Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Reading 1 Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
Lo, I will send you
Elijah, the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day,
To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with doom.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
R. (see Luke 21:28) Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church;
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Luke 1:57-66
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”
- Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint John of Kanty, Priest
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
December 23, 2025 // Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
Reflect on the Word //
She clicked “submit” and abruptly lowered her head, burying her face in her arms on the desk. “What’s wrong?” I asked gently, in surprise. “I’m nervous to see my grade,” the fourth grader replied. “How about I check for you?” I suggested. She nodded, and I clicked to view the automatic scoring on the spelling test. “Congratulations! You have a one-hundred!” She looked up and saw; wide-eyed disbelief became perfect joy when she realized my word was true. I smiled; in these moments with the students I tutor, I recall my own fear of checking big assignment grades.
Today’s Responsorial Psalm reminds me that, in my spiritual life, I often behave similarly. The Responsorial Verse, “Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand” (see Luke 21:28), is an invitation to hope: not just to do so distantly, but to hope in the immediacy of the promise.
Why might my head be lowered in the first place? Perhaps it is a stance of deep prayer or of humility. But I may also do it for a negative reason. I may cast my gaze downwards because I hesitate to expect something good from God. Perhaps I feel the need to protect myself from premature hope, from looking forward too hard and being disappointed. Maybe my head is bowed under the weight of interior burdens, which today could be the bustle of the holidays or the keen emotions that reappear this time of year.
But only when I lift my head and live in active expectation do I see the Lord making His ways known to me (see Psalm 25:4) and guiding me in them with kindness and constancy (see Psalm 25:5, 10). I understand that He is my Savior and friend (see Psalm 25:5b, 14), a hope near at hand.
Dear sister, our hope is almost here: tomorrow night, He comes. May we not fear to look up and see. As Catholics, we know how to meet this day, for every Eucharistic consecration invites us to lift up our heads and behold the sign of our redemption—to come, fix our gaze, and adore Christ.
Relate to the Lord // This week, make a visit to Jesus in the Eucharist and adore Him.
Leila Joy Castillo calls Florida home but left her heart in hill country long ago. An alumna of Ave Maria University, she freelances in Catholic communications and is a published writer, primarily on Blessed is She and Ascension. When not dabbling in the multitudinous Google docs of her articles, Leila delights in music, personalist philosophy, quality time with her younger siblings, and her literary trifecta: Austen, Lewis, and Dante. You can find her on Instagram @leila_joyinthejourney or follow her personal site here.
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