‘He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry.’
Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: For a people shall dwell in Sion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’, when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 146(145):2a-c. 2d-4. 5-6. ℟5a
Blessed are all those who wait for the Lord.
My soul, give praise to the Lord;
I will praise the Lord all my life,
sing praise to my God while I live.
Blessed are all those who wait for the Lord.
Put no trust in princes,
or anyone who cannot save.
Take their breath, they return to the earth,
and their plans that day come to nothing.
Blessed are all those who wait for the Lord.
Blessed is he who is helped by Jacob’s God,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made the heavens and the earth,
the seas and all they contain,
who preserves fidelity for ever.
This is not the correct psalm for today. Because of a clerical error, many liturgical books published for Great Britain in 2024/2025 have printed this psalm in place of the correct one.
Blessed are all those who wait for the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Isaiah 33:22
Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver;
the Lord is our king; he will save us.
Alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8
‘Seeing the crowds, he had compassion for them.’
At that time: Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’ And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, ‘Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.’
‘To preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.’
Brothers and Sisters: To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realised in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 89(88): 2-3. 4-5. 21-22. 25, 27. ℟ cf. 2a
I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord.
I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your fidelity.
I have declared your mercy is established for ever;
your fidelity stands firm as the heavens.
I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord.
‘With my chosen one I have made a covenant;
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will establish your descendants for ever,
and set up your throne through all ages.’
I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord.
‘I have found my servant David,
and with my holy oil anointed him.
My hand shall always be with him,
and my arm shall make him strong.’
I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord.
‘My mercy and my faithfulness shall be with him;
by my name his might shall be exalted.
He will call out to me, “You are my father,
my God, the rock of my salvation”. ’
I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Jn10:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
Gospel
John 10:11-16
‘The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’
At that time: Jesus said, ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.’
Since 1 December 2024 the Readings at Mass and Mass Today pages have been showing you the English Standard Version (ESV) translations of the readings. The bishops of England, Wales and Scotland decreed this change, and you are seeing it because your current calendar setting is “England - Westminster”.
(The Liturgy of the Hours has not changed).
This message will disappear at the end of December.
Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 8 to 14 December
Echoes between the First Readings and the Gospel. The Immaculate Conception. Our Lady of Guadalupe. (16 minutes) Episode notes.
The readings on this page are from the English Standard Version, which is used at Mass in Great Britain. The Jerusalem Bible (which is used at Mass in much of the English-speaking world) will appear instead if you set this page to use a calendar from outside Great Britain. The New American Bible readings, which are used at Mass in the United States, are available in the Universalis apps, programs and downloads.