The Baptism of the Lord
Reading I Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
R. (11b) The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Give to the LORD, you sons of God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
Give to the LORD the glory due his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
The LORD is enthroned above the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king forever.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Reading II Acts 10:34-38
Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.”
Alleluia Cf. Mark 9:7
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to be baptized by him.
John tried to prevent him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by you,
and yet you are coming to me?”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then he allowed him.
After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
January 10, 2026 // Saturday After Epiphany
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 3:22-30
Reflect on the Word //
“I feel like I am going a little crazy in deciding to do all of these things,” I said to my priest friend as we chatted after daily Mass about my plans for the following year. I was beginning a new career path in the last year of my thirties by taking evening graduate classes and spending my days student teaching—all while being a wife and mom to four children—and, additionally, we had been surprised with a new baby on the way after ten years of secondary infertility.
“Maybe that is a good sign,” Father replied with a grin on his face. A good sign. Is doing the crazy thing in my own eyes and the eyes of others sometimes a good sign?
Saint John the Baptist in today’s Gospel was considered a bit crazy by the world—a man dressed in skins and living on locusts and wild honey while proclaiming the coming of the Messiah. His life was one of complete submission to God’s call. His words are a reminder of how God’s grace operates in our lives: “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven” (John 3:27). Every call from God, every moment of our lives is a gift. The Lord offers grace, gives direction, and asks us to follow Him into the wilderness of the unknown. By trusting Him in the unknown and surrendering ourselves in love to His will, we make room for the joy of the Lord in our hearts. It may seem crazy to the world to go out of our way to go to Sunday Mass, to choose to stay at home with kids, to cut back on work to help an ailing parent, or to take on more than seems feasible. If the Lord calls us, He will provide.
Sister, the Lord wants us to give up our own will and embrace His will each day. He wants us to strive to live John’s words: “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30). When we put the Lord first and trust Him enough to do what seems crazy, our joy will be complete, even if we can’t see the final outcome.
Relate to the Lord // Ask the Lord to give you the grace to put Him first, to increase your trust in Him and to transform your will to match His.
Susanna Spencer holds a master's in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the Devotions Editor for Blessed is She. She is a freelance writer and editor and a teacher-in-training living with her philosopher husband and four kids in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She loves reading theology, attending beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious food, and casually following baseball. She is the author of all of the Blessed is She Gospel Meditation Studies. She was narrator for Found: Advent With the Good Shepherd and Rescued: Lent With the Lamb of God and a contributing author and editor for our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. She is the Theological Editor of the Blessed Conversations Studies. Find out more about her here.
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