📖 Daily Gospel Reading – December 11, 2025
Thursday • Second Week of Advent
🌅 FIRST READING
Isaiah 41:13–20
I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”Fear not, O worm Jacob, O maggot Israel;
I will help you, says the Lord;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and double-edged,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
And to make the hills like chaff.When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off,
and the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the Lord,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.I, the Lord, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the desert into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.I will plant in the desert the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive;
I will set in the wasteland the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
🎶 RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 145:1, 9, 10–11, 12–13ab
Response: The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
R: The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all His works.
R: The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R: The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let them make known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R: The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
✝️ GOSPEL
Matthew 11:11–15
Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”“From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.”“All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come.”“Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
✨ REFLECTION — “Whoever Has Ears, Listen”
Today’s Gospel is short…
but very loaded with meaning.
Jesus is telling us that something dramatic has happened:
With John the Baptist, a new age begins—
the age where God’s Kingdom breaks into the world.
1️⃣ John the Baptist: The greatest messenger, but not the final one
Jesus calls John the Baptist:
“The greatest born of women.”
Why?
Because John’s mission was the closest to Jesus:
He prepared the hearts of the people
for the coming of the Savior.
But then Jesus adds something surprising:
“Yet the least in the Kingdom is greater than he.”
Meaning:
Whoever belongs to Christ…
whoever lives in the grace of God…
is living in a Kingdom John could only point toward.
You have access to spiritual blessings
John the Baptist never experienced.
That is how much God has elevated you.
2️⃣ “The Kingdom suffers violence” — What does it mean?
Jesus doesn’t mean physical violence.
He means spiritual intensity.
Entering God’s Kingdom requires:
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determination
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hunger
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desire
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persistence
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surrender
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a willingness to fight against sin
The Kingdom of Heaven is not for the passive.
It is for those who say:
“Lord, I want You—
more than anything else.”
3️⃣ “He is Elijah” — The sign that the Messiah has come
The prophets taught that Elijah would return
before the Messiah.
John is not literally Elijah,
but he came with Elijah’s fire, boldness, courage, and mission.
This means:
The Messiah (Jesus) is truly here.
Advent reminds us of this truth:
God has already come…
and He is coming again.
4️⃣ “Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
In other words:
Don’t just listen with your ears;
listen with your heart.
Ask yourself today:
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What is God telling me to change?
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What sin is He asking me to surrender?
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What calling is He asking me to answer?
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What part of my life needs repentance, healing, or discipline?
Advent is a spiritual alarm clock.
It tells us:
Wake up.
Prepare.
Jesus is near.
🙏 CLOSING PRAYER
Lord, open my ears to hear Your voice.
Give me the strength to seek Your Kingdom with passion and courage.
Help me to live like John the Baptist—bold, faithful, and ready.
Prepare my heart this Advent so I may welcome You fully.
Amen.