Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 5, 2026
First Reading: 1 John 3.22 – 4.6
22and whatever we shall request of him, we shall receive from him. For we keep his commandments, and we do the things that are pleasing in his sight23And this is his commandment: that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he has commanded us24And those who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And we know that he abides in us by this: by the Spirit, whom he has given to us
1Most beloved, do not be willing to believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world2The Spirit of God may be known in this way. Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has arrived in the flesh is of God3and every spirit who contradicts Jesus is not of God. And this one is the Antichrist, the one that you have heard is coming, and even now he is in the world4Little sons, you are of God, and so you have overcome him. For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world5They are of the world. Therefore, they speak about the world, and the world listens to them6We are of God. Whoever knows God, listens to us. Whoever is not of God, does not listen to us. In this way, we know the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error
Psalm 2
1Why have the Gentiles been seething, and why have the people been pondering nonsense2The kings of the earth have stood up, and the leaders have joined together as one, against the Lord and against his Christ3"Let us shatter their chains and cast their yoke away from us.4He who dwells in heaven will ridicule them, and the Lord will mock them5Then will he speak to them in his anger and trouble them with his fury6Yet I have been appointed king by him over Zion, his holy mountain, preaching his precepts7The Lord has said to me: You are my son, this day have I begotten you8Ask of me and I will give to you: the Gentiles for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession9You will rule them with an iron rod, and you will shatter them like a potter’s vessel10And now, O kings, understand. Receive instruction, you who judge the earth11Serve the Lord in fear, and exult in him with trembling12Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord might become angry, and you would perish from the way of the just. Though his wrath can flare up in a short time, blessed are all those who trust in him
Gospel: Matthew 4.12-17, 23-25
12And when Jesus had heard that John had been handed over, he withdrew into Galilee13And leaving behind the city of Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, near the sea, at the borders of Zebulun and of Naphtali14in order to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah15"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles16A people who were sitting in darkness have seen a great light. And unto those sitting in the region of the shadow of death, a light has risen.17From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say: "Repent. For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.23And Jesus traveled throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every infirmity among the people24And reports of him went out to all of Syria, and they brought to him all those who had maladies, those who were in the grasp of various sicknesses and torments, and those who were in the hold of demons, and the mentally ill, and paralytics. And he cured them25And a great crowd followed him from Galilee, and from the Ten Cities, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from across the Jordan
Sermon
Our Gospel today recounts the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, a pivotal moment where the Light of the World steps into the "land of Zebulun and Naphtali, Galilee of the Gentiles," a region long sitting in spiritual darkness and the shadow of death. From Capernaum, by the sea, Jesus begins to preach a message of urgent hope: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near." He doesn't just speak; he acts, healing every sickness and infirmity, demonstrating the tangible reality of God's kingdom breaking into the world. This active demonstration of divine love and power is the very light that dispels the darkness, drawing great crowds from all directions to witness and experience the presence of God.
The first reading from 1 John offers a vital key to understanding and discerning this divine light amidst the shadows of the world. It instructs us that keeping God's commandments—believing in Jesus Christ and loving one another—is the way we abide in Him and receive from Him. But it also issues a sober warning to "test the spirits," for many false prophets have gone out into the world. The distinguishing mark of a spirit from God, John explains, is its confession that Jesus Christ has arrived in the flesh. This central truth of the Incarnation is the bedrock of our faith and the ultimate test against the "spirit of error," which denies the full humanity of Christ and the reality of God's presence in the world. The Good News is that for those who are "of God," the Spirit within us is greater than any spirit in the world, empowering us to overcome falsehood and embrace truth.
Together, these readings call us to be discerning recipients and active participants in the Kingdom Jesus proclaims. Just as Jesus brought light and healing to a world in darkness, we are called to embody His light in our daily lives, particularly through our unwavering belief in Him and our love for one another. In a world often filled with conflicting messages and spiritual confusion, John's exhortation to "test the spirits" reminds us to anchor our faith in the truth of the Incarnate Christ. By doing so, and by heeding Jesus' call to repent and live out the Gospel, we allow the indwelling Spirit to guide us, transforming us into agents of His light and healing, making the Kingdom of Heaven present here and now for those still sitting in darkness.