Daily Reading for Thursday, December 16th, 2021

Reading 1, Isaiah 54:1-10

¹ Shout for joy, barren one who has borne no children! Break into cries and shouts of joy, you who were never in labour! For the children of the forsaken one are more in number than the children of the wedded wife, says Yahweh.

² Widen the space of your tent, extend the curtains of your home, do not hold back! Lengthen your ropes, make your tent-pegs firm,

³ for you will burst out to right and to left, your race will dispossess the nations and repopulate deserted towns.

⁴ Do not fear, you will not be put to shame again, do not worry, you will not be disgraced again; for you will forget the shame of your youth and no longer remember the dishonour of your widowhood.

⁵ For your Creator is your husband, Yahweh Sabaoth is his name, the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer, he is called God of the whole world.

⁶ Yes, Yahweh has called you back like a forsaken, grief-stricken wife, like the repudiated wife of his youth, says your God.

⁷ I did forsake you for a brief moment, but in great compassion I shall take you back.

⁸ In a flood of anger, for a moment I hid my face from you. But in everlasting love I have taken pity on you, says Yahweh, your redeemer.

⁹ For me it will be as in the days of Noah when I swore that Noah's waters should never flood the world again. So now I swear never to be angry with you and never to rebuke you again.

¹⁰ For the mountains may go away and the hills may totter, but my faithful love will never leave you, my covenant of peace will never totter, says Yahweh who takes pity on you.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

² Yahweh, my God, I cried to you for help and you healed me.

⁴ Make music for Yahweh, all you who are faithful to him, praise his unforgettable holiness.

⁵ His anger lasts but a moment, his favour through life; In the evening come tears, but with dawn cries of joy.

⁶ Carefree, I used to think, 'Nothing can ever shake me!'

¹¹ You have turned my mourning into dancing, you have stripped off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.

¹² So my heart will sing to you unceasingly, Yahweh, my God, I shall praise you for ever.

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