Advent Weekdays from 17 to 24: December 22nd
- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini patroness of immigrants
- Bl. Thomas Holland priest S.J. and martyr (1600-1642)
- Saint of the day
First Reading
Hannah gives thanks for the birth of Samuel.
From the first book of Samuel
1Sam 1:24-28
In those days, Hannah brought Samuel with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a flask of wine, and presented him at the temple of the Lord in Shiloh: the boy was still quite young.
When the bull had been sacrificed, they presented the child to Eli, and she said: «Pardon, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here near you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me the favor I asked of him. Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord».
And they worshiped there before the Lord.
Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
1Sam 2:1,4-8
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
My heart exults in the Lord,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory. R.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes. R.
The Lord puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world and raises up again.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts. R.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap he lifts up the poor,
to seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage. R.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust.
Alleluia.
The Gospel of the day, December 22, 2025
The Almighty has done great things for me.
From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 1:46-55
At that time, Mary said:
«My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior,
for he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness.
Behold, from now on will all ages call me
blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me
and holy is his name;
his mercy is from age to age
to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart;
he has thrown down the rulers from their thrones,
but lifted up the lowly;
the hungry he has filled with good things,
the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever».
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Ludolph of Saxony (1300-1370)
Prior of the Charterhouse of Strasbourg
The Life of Jesus Christ (trans. adv@evangelizo)
“He has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness“ (Lk 1:48)
The conception of the Lord is prefigured by the burning bush, which burned without being consumed (Ex 3:2), just as Mary conceived the divine Son without losing her virginity. The Lord, who dwelt in this burning bush, also dwelt in the womb of Mary. As he descended into the bush to free the Hebrews from Egypt, so he descended into Mary to redeem humanity by saving it from hell. God’s choice of Mary among all women, to clothe himself in our flesh, is prefigured by Gideon’s fleece (Judges 6:36ff). Indeed, just as only that fleece received the heavenly dew while all the surrounding ground remained dry, so Mary alone was filled with the divine dew of which no other creature in the world was found worthy… The Virgin Mary is this fleece from which Jesus Christ formed a tunic for himself. Gideon’s fleece received the dew from heaven without being damaged, and Mary conceived the God-Man without her virginity being altered… O Jesus, Son of the living God, you who, by the will of the heavenly Father and with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, came forth from the bosom of your Father like the river flowing from the Paradise of delights, you who, visiting the depths of our valleys and observing the lowliness of your handmaid, descended into the womb of a virgin where, with ineffable conception, you clothed yourself in your mortal flesh, I beseech you, merciful Jesus, by the merits of this Virgin your mother, to pour out your grace upon me, your unworthy servant, so that I may ardently desire you, through this love conceive you in my heart, and with the help of the same grace produce the healthy fruits of good works. Amen.
WORDS OF THE POPES
The Magnificat, which the Gospel places on the lips of the young Mary, now releases the light of all her days. A single day, that of the encounter with her cousin Elizabeth, contains the secret of every other day, of every other season. And words are not enough: a song is needed, which in the Church continues to be sung, «from generation to generation» (Lk 1:50), at the sunset of every day. The surprising fruitfulness of the sterile Elizabeth confirmed Mary in her trust: it anticipated for her the fruitfulness of her “yes”, which is prolonged in the fruitfulness of the Church and of the whole of humanity, when the renewing Word of God is welcomed. On that day two women met in faith, then stayed together for three months to support each other, not only in practical matters, but in a new way of reading history. (…) Mary’s song, her Magnificat, strengthens in hope the lowly, the hungry, the hardworking servants of God. They are the women and men of the Beatitudes, who even in tribulation already see the invisible: the powerful cast down from their thrones, the rich empty-handed, the promises of God fulfilled. These are experiences that, in every Christian community, we must all be able to say we have lived. They seem impossible, but the Word of God still comes to light. When the bonds are born with which we oppose good to evil, life to death, then we see that nothing is impossible with God (cf. Lk 1:37). (Leo XIV – Homily at the Holy Mass in the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova, Castel Gandolfo, August 15, 2025)
