Weekly Readings

Sunday, December 22, 2024

First Reading:                                            Micah 5:2-5a

The prophet Micah, having pronounced judgment upon Judah, speaks of a future shepherd-king who, like David, will come from the small town of Bethlehem. (Ephrathah refers to the area around Bethlehem.) This king will restore Israel and bring peace. New Testament writers understood this passage to be referring to Jesus.

²But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
³Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
⁴And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
^5aand he shall be the one of peace.

Second Reading:                                      Hebrews 10:5-10

 ^{The author of Hebrews uses the image of religious sacrifice to convey the significance of Christ’s coming. Through obedient acceptance of God’s will, Christ allows his own body to become the greatest sacrifice of all, one through which we are made a holy people.}

^{5Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
6in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me).”
8When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.}

Gospel:                                                Luke 1:39-55

Elizabeth, John’s mother, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, are two women filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. In Elizabeth’s inspired greeting and Mary’s song of praise we hear of a saving God who remembers, scatters, lifts up, and fulfills all things.

³⁹  In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰  where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴²  and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³  And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴  For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
 ⁴⁶  And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸  for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹  for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
⁵⁰  His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
⁵¹  He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
⁵²  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
⁵³  he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴  He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵  according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”