Friday, 19 December 2025
Weekdays of Advent.
Antiphons and Readings on p. 97 of the Daily Missal.
Entrance Antiphon.
He who is to come will come and will not delay, and now there will be no fear within our land, for he is our Saviour.
First Reading: Judges 13:2-7.24-25a
A reading from the Book of Judges.
In those days:
There was a certain man of Zorah,
of the tribe of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah;
and his wife was barren and had no children.
And the angel of the Lord
appeared to the woman and said to her,
“Behold, you are barren and have no children;
but you shall conceive and bear a son.
Therefore beware,
and drink no wine or strong drink,
and eat nothing unclean,
for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son.
No razor shall come upon his head,
for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from birth;
and he shall begin to deliver Israel
from the hand of the Philistines.”
Then the woman came and told her husband,
“A man of God came to me,
and his countenance was like
the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible;
I did not ask him whence he was,
and he did not tell me his name;
but he said to me,
‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son;
so then drink no wine or strong drink,
and eat nothing unclean,
for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God
from birth to the day of his death.’”
And the woman bore a son
and called his name Samson,
and the boy grew,
and the Lord blessed him.
And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 71:3-4a.5-6ab.16-17 (R. see 8a)
R/. My mouth is filled with your praise,
and I will sing your glory!
Be my rock, my constant refuge,
a mighty stronghold to save me,
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
My God , free me from the hand of the wicked.
It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
On you I have leaned from my birth;
from my mother’s womb, you have been my help.
I will come with praise of your might, O Lord;
I will call to mind your justice, yours, O Lord, alone.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and I proclaim your wonders still.
R/. My mouth is filled with your praise,
and I will sing your glory!
Alleluia. Alleluia.
O Root of Jesse, who stand as a sign to the nations! Come and deliver us: delay no longer.
Alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 1:5-25
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
In the days of Herod, king of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah,
of the division of Abijah;
and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
And they were both righteous before God,
walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
But they had no child
because Elizabeth was barren,
and both were advanced in years.
Now while he was serving as priest before God
when his division was on duty,
according to the custom of the priesthood,
it fell to him by lot
to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
And the whole multitude of the people
were praying outside at the hour of incense.
And there appeared to him
an angel of the Lord standing
on the right side of the altar of incense.
And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him,
and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said to him,
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
for your prayer is heard,
