✝️ MASS READINGS — 1 DECEMBER 2025

Monday • 1st Week of Advent
According to Catholic.sg • Singapore

🙏 OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray,
Keep us alert, O Lord our God,
and help us to prepare for the coming of Your Son,
so that when He arrives,
He may find us watchful in prayer
and joyful in praise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

📖 FIRST READING

Isaiah 4:2–6

(Jerusalem Bible — Catholic.sg)

That day, the branch of the Lord shall be beauty and glory,
and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and adornment
of the survivors of Israel.

Those who are left of Zion
and remain of Jerusalem
shall be called holy
and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.

When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion
and cleansed Jerusalem of the blood shed in her
with the blast of judgement and the blast of destruction,
the Lord will come and rest on the whole stretch of Mount Zion
and on those who are gathered there,
a cloud by day,
and smoke with the brightness of a flaming fire by night.

For over all, the glory of the Lord
will be a canopy and a tent
giving shade from the heat of day,
and refuge and shelter from the storm and the rain.

📘 CCC REFERENCES

CCC 64 – Prophets foretell the Messiah (“branch of the Lord”).
CCC 716 – The faithful remnant purified by God.
CCC 697 – Cloud and fire as symbols of God’s presence.
CCC 1219 – Purification through water.
CCC 2583 – God dwelling among His people.

📖 RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm 121 (122):1–2, 3–4a, 8–9

R: I rejoiced when I heard them say: “Let us go to God’s house.”

I rejoiced when I heard them say:
“Let us go to God’s house.”
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built as a city
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.

For the peace of Jerusalem pray:
“Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls,
in your palaces, peace!”

📖 GOSPEL

Matthew 8:5–11

(Jerusalem Bible — Catholic.sg)

When Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up and pleaded with Him.
“Sir, my servant is lying at home paralysed and in great pain.”

Jesus said to him, “I will come myself and cure him.”

The centurion replied,
“Sir, I am not worthy to have You under my roof;
just give the word and my servant will be healed.

For I myself am a man under authority,
with soldiers under me;
and I say to one man: ‘Go,’ and he goes;
to another: ‘Come,’ and he comes;
to my servant: ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this He was astonished and said to those following Him,
“I tell you solemnly, not even in Israel have I found faith like this.
Many will come from east and west
to take their places at the feast
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
in the kingdom of heaven.”

📘 CCC REFERENCES

CCC 543–546 – The Kingdom is open to all believers.
CCC 1386 – “Lord, I am not worthy…” in the Mass.
CCC 2607 – Faith-filled petition.
CCC 147 – Humility and faith open the heart to grace.

🟣 EXPLANATION (Simple for Catholics & Catechumens)

⭐ Isaiah 4:2–6 — God Purifies and Protects His People

The “branch of the Lord” points to the coming of Jesus.
Isaiah promises that God will:

Purify His people
Restore holiness
Dwell among them as a cloud and fire

In Advent, this reminds us to let God cleanse our hearts
and prepare a holy place for Jesus.

⭐ Matthew 8:5–11 — Faith That Amazes Jesus

The Roman centurion is not Jewish, yet he shows extraordinary faith.
He believes Jesus can heal with just a word.
This becomes the basis for our Mass response:
“Lord, I am not worthy…”

Jesus praises his humility and faith and opens the Kingdom
to all who believe — not just Israel.

🟢 APPLICATION (For Daily Life)

1️⃣ Trust Jesus’ word even when you don’t see results yet

Faith is believing Jesus can act in your situation.

2️⃣ Let God purify your heart this Advent

Through prayer, confession, forgiveness, and mercy.

3️⃣ Seek to dwell in God’s presence

Like the cloud and fire over Zion, stay close to Scripture and prayer daily.

4️⃣ Practice humility

Healing and miracles come when we say:
“I cannot do this alone, Lord.”

🙏 CLOSING PRAYER

Lord Jesus,
Strengthen our faith like that of the centurion.
Purify our hearts,
guide our steps,
and let Your presence be our shelter and peace.
As we journey through this Advent season,
prepare us to welcome You with clean hearts
and joyful expectation.
Amen.

📌 Sources

Catholic.sg (Archdiocese of Singapore – Official Readings)
Jerusalem Bible (Used in Singapore liturgy)
Catechism of the Catholic Church — Vatican.va

The Catechumen’s Companion