The Catholic first readings for daily Mass for Dec 15 – 19, 2025 (in the third week of Advent) are taken from Numbers 24, Zephaniah 3, Genesis 49, Jeremiah 23, and Judges 13. At first glance it seems kinda random and taken plucked from here and there, but there is a logic and wonderful story when you connect the dots. And while it seems random, in fact, the readings are very deliberately chosen.

Each reading has some element of prophecy within the particular narrative but the readings are not random prophetic texts. Together they tell a cohesive story of salvation history, a story that deepens Advent’s focus as Christmas approaches. What unites them is this theme: God’s promise of a saving ruler is spoken gradually through blessing, prophecy, lineage, shepherd imagery, and miraculous birth. And often given in moments of weakness or threat. Here is a “roadmap” for the coming readings of this week.

The larger arc of Advent readings can be thought of as the first and second halves. In the first half of Advent, the readings focus on repentance and vigilance with stories of John the Baptist. As we move into the second half, in the third week, the focus shifts to God’s promise taking shape in history. Within that “second half” context, the first readings of this third week of Advent move from stories that set expectations, to making those expectations concrete in accounts of lineage, and then moving to the moment when expectations are fulfilled. In a way the first readings tells a mini–salvation history

• A distant, mysterious promise
• A promise spoken over Israel
• A promise tied to a royal line
• A promise of a righteous king
• A promise of a child born by God’s initiative

Monday, December 15: Numbers 24:2–7, 15–17a – “A star shall advance from Jacob”

In this scene Balaam is a pagan diviner, hired to curse Israel. Instead, God forces him to bless Israel and prophesy its future. The message is that God’s saving plan cannot be stopped or manipulated. Balaam speaks of the promise of a ruler (“star,” “scepter”). The Messiah is promised before Israel even has a king and the promise is announced from “outside the family” leaving no doubt of God’s sovereignty. God’s unfolding plan is older and larger than human politics. Salvation is already on the horizon; even when God’s people are unaware. A distant and mysterious promise.

Tuesday, December 16: Zephaniah 3:14–18a – “The Lord, your God, is in your midst”

Zephaniah preaches during a time of corruption and coming judgment. Zephaniah’s prophecy of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem emphasizes, perhaps more than any other prophecy, the devastation and death that divine judgment will bring. Described as the day of the Lord, the day of judgment is pictured as a time of darkness, of anguish and distress, of destruction and plunder of cities, and of threat to all life, human and animal alike. And yet, the book ends in joy: “For I will give you renown and praise, among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring about your restoration before your very eyes, says the LORD.” (Zep 3:20) 

Zephanian makes clear that God does not rule from afar; He dwells with His people. In the end God’s promises are everlasting and so Jerusalem is told to rejoice because God has removed judgment. In Advent, this prophetic reading carries the promise that God will always be relational and personal. When the promised One comes on the day of the Lord, God is not just sending a ruler; He is coming to be with His people. The promise will become joy, nearness, and presence. A promise spoken over Israel.

Wednesday, December 17: Genesis 49:2, 8–10 – “The scepter shall never depart from Judah”

Jacob, son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, now passed on the blessings of the Lord to his sons at the end of his life. But it is Judah who receives the royal blessing. The promise is now anchored to a specific tribe. The promised ruler’s coming is narrowing. It is no longer vague; it is genealogical. Here is Advent the message is God works through family lines, history, and human weakness. The Messiah will come from Judah, not by accident, but by promise. ​​The promise enters bloodline and history. A promise tied to a royal line.

Thursday, December 18: Jeremiah 23:5–8 – “I will raise up a righteous shoot to David”

From the sons of Jacob we moved ahead, past the days of Moses, Joshua, the Judges, and to the last days of the Kings of Judah, who by-in-large have failed disastrously. Jerusalem is heading toward exile. And yet even in these darkest of days, God promises a new Davidic king, unlike the corrupt shepherds. This king will reign with justice and righteousness. Here is Advent the message is that God does not abandon His promises even when leaders fail and the people stray from the faith. The One promised, the Messiah, is not just a king by title, but a true shepherd. A promise of a righteous king.

Friday, December 19: Judges 13:2–7, 24–25a – the birth of Samson foretold

Moving back on the timeline to the age of the Judges (after Moses and before the Kings), Israel is oppressed by the Philistines. A barren woman conceives through divine intervention; this reading prepares us for the birth annunciations of John the Baptist and Jesus. Samson is set apart from birth for his role as one of the Judges. Despite the comic book portrayal as hero, Samson is hardly a messiah, but the pattern is revealed. God begins salvation through a miraculous birth and God saves through unexpected births. The message is that God acts when human strength fails. A promise of a child born by God’s initiative

And that is the big picture of this week’s first readings.