DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION

DECEMBER 16, 2025

TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT

FIRST READING

ZEPHANIAH 3:1-2, 9-13

1 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! 2 She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God. 9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. 10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. 11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. 12 But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. 13 They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.”

The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM

PSALMS 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-19, 23

Response: The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and be glad.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
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GOSPEL

Which son did the father's will?

MATTHEW 21:28-32

28 "What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29 And he answered, I will not'; but afterward he repented and went. 30 And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, I go, sir,' but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him."

The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION

DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS

The Father and his two sons, author unknown, from the 5th century A.D.

"Who is this if not the God who created all people and loves them with a fatherly affection, the God who preferred to be loved as a father rather than feared as a lord, even though he was Lord by nature? On this account, at the beginning of the commandments of the law, he did not say, 'You shall fear the Lord with all your heart' but 'you shall love the Lord with all your heart' (Deuteronomy 6:5). To elicit love is not characteristic of a lord but of a father. Of the two sons in this parable, the older one represents the Gentiles, since they come from their father Noah. The younger son represents the Jews, who come from Abraham. 'And approaching the first, he said, "Son, go and work today in my vineyard." 'Today' refers to this present age. How did he speak to his sons? He didnt address them face to face like man, but he spoke to the heart, like God. Man only utters words to the ear, but God supplies understanding to the mind."

(excerpt from an incomplete Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, HOMILY 40)
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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.