A desert road at first light, a pillar of golden light rising from the mesa.

Wednesday, December 30, 2026

Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

The liturgical day

Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

Christmas Time
Liturgical color: White

The Mass readings

First reading: 1 John 2:12-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10
Gospel: Luke 2:36-40

Read today's Mass readings on the USCCB site

The readings open on the USCCB website. They follow the Lectionary for Mass approved for the United States, a different translation from the Douay-Rheims we use on this site. Desert Road Catholic is not affiliated with the USCCB.

First reading: 1 John 2:12-17

Douay-Rheims: 1 John 2:12-17

¹²I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. ¹³I write unto you, fathers, because you have known him, who is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. ¹⁴I write unto you, babes, because you have known the Father. I write unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. ¹⁵Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world passeth away, and the concupiscence thereof: but he that doth the will of God, abideth for ever.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10

Douay-Rheims: Psalm 95:7-10 (Psalm 96 at Mass)

⁷Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the Gentiles, bring ye to the Lord glory and honour: ⁸Bring to the Lord glory unto his name. Bring up sacrifices, and come into his courts: ⁹Adore ye the Lord in his holy court. Let all the earth be moved at his presence. ¹⁰Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned. For he hath corrected the world, which shall not be moved: he will judge the people with justice.

Gospel: Luke 2:36-40

Douay-Rheims: Luke 2:36-40

³⁶And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. ³⁷And she was a widow until fourscore and four years; who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. ³⁸Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord; and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. ³⁹And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. ⁴⁰And the child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in him.

The same passages in the Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), the translation we use on this site. The words read at Mass come from the Lectionary for Mass and differ. Where a reading begins or ends partway through a verse, the whole verse is shown. For the official text, open the readings on the USCCB site.

December 2026

December 2026
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
		1, Tuesday of the first week of Advent, liturgical color violet	2, Wednesday of the first week of Advent, liturgical color violet	3, Saint Francis Xavier, Priest, liturgical color white	4, Friday of the first week of Advent, liturgical color violet	5, Saturday of the first week of Advent, liturgical color violet
6, Second Sunday of Advent, liturgical color violet	7, Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, liturgical color white	8, The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the USA, liturgical color white, Holy day of obligation (also a solemnity)	9, Wednesday of the second week of Advent, liturgical color violet	10, Thursday of the second week of Advent, liturgical color violet	11, Friday of the second week of Advent, liturgical color violet	12, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, liturgical color white
13, Third Sunday of Advent, liturgical color rose or violet	14, Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church, liturgical color white	15, Tuesday of the third week of Advent, liturgical color violet	16, Wednesday of the third week of Advent, liturgical color violet	17, December 17, liturgical color violet	18, December 18, liturgical color violet	19, December 19, liturgical color violet
20, Fourth Sunday of Advent, liturgical color violet	21, December 21, liturgical color violet	22, December 22, liturgical color violet	23, December 23, liturgical color violet	24, December 24, liturgical color violet	25, The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), liturgical color white, Holy day of obligation (also a solemnity)	26, Saint Stephen, the First Martyr, liturgical color red
27, The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, liturgical color white	28, The Holy Innocents, Martyrs, liturgical color red	29, Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord, liturgical color white	30, Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord, liturgical color white, this page	31, Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord, liturgical color white

Violet
White
Rose
Red
ObligHoly day of obligation (also a solemnity)

The dot shows the liturgical color of the day. Fridays outside Lent carry no marker.

A word for the day

For man proposeth, but God disposeth.

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, chapter 19. Translated by William Benham. Read it on Project Gutenberg.

The Rosary today

The Glorious Mysteries, prayed on Wednesday and Sunday.

Pray the Glorious Mysteries About the Glorious Mysteries

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This calendar follows the General Roman Calendar for the United States. Some feasts are kept on other days in some provinces and dioceses, so check your parish calendar.

Calendar computed with romcal (MIT License). Reading citations from the Catholic Readings API (MIT License), with gaps checked against the USCCB pages. Douay-Rheims text courtesy of eBible.org.