Daily Mass Readings for December 16, 2026: Gospel — Lc 7,19-23

⁶ I do this so people will recognize from east to west that there is no God but me; I am the Lord, I have no peer. ⁷ I am the one who forms light and creates darkness; the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things. ⁸ O sky, rain down from above! Let the clouds send down showers of deliverance! Let the earth absorb it so salvation may grow and deliverance may sprout up along with it. I, the Lord, create it.’” 1 8 :¹ Beware, land of buzzing wings, the one beyond the rivers of Cush, ² that sends messengers by sea, who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus. Go, you swift messengers, to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people, to a people that are feared far and wide, to a nation strong and victorious, whose land rivers divide. ³ All you who live in the world, who reside on the earth, you will see a signal flag raised on the mountains; you will hear a trumpet being blown. ⁴ For this is what the Lord has told me: “I will wait and watch from my place, like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, like a cloud of mist in the heat of harvest.” ⁵ For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted and the ripening fruit appears, he will cut off the unproductive shoots with pruning knives; he will prune the tendrils. ⁶ They will all be left for the birds of the hills and the wild animals; the birds will eat them during the summer, and all the wild animals will eat them during the winter. ⁷ At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned, a people that are feared far and wide, a nation strong and victorious, whose land rivers divide. The tribute will be brought to the place where the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion. 2 1 :¹ This is an oracle about the wilderness by the Sea: Like strong winds blowing in the south, one invades from the wilderness, from a land that is feared. ² I have received a distressing message: “The deceiver deceives, the destroyer destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning.” ³ For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see. ⁴ My heart palpitates, I shake in fear; the twilight I desired has brought me terror. ⁵ Arrange the table, lay out the carpet, eat and drink! Get up, you officers, smear oil on the shields! ⁶ For this is what the Lord has told me: “Go, post a guard! He must report what he sees. ⁷ When he sees chariots, teams of horses, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be alert, very alert.” ⁸ Then the guard cries out: “On the watchtower, O Lord, I stand all day long; at my post I am stationed every night. ⁹ Look what’s coming! A charioteer, a team of horses.” When questioned, he replies, “Babylon has fallen, fallen! All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!” 1 ⁰ O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, what I have heard from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, I have reported to you. 1 ¹ This is an oracle about Dumah: Someone calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?” 1 ² The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but then night. If you want to ask, ask; come back again.” 1 ³ This is an oracle about Arabia: In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night, you Dedanite caravans. 1 ⁴ Bring out some water for the thirsty. You who live in the land of Tema, bring some food for the fugitives. 1 ⁵ For they flee from the swords— from the drawn sword, and from the battle-ready bow, and from the severity of the battle. 1 ⁶ For this is what the Lord has told me: “Within exactly one year all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 1 ⁷ Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.” Indeed, the Lord God of Israel has spoken. 2 2 :¹ This is an oracle about the Valley of Vision: What is the reason that all of you go up to the rooftops? ² The noisy city is full of raucous sounds; the town is filled with revelry. Your slain were not cut down by the sword; they did not die in battle. ³ All your leaders ran away together— they fled to a distant place; all your refugees were captured together— they were captured without a single arrow being shot. ⁴ So I say: “Don’t look at me! I am weeping bitterly. Don’t try to console me concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.” ⁵ For the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. In the Valley of Vision people shout and cry out to the hill. ⁶ The Elamites picked up the quiver and came with chariots and horsemen; the men of Kir prepared the shield. ⁷ Your very best valleys were full of chariots; horsemen confidently took their positions at the gate. ⁸ They removed the defenses of Judah. At that time you looked for the weapons in the House of the Forest. ⁹ You saw the many breaks in the walls of the City of David; you stored up water in the lower pool. 1 ⁰ You counted the houses in Jerusalem and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall. 1 ¹ You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool— but you did not trust in the one who made it; you did not depend on the one who formed it long ago. 1 ² At that time the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth. 1 ³ But look, there is outright celebration! You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 1 ⁴ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies told me this: “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 1 ⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him: 1 ⁶ ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here? He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place, he carves out his tomb on a cliff. 1 ⁷ Look, the Lord will throw you far away, you mere man! He will wrap you up tightly. 1 ⁸ He will wind you up tightly into a ball and throw you into a wide, open land. There you will die, and there with you will be your impressive chariots, which bring disgrace to the house of your master. 1 ⁹ I will remove you from your office; you will be thrown down from your position. 2 0 “‘At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 2 ¹ I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Jerusalem and of the people of Judah. 2 ² I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 2 ³ I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family. 2 ⁴ His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, including the offspring and the offshoots. All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars, will hang from this peg.’ 2 ⁵ “At that time,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” Indeed, the Lord has spoken. 2 3 :¹ This is an oracle about Tyre: Wail, you large ships, for the port is too devastated to enter! From the land of Cyprus this news is announced to them. ² Lament, you residents of the coast, you merchants of Sidon who travel over the sea, whose agents sail over ³ the deep waters. Grain from the Shihor region, crops grown near the Nile she receives; she is the trade center of the nations. ⁴ Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea says this, O fortress of the sea: “I have not gone into labor or given birth; I have not raised young men or brought up young women.” ⁵ When the news reaches Egypt, they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre. ⁶ Travel to Tarshish! Wail, you residents of the coast! ⁷ Is this really your boisterous city whose origins are in the distant past and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside? ⁸ Who planned this for royal Tyre, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the dignitaries of the earth? ⁹ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies planned it— to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth. 1 ⁰ Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile; there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre. 1 ¹ The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook kingdoms; he gave the order to destroy Canaan’s fortresses. 1 ² He said, “You will no longer celebrate, oppressed virgin daughter Sidon! Get up, travel to Cyprus, but you will find no relief there.” 1 ³ Look at the land of the Chaldeans, these people who have lost their identity! The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals. They erected their siege towers, demolished its fortresses, and turned it into a heap of ruins. 1 ⁴ Wail, you large ships, for your fortress is destroyed! 1 ⁵ At that time Tyre will be forgotten for 7 ⁰ years, the typical life span of a king. At the end of 7 ⁰ years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song: 1 ⁶ “Take the harp, go through the city, forgotten prostitute! Play it well, play lots of songs, so you’ll be noticed.” 1 ⁷ At the end of 7 ⁰ years the Lord will revive Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. 1 ⁸ Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes. 2 4 :¹ Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth and leave it in ruins; he will mar its surface and scatter its inhabitants. ² Everyone will suffer—the priest as well as the people, the master as well as the servant, the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, the seller as well as the buyer, the borrower as well as the lender, the creditor as well as the debtor. ³ The earth will be completely devastated and thoroughly ransacked. For the Lord has decreed this judgment. ⁴ The earth dries up and withers, the world shrivels up and withers; the prominent people of the earth fade away. ⁵ The earth is defiled by its inhabitants, for they have violated laws, disregarded the regulation, and broken the permanent treaty. ⁶ So a treaty curse devours the earth; its inhabitants pay for their guilt. This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, and are reduced to just a handful of people. ⁷ The new wine dries up, the vines shrivel up, all those who like to celebrate groan. ⁸ The happy sound of the tambourines stops, the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt, the happy sound of the harp ceases. ⁹ They no longer sing and drink wine; the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it. 1 ⁰ The ruined town is shattered; all the houses are shut up tight. 1 ¹ They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; all joy turns to sorrow; celebrations disappear from the earth. 1 ² The city is left in ruins; the gate is reduced to rubble. 1 ³ This is what will happen throughout the earth, among the nations. It will be like when they beat an olive tree, and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest. 1 ⁴ They lift their voices and shout joyfully; they praise the majesty of the Lord in the west. 1 ⁵ So in the east extol the Lord, along the seacoasts extol the fame of the Lord God of Israel. 1 ⁶ From the ends of the earth we hear songs— the Just One is majestic. But I say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed! Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” 1 ⁷ Terror, pit, and snare are ready to overtake you, inhabitants of the earth! 1 ⁸ The one who runs away from the sound of the terror will fall into the pit; the one who climbs out of the pit will be trapped by the snare. For the floodgates of the heavens are opened up and the foundations of the earth shake. 1 ⁹ The earth is broken in pieces, the earth is ripped to shreds, the earth shakes violently. 2 ⁰ The earth will stagger around like a drunk; it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. Its sin will weigh it down, and it will fall and never get up again. 2 ¹ At that time the Lord will punish the heavenly forces in the heavens and the earthly kings on the earth. 2 ² They will be imprisoned in a pit, locked up in a prison, and after staying there for a long time, they will be punished. 2 ³ The full moon will be covered up, the bright sun will be darkened; for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion in Jerusalem in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. 2 5 :¹ O Lord, you are my God! I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. For you have done extraordinary things, and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. ² Indeed, you have made the city into a heap of rubble, the fortified town into a heap of ruins; the fortress of foreigners is no longer a city, it will never be rebuilt. ³ So a strong nation will extol you; the towns of powerful nations will fear you. ⁴ For you are a protector for the poor, a protector for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm, a shade from the heat. Though the breath of tyrants is like a winter rainstorm, ⁵ like heat in a dry land, you humble the boasting foreigners. Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, so he causes the song of tyrants to cease. ⁶ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will hold a banquet for all the nations on this mountain. At this banquet there will be plenty of meat and aged wine— tender meat and choicest wine. ⁷ On this mountain he will swallow up the shroud that is over all the peoples, the woven covering that is over all the nations; ⁸ he will swallow up death permanently. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. Indeed, the Lord has announced it! ⁹ At that time they will say, “Look, here is our God! We waited for him, and he delivered us. Here is the Lord! We waited for him. Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!” 1 ⁰ For the Lord’s power will make this mountain secure. Moab will be trampled down where it stands, as a heap of straw is trampled down in a manure pile. 1 ¹ Moab will spread out its hands in the middle of it, just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim; the Lord will bring down Moab’s pride as it spreads its hands. 1 ² The fortified city (along with the very tops of your walls) he will knock down, he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground.