Sunday Baptism of the Lord

Invitation

May I draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?

This invitation is intended to share with you the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, without exception,
can experience that joy by opening their heart
to the healing power of God’s word.

Available every morning from 1 am

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is the confirmation
of what we celebrated during Christmas:
God makes himself very small in Jesus
in order to share the life of human beings.
Today we learn the identity of Jesus:
He is the beloved Son of God.
He is the Servant sent by God
to bring salvation and healing to those who know themselves to be poor and vulnerable.
Let us entrust ourselves to Him in this celebration.

FIRST READING              Isa. 42, 1-4, 6-7
This is my servant, in whom I delight.

From the prophet Isaiah

Thus says the Lord:
“This is my servant, whom I support,
my chosen one, in whom I delight:
I will pour my spirit upon him,
he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not cry out, he will not shout,
nor raise his voice in the streets.
He will not break the bruised reed,
nor extinguish the smouldering wick,
he will bring justice in dignity.
“Tirelessly and unbroken, he will make justice prevail on earth:
The distant shores look forward to his teaching.”

“I, the Lord, call you in justice,
I take you by the hand and watch over you,
and make you a sign of my covenant before the people
and a light for the nations.
“You will open the eyes of the blind,
free prisoners from their dungeon
and from prison all who sit in darkness.”

Responsorial        Ps . 29(28), 1-2, 3-4, 3b and 9c and 10

Refrain
God blesses his people with peace.

Worship the Lord, all children of God,
worship the Lord for his glory and power.
Worship the Lord for his fame and his Name,
kneel before him for his holy splendour.

The voice of the Lord resounds over the waters,
God’s majesty calls from across the sea.
The voice of the Lord with thundering power,
the voice of the Lord, awe-inspiring!

God’s majesty calls from across the sea,
his temple resounds with his glory.
The Lord is enthroned above the firmament,
there he sits forever as king.

SECOND READING            Acts 10, 34-38
The Lord has anointed Him with the Holy Spirit.

From the Acts of the Apostles

At that time, Peter took the floor and said:
“Now I realise that
God shows no partiality,
but that, from whatever people,
everyone who fears Him and does good
is acceptable to Him.

“He sent the word to the children of Israel
when He proclaimed through Jesus Christ
the good news of peace:
This is the Lord of all.
“You know what happened throughout Judea;
how Jesus of Nazareth began his ministry in Galilee
after the baptism preached by John,
and how God anointed him
with the Holy Spirit and with power.
“He went about doing good
and healing all
who were under the power of the devil,
for God was with him.”

Versicle before the Gospel   Mk. 9:6

Alleluia.
The heavens opened and the voice of the Father said:
This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to Him.

Alleluia.

GOSPEL        Mt  3, 13-17
After Jesus was baptised, He saw the Spirit of God descending upon Him.

From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

At that time, Jesus came from Galilee
to the Jordan to be baptised by John.
But John tried to prevent Him, saying,
“I need to be baptised by You, and yet You come to me?”

Jesus answered,
“Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfil all righteousness.”
Then John consented.

After Jesus was baptised,
He immediately came up out of the water.
And behold, the heavens opened,
and He saw the Spirit of God descending
in the form of a dove
and coming upon Him.
And a voice from heaven said:
“This is my Son, my beloved,
in whom I am well pleased.”

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Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCIS

On Care for Our Common Home

242. Together with her, within the Holy Family of Nazareth, the figure of Saint Joseph stands out. He cared for and protected Mary and Jesus with his labour and his generous presence, and he freed them from the violence of the unjust Herod by taking them to Egypt. In the Gospel, he appears as a man of deep faith, who, in the face of the challenges of his time, did not hesitate to take responsibility for his family and to defend them.
In the Gospel, he appears as a righteous,
hard-working, strong man. But his figure also exudes a great tenderness, which is not characteristic of the weak, but of the truly strong. They love and serve humbly. That is why he has been proclaimed the guardian of the universal Church.
He too can teach us to care, he can motivate us to work with generosity and tenderness to protect this world, which God has entrusted to us.

To be continued
Every day at1 am
The Bible text in this edition is taken from The New Bible Translation, © Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.