🙏 Opening Prayer

Father of all consolation,
You sent Your Word to heal, restore, and strengthen Your people.
As we listen to today’s readings, fill us with Advent hope,
teach us to trust Your promises,
and prepare our hearts for the coming of Your Son.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

**📖 First Reading

Isaiah 40:25-31**

“The Lord gives strength to the faint.”

25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.
29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Key CCC references:

CCC 300 God’s almighty presence
CCC 1817–1821 Christian hope
CCC 1020 Strength in God at all stages of life

🔗 Source (Catholic.sg Daily Readings): https://www.catholic.sg

**📖 Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10**

Response: My soul, give thanks to the Lord.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord,
all my being, bless His holy name.
He forgives all your guilt;
He heals every one of your diseases.

The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.

He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.

CCC references:

CCC 210–211 God is merciful and gracious
CCC 1420–1424 God heals and saves

**📖 Gospel

Matthew 11:28-30**

28 Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

CCC references:

CCC 520 Jesus shows us the way
CCC 1615 Christ strengthens us to carry our burdens
CCC 1816 Discipleship in trust and humility

🔗 Gospel Source: https://www.catholic.sg

💡 Explanation of the Readings

1) Isaiah: God renews the exhausted

Advent shines a quiet but powerful truth:
Human strength fails, but God’s strength never drains.
Israel, discouraged in exile, is told:
Lift your eyes. Look again. Hope again.

Those who wait upon the Lord rise like eagles.
This is not passive waiting — it is trusting, expecting, leaning on God.

2) Psalm 103: God heals, forgives, restores

The psalmist sings a gentle inventory of God’s goodness:
forgiveness, healing, mercy, compassion.
It is a reminder to praise God not because life is perfect,
but because His love is constant.

3) Gospel: Jesus offers rest to the weary

Advent speaks straight to the tired heart.
Jesus invites:

those carrying emotional loads
those heavy with guilt
those anxious or overwhelmed
those walking through hidden struggles

His yoke is “easy,” not because life becomes simple,
but because we carry it with Him.

🔥 Applications for Catholics & Catechumens in Singapore

1) Trade self-reliance for God-reliance

We live in a culture of high speed and high pressure.
Today’s Word invites you to breathe and let God refill your strength.

Ask yourself:
❓ What burden am I carrying alone?
Offer it to Him during the day.

2) Daily “lifting of the eyes”

Before opening your phone each morning,
pause for 10 seconds:
“Lord, renew my strength today.”

This simple act is a doorway to grace.

3) Take on Jesus’ yoke through humility and gentleness

His yoke is gentle because
He never forces, only accompanies.

Try practicing one act today:
✔ Speak gently where you would normally be sharp
✔ Listen instead of reacting
✔ Forgive instead of holding the debt

4) Prepare your heart for Christmas

Advent is not only about waiting — it is about lightening the heart.
Let Jesus remove:

guilt
fear
exhaustion
old grudges

He wants to give you rest, not more weight.

🙏 Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You call the weary, the anxious, and the burdened to Yourself.
Teach us to rest in Your gentleness
and to walk with renewed strength each day.
May this Advent open our hearts to Your healing and mercy
so we may run without growing weary
and walk closely with You forever.
Amen.

The Catechumen’s Companion

🌿 Mass Readings – 10 December 2025