Daily readings

Thursday, December 17, 2026

Thursday of the 3rd week of Advent. Advent. A clean reading layout for church, prayer, or preparation.

CelebrationThursday of the 3rd week of Advent

TypeWeekday

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.

1

First Reading

Genesis 49:2, 8-10

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.

2Gather yourselves together, and hear, OH you sons of Jacob, hearken to Israel your father:

8Juda, you shall your brothers and sisters praise: your hands shall be on the necks of your enemies: the sons of your father shall bow down to you.

9Juda is a lion's whelp: to the prey, my son, you art gone up: resting you have couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him?

10The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations.

2

Psalm

Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17

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.

1A psalm on Solomon.

2Give to the king your judgment, OH God: and to the king's son your righteousness: To judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with judgment.

7In his days shall righteousness spring up, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken sway.

8And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.

17Let his name be blessed for evermore$1 his name continueth before the sun. And in him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed: all nations shall magnify him.

3

Gospel

Matthew 1:1-17

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.

1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brothers and sisters.

3And Judas begot Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram.

4And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon.

5And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse.

6And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife of Urias.

7And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abia. And Abia begot Asa.

8And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram begot Ozias.

9And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot Ezechias.

10And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manesses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias.

11And Josias begot Jechonias and his brothers and sisters in the transmigration of Babylon.

12And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. And Salathiel begot Zorobabel.

13And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim. And Eliacim begot Azor.

14And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim begot Eliud.

15And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan begot Jacob.

16And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17So all the generations, from Abraham to David, are fourteen generations. And from David to the transmigration of Babylon, are fourteen generations: and from the transmigration of Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.

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.