Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 12, 2025
First Reading: Isaiah 40.1-5, 9-11
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
Psalm 104
1To David himself. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are exceedingly great. You have clothed yourself with confession and beauty2you are dressed with light like a garment, while you stretch out heaven like a tent3You cover its heights with water. You set the clouds as your stairs. You walk upon the wings of the winds4You make your Angels a breath of life, and your ministers a burning fire5You founded the earth upon its stable base. It will not be bent from age to age6The abyss, like a garment, is its clothing. The waters will remain standing above the mountains7At your rebuke, they will flee. At the voice of your thunder, they will dread8The mountains ascend, and the plains descend, to the place which you have founded for them9You have set a limit that they will not cross. And they will not return to cover the earth10You spring forth fountains in steep valleys. The waters will cross through the midst of the mountains11All the wild beasts of the field will drink. The wild donkeys will anticipate in their thirst12Above them, the flying things of the air will dwell. From the midst of the rocks, they will utter voices13You irrigate the mountains from your heights. The earth will be satiated from the fruit of your works14producing grass for cattle and herbs for the service of men. So may you draw bread from the earth15and wine, in order to cheer the heart of man. Then he may gladden his face with oil, and bread will confirm the heart of man16The trees of the field will be saturated, along with the cedars of Lebanon, which he planted17There, the sparrows will make their nests. The leader of them is the house of the heron18The heights of the hills are for the deer; the rock is a refuge for the hedgehog19He has made the moon for seasons; the sun knows its setting20You appointed darkness, and it has become night; all the beasts of the forest will cross through it21The young lions will roar, while searching for and seizing their meal from God22The sun arose, and they were gathered together; and in their dens, they will lie down together23Man will go forth to his work and to his activities, until the evening24How great are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in wisdom. The earth has been filled with your possessions25This sea is great and its hands are spacious. There are creeping things without number: the small animals with the great26There, the ships will pass by this sea-serpent that you have formed to mock them27All these expect you to give them food in due time28What you give to them, they will gather. When you open your hand, they will all be filled with goodness29But if you turn your face away, they will be disturbed. You will take away their breath, and they will fail, and they will return to their dust30You will send forth your Spirit, and they will be created. And you will renew the face of the earth31May the glory of the Lord be for all ages. The Lord will rejoice in his works32He considers the earth, and he makes it tremble. He touches the mountains, and they smoke33I will sing to the Lord with my life. I will sing psalms to my God, as long as I am34May my speech be pleasing to him. Truly, I will take delight in the Lord35Let sinners fade away from the earth, along with the unjust, so that they may not be. Bless the Lord, O my soul
Second Reading: Titus 2.11-14; 3.4-7
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
Gospel: Luke 3.15-16, 21-22
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.