December 10, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31
Reflect on the Word //
I read the text message quickly at first, glancing over it as I grabbed a child’s backpack on the way out the door. Why was my friend sounding so heated about a proposed morning coffee date? I grew more and more perturbed as I drove kids to school. When I had a minute to read the text again it still sounded somewhat rude and off-putting. Not surprisingly, when I called my friend and asked her what she meant by the confusing tone in the text, the explanation was completely opposite of what I first interpreted.
The value of hearing the spoken word in action!
The reminder today from the prophet Isaiah—“Do you not know or have you not heard?” (Isaiah 40:28)—reminds me of the importance of physically hearing the Word of God spoken out loud. Our brains, and in turn, our hearts, just accept and absorb words differently when we hear them. I think this is why the Church in her wisdom makes the Liturgy of the Word such an important part of the celebration of the Eucharist. Hearing the words of Scripture in the Mass is not simply a motion we go through but an essential way to hear God speak to us. Because we are composed of both body and soul, we understand better when we experience things with all our senses. I think all of us have an experience of reading the Bible ourselves and assuming one thing, then having a piece of Scripture explained or simply proclaimed out loud and coming to greater understanding.
God wants to give us His strength as Isaiah proclaims today. One way we can accept and receive that strength is by hearing the words of Scripture proclaimed and letting them speak to our hearts. The next time you go to Mass try for yourself first reading the readings of the day in advance, then focusing on hearing the words spoken aloud. The Lord wants to communicate to you through all of your senses.
Relate to the Lord // Read the daily Readings (even just one!) out loud today. Listen with the ears of your heart.
Christy Isinger is a wife and mom to five lovely, loud children and lives in northern Canada. When not homeschooling, she is a devoted reader of English literature from Jane Austen to Agatha Christie and blogs about beauty and life. She is the co-host of the Fountains of Carrots Podcast. She is the author of Blessed Conversations: The Ten Commandments. Find out more about her here.
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