Saturday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 5:14-21
Beloved:
We have this confidence in him
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask,
we know that what we have asked him for is ours.
If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly,
he should pray to God and he will give him life.
This is only for those whose sin is not deadly.
There is such a thing as deadly sin,
about which I do not say that you should pray.
All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.
We know that anyone begotten by God does not sin;
but the one begotten by God he protects,
and the Evil One cannot touch him.
We know that we belong to God,
and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One.
We also know that the Son of God has come
and has given us discernment to know the one who is true.
And we are in the one who is true,
in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life.
Children, be on your guard against idols.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 149:1-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Matthew 4:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel John 3:22-30
Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea,
where he spent some time with them baptizing.
John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim,
because there was an abundance of water there,
and people came to be baptized,
for John had not yet been imprisoned.
Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew
about ceremonial washings.
So they came to John and said to him,
“Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan,
to whom you testified,
here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.”
John answered and said,
“No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.
You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ,
but that I was sent before him.
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and listens for him,
rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.
So this joy of mine has been made complete.
He must increase; I must decrease.”
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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