First reading
Isaiah 40:1–5, 9–11
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it.
Responsorial psalm
Psalm 103 (104):1–4, 24–25, 27–30
R. O, bless the Lord, my soul.
Second reading
Titus 2:11–14, 3:4–7
He saved us by means of the cleansing water of rebirth.
Gospel acclamation
cf. Luke 3:16
John said: He who is to come is mightier than I; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Gospel
Luke 3:15–16, 21–22
‘Someone is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’
Images from the Word
- Expectancy
- More powerful
- The Beloved
- Way for the Lord
- Good and religious lives
Liturgical notes
Because we have gone down with Christ, we also come up from the waters together with him and hear—mighty and majestic—the Father’s voice directed to us as well. It pronounces a new name for each of us, in the depths of each of our hearts: ‘Beloved! In whom I am well pleased.’
—Homiletic Directory, §137
Through Christian initiation, we the baptised get to share in being the ‘beloved’ of the Father. In baptism, we are incorporated into the Body of Christ, and in confirmation we are anointed with the gift of the Spirit to be the priestly people of God. At our Sunday Mass, we come to exercise this priesthood by offering the sacrifices of our daily lives to be consecrated as the sacrifice of Christ. Being gifted by God to be his priestly people, we must live as God’s beloved.
‘Behold the One of whom John said: I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’
—communion antiphon