Daily Mass Readings for February 09, 2025: Gospel — Lc 5, 1-11

¹ In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple. ² Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly. 3 :¹ Look, the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah every source of security, including all the food and water, ² the mighty men and warriors, judges and prophets, omen readers and leaders, ³ captains of groups of 5 0 , the respected citizens, advisers and those skilled in magical arts, and those who know incantations. ⁴ The Lord says, “I will make youths their officials; malicious young men will rule over them. ⁵ The people will treat each other harshly; men will oppose each other; neighbors will fight. Youths will proudly defy the elderly and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected. ⁶ Indeed, a man will grab his brother right in his father’s house and say, ‘You own a coat— you be our leader! This heap of ruins will be under your control.’ ⁷ At that time the brother will shout, ‘I am no doctor, I have no food or coat in my house; don’t make me a leader of the people!’” ⁸ Jerusalem certainly stumbles, Judah falls, for their words and their actions offend the Lord; they rebel against his royal authority. ⁹ The look on their faces testifies to their guilt; like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. Woe to them! For they bring disaster on themselves. 1 ⁰ Tell the innocent it will go well with them, for they will be rewarded for what they have done. 1 ¹ Woe to the wicked sinners! For they will get exactly what they deserve. 1 ² Oppressors treat my people cruelly; creditors rule over them. My people, your leaders mislead you; they give you confusing directions. 1 ³ The Lord takes his position to judge; he stands up to pass sentence on his people. 1 ⁴ The Lord comes to pronounce judgment on the leaders of his people and their officials. He says, “It is you who have ruined the vineyard! You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor. 1 ⁵ Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” The Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken. 1 ⁶ The Lord says, “The women of Zion are proud. They walk with their heads high and flirt with their eyes. They skip along and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. 1 ⁷ So the Lord will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women with skin diseases; the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.” 1 ⁸ At that time the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, neck ornaments, crescent-shaped ornaments, 1 ⁹ earrings, bracelets, veils, 2 ⁰ headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets, amulets, 2 ¹ rings, nose rings, 2 ² festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses, 2 ³ garments, vests, head coverings, and gowns. 2 ⁴ A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, a rope will replace a belt, baldness will replace braided locks of hair, a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe, and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty. 2 ⁵ Your men will fall by the sword, your strong men will die in battle. 2 ⁶ Her gates will mourn and lament; deprived of her people, she will sit on the ground. 4 :¹ Seven women will grab hold of one man at that time. They will say, “We will provide our own food, we will provide our own clothes; but let us belong to you— take away our shame!” ² At that time the crops given by the Lord will bring admiration and honor; the produce of the land will be a source of pride and delight to those who remain in Israel. ³ Those remaining in Zion, those left in Jerusalem, will be called “holy,” all in Jerusalem who are destined to live. ⁴ At that time the Lord will wash the excrement from Zion’s women, he will rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst, as he comes to judge and to bring devastation. ⁵ Then the Lord will create over all Mount Zion and over its convocations a cloud and smoke by day and a bright flame of fire by night; indeed a canopy will accompany the Lord’s glorious presence. ⁶ By day it will be a shelter to provide shade from the heat, as well as safety and protection from the heavy downpour. 5 :¹ I will sing to my love— a song to my lover about his vineyard. My love had a vineyard on a fertile hill. ² He built a hedge around it, removed its stones, and planted a vine. He built a tower in the middle of it and constructed a winepress. He waited for it to produce edible grapes, but it produced sour ones instead. ³ So now, residents of Jerusalem, people of Judah, you decide between me and my vineyard! ⁴ What more can I do for my vineyard beyond what I have already done? When I waited for it to produce edible grapes, why did it produce sour ones instead? ⁵ Now I will inform you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there. ⁶ I will make it a wasteland; no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground, and thorns and briers will grow there. I will order the clouds not to drop any rain on it. ⁷ Indeed, Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the people of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight. He waited for justice, but look what he got—disobedience! He waited for fairness, but look what he got—cries for help! ⁸ Beware, those who accumulate houses, who also accumulate field after field until there is no land left, and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. ⁹ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies told me this: “Many houses will certainly become desolate, large, impressive houses will have no one living in them. 1 ⁰ Indeed, a large vineyard will produce just a few gallons, and enough seed to yield several bushels will produce less than a bushel.” 1 ¹ Beware, those who get up early to drink beer, those who keep drinking long after dark until they are intoxicated with wine. 1 ² They have stringed instruments, tambourines, flutes, and wine at their parties. So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing, they do not perceive what he is bringing about. 1 ³ Therefore my people will be deported because of their lack of understanding. Their leaders will have nothing to eat, their masses will have nothing to drink. 1 ⁴ So Death will open up its throat, and open wide its mouth; Zion’s dignitaries and masses will descend into it, including those who revel and celebrate within her. 1 ⁵ Men will be humiliated, they will be brought low; the proud will be brought low. 1 ⁶ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be exalted when he punishes, the holy God’s authority will be recognized when he judges. 1 ⁷ Lambs will graze as if in their pastures, amid the ruins the rich sojourners will graze. 1 ⁸ Beware, those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead, who pull sin as with cart ropes. 1 ⁹ They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly, so we can see; let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take shape and come to pass, then we will know it!” 2 ⁰ Beware, those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter. 2 ¹ Beware, those who think they are wise, those who think they possess understanding. 2 ² Beware, those who are champions at drinking, who display great courage when mixing strong drinks. 2 ³ They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff, they ignore the just cause of the innocent. 2 ⁴ Therefore, as flaming fire devours straw and dry grass disintegrates in the flames, so their root will rot, and their flower will blow away like dust. For they have rejected the law of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, they have spurned the commands of the Holy One of Israel. 2 ⁵ So the Lord is furious with his people; he lifts his hand and strikes them. The mountains shake, and corpses lie like manure in the middle of the streets. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again. 2 ⁶ He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation, he whistles for it to come from the far regions of the earth. Look, they come quickly and swiftly. 2 ⁷ None tire or stumble, they don’t stop to nap or sleep. They don’t loosen their belts or unstrap their sandals to rest. 2 ⁸ Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are prepared. The hooves of their horses are hard as flint, and their chariot wheels are like a windstorm. 2 ⁹ Their roar is like a lion’s; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey; they drag it away and no one can come to the rescue. 3 ⁰ At that time they will growl over their prey, it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks. One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster, clouds will turn the light into darkness. 6 :³ They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!” ⁴ The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke. ⁵ I said, “Woe to me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” ⁶ But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. ⁷ He touched my mouth with it and said, “Look, this coal has touched your lips. Your evil is removed; your sin is forgiven.” ⁸ I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” I answered, “Here I am, send me!” ⁹ He said, “Go and tell these people: “‘Listen continually, but don’t understand. Look continually, but don’t perceive.’ 1 ⁰ Make the hearts of these people calloused; make their ears deaf and their eyes blind. Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed.” 1 ¹ I replied, “How long, Lord?” He said, “Until cities are in ruins and unpopulated, and houses are uninhabited, and the land is ruined and devastated, 1 ² and the Lord has sent the people off to a distant place, and the very heart of the land is completely abandoned. 1 ³ Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be destroyed, like one of the large sacred trees or an Asherah pole, when a sacred pillar on a high place is thrown down. That sacred pillar symbolizes the special chosen family.” 7 :¹ During the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel marched up to Jerusalem to do battle, but they were unable to prevail against it. ² It was reported to the family of David, “Syria has allied with Ephraim.” They and their people were emotionally shaken, just as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. ³ So the Lord told Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear Jashub and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool that is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ⁴ Tell him, ‘Make sure you stay calm! Don’t be afraid. Don’t be intimidated by these two stubs of smoking logs, or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah. ⁵ Syria has plotted with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah to bring about your demise. ⁶ They say, “Let’s attack Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it. Then we’ll set up the son of Tabeel as its king.” ⁷ For this reason the Sovereign Lord says: “‘It will not take place; it will not happen. ⁸ For Syria’s leader is Damascus, and the leader of Damascus is Rezin. Within 6 ⁵ years Ephraim will no longer exist as a nation. ⁹ Ephraim’s leader is Samaria, and Samaria’s leader is the son of Remaliah. If your faith does not remain firm, then you will not remain secure.’” 1 ⁰ The Lord again spoke to Ahaz: 1 ¹ “Ask for a confirming sign from the Lord your God. You can even ask for something miraculous.” 1 ² But Ahaz responded, “I don’t want to ask; I don’t want to put the Lord to a test.” 1 ³ So Isaiah replied, “Pay attention, family of David. Do you consider it too insignificant to try the patience of men? Is that why you are also trying the patience of my God? 1 ⁴ For this reason the Lord himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is about to conceive and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him Immanuel. 1 ⁵ He will eat sour milk and honey, which will help him know how to reject evil and choose what is right. 1 ⁶ Here is why this will be so: Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land whose two kings you fear will be desolate. 1 ⁷ The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s family a time unlike any since Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” 1 ⁸ At that time the Lord will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. 1 ⁹ All of them will come and make their home in the ravines between the cliffs and in the crevices of the cliffs, in all the thornbushes, and in all the watering holes. 2 ⁰ At that time the Lord will use a razor hired from the banks of the Euphrates River, the king of Assyria, to shave the hair off the head and private parts; it will also shave off the beard. 2 ¹ At that time a man will keep alive a young cow from the herd and a couple of goats. 2 ² From the abundance of milk they produce, he will have sour milk for his meals. Indeed, everyone left in the heart of the land will eat sour milk and honey. 2 ³ At that time every place where there had been 1 ,000 vines worth 1 ,000 silver shekels will be overrun with thorns and briers. 2 ⁴ With bow and arrow people will hunt there, for the whole land will be covered with thorns and briers. 2 ⁵ They will stay away from all the hills that were cultivated for fear of the thorns and briers. Cattle will graze there, and sheep will trample on them. 8 :¹ The Lord told me, “Take a large tablet and inscribe these words on it with an ordinary stylus: ‘Maher Shalal Hash Baz.’ ² Then I will summon as my reliable witnesses Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.” ³ I then approached the prophetess for marital relations; she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord told me, “Name him Maher Shalal Hash Baz, ⁴ for before the child knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” ⁵ The Lord spoke to me again: ⁶ “These people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and melt in fear over Rezin and the son of Remaliah. ⁷ So look, the Lord is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks. ⁸ It will spill into Judah, flooding and engulfing, as it reaches to the necks of its victims. He will spread his wings out over your entire land, O Immanuel.” ⁹ You will be broken, O nations; you will be shattered! Pay attention, all you distant lands of the earth. Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered! Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered! 1 ⁰ Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted. Issue your orders, but they will not be executed! For God is with us! 1 ¹ Indeed this is what the Lord told me quite forcefully. He warned me not to act like these people: 1 ² “Do not say, ‘Conspiracy,’ every time these people say the word. Don’t be afraid of what scares them; don’t be terrified. 1 ³ You must recognize the authority of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He is the one you must respect; he is the one you must fear. 1 ⁴ He will become a sanctuary, but a stone that makes a person trip and a rock that makes one stumble— to the two houses of Israel. He will become a trap and a snare to the residents of Jerusalem. 1 ⁵ Many will stumble over the stone and the rock, and will fall and be seriously injured, and will be ensnared and captured.” 1 ⁶ Tie up the scroll as legal evidence, seal the official record of God’s instructions, and give it to my followers. 1 ⁷ I will wait patiently for the Lord, who has rejected the family of Jacob; I will wait for him. 1 ⁸ Look, I and the sons whom the Lord has given me are reminders and object lessons in Israel, sent from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who lives on Mount Zion. 1 ⁹ They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?” 2 ⁰ Then you must recall the Lord’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened. 2 ¹ They will pass through the land destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry, and they will curse their king and their God as they look upward. 2 ² When one looks out over the land, he sees distress and darkness, gloom and anxiety, darkness and people forced from the land.

¹ Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ³ For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, ⁴ and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than 5 0 ⁰ of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 1 ⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 1 ¹ Whether then it was I or they, this is the way we preach and this is the way you believed.