Tuesday, December 1, 2026 — Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
Revealed to the little ones
Luke 10:21-24
Readings of the day: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Luke 10:21-24.
The Gospel
Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit and thanks the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the wise and prudent and revealing them to little ones. All things have been given to him by the Father; no one knows the Son except the Father, and the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Turning to his disciples, he says: blessed are the eyes that see what you see, for many prophets and kings longed to see what you see and hear what you hear, and did not.
Reflection
Jesus does not rejoice that the mysteries are hidden from the wise; St. John Chrysostom notes that he gives thanks because what the wise did not know, the little ones knew. The Father hides these things from those who think themselves wise and reveals them to babes, and Bede teaches that to the wise and prudent the Lord opposed not the dull and foolish, but the humble: he condemned pride, not quickness of mind. Theophylact adds that the disciples are called babes because they are devoid of malice. And St. Gregory receives these words as an example of humility: we should not rashly presume to scan the heavenly counsel about the calling of some and the rejection of others, for what seemed good to the Just One cannot be unjust. Advent begins by making room: a heart small enough to receive what the Father reveals, and humble enough to leave the rest to him.
From the Fathers
“To the wise and prudent then He opposed not the dull and foolish, but babes; that is, the humble, to shew that He condemned pride, not quickness of mind.”
— St. Bede the Venerable, on Luke 10, in the Catena Aurea on Luke 10:21–24
“The Lord calls His disciples babes, whom He chose not from the teachers of the law, but out of the multitude, and by calling, fishermen; babes, that is, as devoid of malice.”
— Theophylact, on Luke 10, in the Catena Aurea on Luke 10:21–24
Saint of the day
Saint Eligius of Noyon (c. 588–660), goldsmith at the court of the Frankish kings and counsellor to King Dagobert I, became Bishop of Noyon–Tournai in 642. He founded monasteries and churches and worked to bring the Gospel to the pagan peoples of Flanders. He is the patron of goldsmiths, metalworkers and all craftsmen.
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Sources: the day’s readings follow the daily lectionary (USCCB, Lectionary 176). The Gospel text is not reproduced here; read it at the link above. Patristic quotes: Catena Aurea on Luke 10:21–24, compiled by St. Thomas Aquinas, translated by John Henry Newman (1841, public domain).