lord our God, your word endures when everything around us fades. Come with your saving power and make straight the paths of our hearts. Forgive our sins, heal what is wounded, and gather us close when we wander from you. Give us confidence in your shepherd’s care and compassion for those who feel lost or forgotten. Keep us faithful to your truth, patient in seeking others, and joyful whenever your mercy restores a little one. May our lives announce your glory and help others recognize that you have not abandoned them. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.