Daily Mass Readings For Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
Reading I:
Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Alleluia:
Gospel:
Matthew 21:28-32
Liturgical vestments: Purple
Tuesday, December 16, 2025: Readings & Responsorial Psalm & Gospel
Each day, the Mass readings invite us into a deeper encounter with God. Through Scripture, we hear His voice speaking to our hearts, guiding us, comforting us, and calling us to a life of holiness. The Word of God is not just a story from the past; it is alive, relevant, and transformative.
Every reading is an opportunity for grace. Some days, the words challenge us to grow; other days, they console us in our struggles. But always, they nourish our souls, strengthening our faith and drawing us closer to Christ.
Let us open our hearts to the Word of God daily. May we not just hear it but live it, allowing it to shape our actions and deepen our love for Him. Lord, speak to us today, and help us to follow You more faithfully. Amen.
Reading I
Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Thus says the LORD:
Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.
For then I will change and purify
the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,
to serve him with one accord;
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
and as far as the recesses of the North,
they shall bring me offerings.
On that day
You need not be ashamed
of all your deeds,
your rebellious actions against me;
For then will I remove from your midst
the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, O Lord, do not delay;
forgive the sins of your people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
Reflection
“When there is sin in a man, such a man cannot behold God. But, if you will, you may be healed. But before all let faith and the fear of God have rule in thy heart.” (St. Theophilus of Antioch)
“‘Lord, these are my sins, they aren’t this man’s or that woman’s.... They’re mine. You take them’. When we are able to do this, then we will be that beautiful people, the humble and poor people, who trust in the name of the Lord.” (Francis)
“Jesus scandalized the Pharisees by eating with tax collectors and sinners as familiarly as with themselves. Against those among them ‘who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others’ (Lk 18:9), Jesus affirmed: ‘I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’ (Lk 5:32). He went further by proclaiming before the Pharisees that, since sin is universal, those who pretend not to need salvation are blind to themselves” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 588)
Saint of the Day
God chose him as king of Israel, despite his being the youngest of the sons of Jesse: God does not look at the appearance but at the heart of man. A warrior and poet, David was also a great sinner, but recognized his faults and asked forgiveness. Our Lord Jesus Christ is born of David’s line.
Born in 931, Adelaide was the daughter of King Rudolph of Burgundy. She married the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto the Great. Attentive to the poor, she also built churches and monasteries. She retired to a Benedictine monastery, and died in 999.
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