Daily Readings - Sun Jan 12 2025
Isaiah
1"Be consoled, be consoled, O my people!" says your God2Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call out to her! For her malice has reached its end. Her iniquity has been forgiven. She has received double for all her sins from the hand of the Lord3The voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight the paths of our God, in a solitary place4Every valley will be exalted, and every mountain and hill will be brought low. And the crooked will be straightened, and the uneven will become level ways5And the glory of the Lord will be revealed. And all flesh together will see that the mouth of the Lord has spoken.9You who evangelize Zion, climb a high mountain! You who evangelize Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength! Lift it up! Do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah: "Behold, your God!10Behold, the Lord God will arrive in strength, and his arm will rule. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work is before him11He will pasture his flock like a shepherd. He will gather together the lambs with his arm, and he will lift them up to his bosom, and he himself will carry the very young
Titus
11For the grace of God our Savior has appeared to all men12instructing us to reject impiety and worldly desires, so that we may live soberly and justly and piously in this age13looking forward to the blessed hope and the advent of the glory of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ14He gave himself for our sake, so that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse for himself an acceptable people, pursuers of good works
4But then the kindness and humanity of God our Savior appeared5And he saved us, not by works of justice that we had done, but, in accord with his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and by the renovation of the Holy Spirit6whom he has poured out upon us in abundance, through Jesus Christ our Savior7so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs according to the hope of eternal life
Luke
15Now all were thinking about John in their hearts, and the people were supposing that perhaps he might be the Christ16John responded by saying to everyone: "Indeed, I baptize you with water. But there will arrive one stronger than me, the laces of whose shoes I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit, and with fire21Now it happened that, when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized; and as he was praying, heaven was opened22And the Holy Spirit, in a corporal appearance like a dove, descended upon him. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my beloved Son. In you, I am well pleased.
Sermon
**Sermon Based on the Readings**
Today’s readings invite us to reflect on the themes of preparation, grace, and the transformative power of God’s presence in our lives. In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear a message of comfort and hope directed to a people in exile. The prophet calls for the preparation of a way for the Lord, symbolizing the clearing of spiritual pathways for God’s arrival. This text, written during a time of despair, offers assurance that God’s mercy and forgiveness are forthcoming, urging the people to ready their hearts for His coming.
The second reading from Titus shifts our focus to the manifestation of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. Titus emphasizes that God’s grace is not merely a future hope but a present reality that transforms us. This grace calls us to live virtuously, rejecting worldly desires and embracing a life of justice and piety. The reading reminds us that our salvation is not through our own efforts but through God’s mercy and the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel from Luke beautifully ties these themes together. John the Baptist, recognizing his role as a precursor to Jesus, humbly acknowledges the limitations of his baptism with water. The baptism of Jesus, accompanied by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father, signifies the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy and the outpouring of Titus’s grace. This event is a powerful reminder of God’s love and our adoption as His children.
In our daily lives, these readings encourage us to prepare our hearts for God’s presence, much like Isaiah’s call to clear the way. We are invited to trust in God’s grace, as Titus reminds us, and to live out our faith in actions that reflect His love. Just as Jesus’s baptism marked the beginning of His mission, our own baptism calls us to a life of service and holiness. May we, like the people in the Gospel, open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, allowing God’s transformative grace to shape us anew.