22 December. Saturday of Advent, Week 3

21 December. Friday of Advent, Week 3

1st Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14 King Ahaz refuses to ask a sign of the Lord; then Isaiah promises a child to be called Immanuel Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask,…

1st Reading: Judges 13:2-7, 24-25 Manoah’s wife yearns for a son. Samson will be dedicated to God There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren, having borne no children. And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to…

1st Reading: Jeremiah 23:5-8 A righteous Branch who will rule with wisdom and justice “The days are surely coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will…

1st Reading: Genesis 49:2, 8-10 The dying Jacob predicts future glory for the tribe of Judah Jacob called his sons and said to them: “Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father. Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons…

1st Reading: Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 48:1-4, 9-11 Praise of the great Elijah, a prophet whose word burned like a torch Then Elijah arose, a prophet like fire, and his word burned like a torch. He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number. By the word of the Lord…

1st Reading: Isaiah 48:17-19 If you heeded my commandments, your name would last forever. Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your own good, who leads you in the way you should go. O that you had paid attention to my…

1st Reading: Isaiah 41:13-20 The Lord will help and revive his dispirited people For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear, for I will help you.” Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you insect Israel! I will help you, says the Lord; your…

1st Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31 The mysterious ways of God, who strengthens the powerless To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because…

1st Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11 God’s people will return with joy from their exile in Babylon Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins….

1st Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10 The exiles shall return in joy to their own land The desert and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel…

1st Reading: Genesis 3:9-15, 20 The enmity between the serpent and the woman, between its offspring and hers The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”…

1st Reading: Isaiah 29:17-24 The deaf shall hear and blind shall see – and all will accept instruction Shall not Lebanon in a very little while become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest? On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a scroll, and out of their…

1st Reading: Isaiah 26:1-6 A hymn of confidence in the Lord, our everlasting rock On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; he sets up victory like walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, so that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. Those…