This Sunday's Readings

Church of the Sacred Heart

2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

6 & 7 DECEMBER 2025

Collect

Let us pray.

Almighty and merciful God,

may no earthly undertaking hinder those

who set out in haste to meet your Son,

but may our learning of heavenly wisdom

gain us admittance to his company.

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

First Reading                              

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah.                   11:1-10

He judges the wretched with integrity.

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse,

a scion thrusts from his roots:

on him the spirit of the Lord rests,

a spirit of wisdom and insight,

a spirit of counsel and power,

a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

(The fear of the Lord is his breath.)

He does not judge by appearances,

he gives no verdict on hearsay,

but judges the wretched with integrity,

and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.

His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless,

his sentences bring death to the wicked.

Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,

faithfulness the belt about his hips.

The wolf lives with the lamb,

the panther lies down with the kid,

calf and lion feed together,

with a little boy to lead them.

The cow and the bear make friends,

their young lie down together.

The lion eats straw like the ox.

The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;

into the viper’s lair

the young child puts his hand.

They do no hurt, no harm,

on all my holy mountain,

for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters swell the sea.

That day, the root of Jesse

shall stand as a signal to the peoples.

It will be sought out by the nations

and its home will be glorious.

The Word of the Lord.

Response: Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

R.  In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

O God, give your judgement to the king,

    to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice

    and your poor in right judgement.

R.  In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

In his days justice shall flourish

    and peace till the moon fails.

He shall rule from sea to sea,

    from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

R.  In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

For he shall save the poor when they cry

    and the needy who are helpless.

He will have pity on the weak

    and save the lives of the poor.

R.  In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

May his name be blessed for ever

    and endure like the sun.

Every tribe shall be blessed in him,

    all nations bless his name.

R.  In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

Second Reading                         

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans.               15:4-9

Christ is the saviour of all men.

Everything that was written long ago in the scriptures was meant to teach us something about hope from the examples scripture gives of how people who did not give up were helped by God. And may he who helps us when we refuse to give up, help you all to be tolerant with each other, following the example of Christ Jesus, so that united in mind and voice you may give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    It can only be to God’s glory, then, for you to treat each other in the same friendly way as Christ treated you. The reason Christ became the servant of circumcised Jews was not only so that God could faithfully carry out the promises made to the patriarchs, it was also to get the pagans to give glory to God for his mercy, as scripture says in one place: For this I shall praise you among the pagans and sing to your name.

The Word of the Lord.

Response: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation                                                                                  

Alleluia, alleluia!

Prepare a way for the Lord,

make his paths straight,

and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.

Alleluia!

Gospel                    

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.                    3:1-12

Response: Glory to you, O Lord.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.

In due course John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said:

A voice cries in the wilderness:

Prepare a way for the Lord,

make his paths straight.

This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit, and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father,” because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Response: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer Of The Faithful

Introduction: Advent calls us to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus. We can with repentance and conversion. Let us humbly turn to God our Father as we pray for our needs and the needs of our Church and the world. 

Response: Lord, graciously hear us.

1. For the Church. That all Christians heed the Advent call of repentance and conversion to truly prepare our hearts where Jesus wants to come and dwell in this Christmas and always. Lord, hear us.

2. For our Holy Father’s intention for December. That Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation and hope. Lord, hear us.

3. For those in anxiety. That the homeless and poor, the hungry and suffering, the hated and discriminated who wait in anxiety for needed support, especially at this time, may come to know God’s faithful help through the kindness of all who care for them. Lord, hear us.

4. For our community. That we may appreciate the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the Penitential Services as a comforting sign of God seeking out His lost sheep to draw us closer to Him. Lord, hear us.

5. We now pray in silence for other needs and intentions …

For these other needs and intentions, Lord, hear us.

Conclusion: O God our Father, we await your Son’s coming, for He is our light and life. May He be our sure guide to you this Advent. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.