5 December 2025 (Friday) / Friday of the 1st week of Advent / Advent Weekday/ Friday of the First Week of Advent

5 December 2025 (Friday)

Friday of the 1st week of Advent.

Advent Weekday/ Friday of the First Week of Advent.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading: Isaiah 29: 17-24
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 27: 1, 4, 13-14
Gospel: Matthew 9: 27-31

First Reading : Isaiah 29:17‐24

The Lord says this: In a short time, a very short time, shall not Lebanon become fertile land and fertile land turn into forest? The deaf, that day, will hear the words of a book and, after shadow and darkness, the eyes of the blind will see. But the lowly will rejoice in the Lord even more and the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel; for tyrants shall be no more, and scoffers vanish, and all be destroyed who are disposed to do evil: those who gossip to incriminate others, those who try at the gate to trip the arbitrator and get the upright man’s case dismissed for groundless reasons. Therefore the Lord speaks, the God of the House of Jacob, Abraham’s redeemer: No longer shall Jacob be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale, for he shall see what my hands have done in his midst, he shall hold my name holy. They will hallow the Holy One of Jacob, stand in awe of the God of Israel. Erring spirits will learn wisdom and murmurers accept instruction.

Responsive Psalm : Psalm 26(27):1,4,13‐14

The Lord is my light and my help.

The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?

The Lord is my light and my help.

There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to savour the sweetness of the Lord, to behold his temple.

The Lord is my light and my help.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!

The Lord is my light and my help.

Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power; he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : Matthew 9:27‐31

As Jesus went on his way two blind men followed him shouting, ‘Take pity on us, Son of David.’ And when Jesus reached the house the blind men came up with him and he said to them, ‘Do you believe I can do this?’ They said, ‘Sir, we do.’ Then he touched their eyes saying, ‘Your faith deserves it, so let this be done for you.’ And their sight returned. Then Jesus sternly warned them, ‘Take care that no one learns about this.’ But when they had gone, they talked about him all over the countryside.

For our reflection today:

Two blind men cried out in misery and hope: “Have mercy on us, Son of David” (Mt 9:27). The two men in today’s Gospel are blind, yet they see the most important thing: they realize that Jesus is the Messiah who has come into the world. The two men in the Gospel trusted in Jesus. They followed him in search of light for their eyes. Why, brothers and sisters, did they trust in Jesus? Because they realized that, within the darkness of history, he is the light that brightens the “nights” of the heart and the world. The light that overcomes the darkness and triumphs over the blindness. We too have a kind of “blindness” in our hearts. Like those two blind men, we are often like wayfarers, immersed in the darkness of life. The first thing to do in response is go to Jesus, just as he tells us: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). Is there any one of us who is not, in some way, tired or heavy laden? All of us are. Yet, we resist coming to Jesus. Often we would rather remain closed in on ourselves, alone in the darkness, feeling sorry for ourselves and content to have sadness as our companion. Jesus is the divine physician: he alone is the true light that illuminates every man and woman (cf. Jn 1:9), the one who gives us an abundance of light, warmth and love. (Pope Francis, Homily, “GSP Stadium” in Nicosia, 3 December 2021)

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love (Blessed  and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)