Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection January 11, 2026
Sunday – The Baptism of The Lord
11th January 2026 (Sunday)
Psalter: Proper
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Thus says the Lord: Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 R. (11b)
R/. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Second Reading: Acts 10:34-38
In those days: Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. A cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17
At that time: Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Sunday – The Baptism of The Lord
Main Point: The feast of the Baptism of the Lord indicates on one hand his commitment to the mission of our salvation and on the other hand our own commitment to live our baptismal consecration.
1. Today Jesus is baptised. It is not a mere traditional ritual. It is symbolic. It symbolizes three essential aspects: the purification of sins; Insertion into the chosen fold; and initiation into the mission of repentance and conversion.
2. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. Firstly, this indicates and confirms Jesus’ identity. Secondly, it indicates the kind of relationship with his Father. He is the beloved Son of the Father. There is an intimate and pleasant relationship between them.
3. All the above-mentioned 3 aspects are clear in Jesus’ baptism. Though sinless, he allows himself to be baptized. Thereby he symbolises our own purification. In our place, he humbles himself, to be counted one among us, the sinful lot. Thus, his baptism shows the utmost need for our purification, the cleansing from sin.
4. His baptism shows that he inserts himself in the chosen fold of God’s people. His baptism incorporates him into our human family. He makes himself a willing sharer in our human reality, especially our sin-infection and the struggle for liberation from it.
5. His baptism is the starting point, the launching pad for his mission. His getting into the water for baptism is getting into the waters of the mission. His being baptized is being sent on the mission of cleansing by repentance and conversion. The voice from heaven affirming Jesus’ belonging to the Father is conferring His Spirit for the God-sent mission.
6. All that is spoken in the first reading and the second very much apply to him. Jesus Christ is the chosen one, well-pleasing to God. God is with him. He is anointed with the Spirit and power. His mission is a mission of justice. There is no partiality but fairness and equity. It is a mission of being a Covenant of the Lord, Light, and Restoration of sight to the blind and freedom to the prisoners and captives.
7. Baptism of the Lord also reminds us of our own vocation and mission. it makes us aware of what we are ad what we are to do. We are chosen. He formed us. He grasped us by the hand. He upholds us. He puts His Spirit upon us. Such is our closeness.
8. But that does not stop or end there. All this is directed to a mission. We are set as a covenant. We are appointed as a light for the nations. We are sent to liberate the people from their different enslavements. Thus all this is to establish the reign of Justice and Liberation.
My Practice: We need to live our baptism. It is not merely to recollect the ritual. It is to re-live our baptismal consecration, that is to repent, be converted and to transform many others
