Daily readings

Friday, December 4, 2026

Saint John Damascene, Priest and Doctor. Advent. A clean reading layout for church, prayer, or preparation.

CelebrationSaint John Damascene, Priest and Doctor

TypeOptional Memorial

SeasonAdvent

Year2026 archive

The Roman Catholic readings for this date are shown below on-site. Use plain reading mode if you want clearer modern wording, or switch back to the original Douay-Rheims wording at any time.

Reading mode

Plain mode helps modern readers follow the text more easily.

On-site scripture text: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition. Plain mode is a built-in reading aid that modernizes older wording for easier understanding while keeping the same Roman Catholic reading references for the day.

First Reading

Isaiah 29:17-24

How to approach it

Read this as the first big movement of the day. Notice what God is doing, who is speaking, and what part of the story or teaching should stay with you.

17Is it not yet a very little while, and Libanus shall be turned into charmel, and charmel shall be esteemed as a forest?

18And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and out of darkness and obscurity the eyes of the blind shall see.

19And the gentle shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20For he that did prevail has failed, the scorner is destroyed, and they are all cut off that watched for sin:

21That made men sin by word, and supplanted him that reproved them in the gate, and declined in vain from the righteous.

22Therefore thus says the Lord to the house of Jacob, he that rescued Abraham: Jacob shall not now be put to shame, neither shall his face now be ashamed:

23But when he shall see his children, the work of my hands in the midst of him sanctifying my name, and they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall glorify the God of Israel:

24And those who erred in spirit, shall know understanding, and those who murmured, shall learn the law.

Psalm

Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14

How to pray it

The psalm is meant to be prayed, not rushed. If the wording feels older, focus on the main movement of the prayer: trust, praise, sorrow, gratitude, or hope.

1The psalm of David before he was anointed. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?

4One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That I may see the delight of the Lord, and may visit his temple.

13I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

14Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let your heart take courage, and wait you for the Lord.

Gospel

Matthew 9:27-31

What to watch for

The Gospel is the center of the reading set. Pay close attention to what Jesus says, what Jesus does, and what response he is asking for.

27And as Jesus passed from from there, there followed him two blind men crying out and saying, Have mercy on us, OH Son of David.

28And when he was come to the house, the blind men came to him. And Jesus says to them, Do you believe, that I can do this to you? They say to him, Yea, Lord.

29Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith, be it done to you.

30And their eyes were opened, and Jesus strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know this.

31But they going out, spread his fame abroad in all that country.

Compare with USCCB Browse this year

Move through the calendar

Previous day

Thursday, December 3, 2026

Hub

Mass readings hub

Open today's readings, look up another date, or jump into a year archive.

Next day

Saturday, December 5, 2026

Source note

This page uses the Catholic Readings API for the day's references and liturgical celebration data, while the on-site scripture text is rendered from the public-domain Douay-Rheims Bible distributed through the Open Bibles project.