Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 18, 2026
First Reading: Isaiah 49.3, 5-6
3And he has said to me: "You are my servant, Israel. For in you, I will glory.5And now, says the Lord, who formed me from the womb as his servant, so that I may bring back Jacob to him, for Israel will not be gathered together, but I have been glorified in the eyes of the Lord and my God has become my strength6and so he has said: "It is a small thing that you should be my servant so as to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and so as to convert the dregs of Israel. Behold, I have offered you as a light for the Gentiles, so that you may be my salvation, even to the furthest regions of the earth.
Psalm 40
1Unto the end. A Psalm of David himself. I have waited expectantly for the Lord, and he was attentive to me2And he heard my prayers and he led me out of the pit of misery and the quagmire. And he stationed my feet upon a rock, and he directed my steps3And he sent a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God. Many will see, and they will fear; and they will hope in the Lord4Blessed is the man whose hope is in the name of the Lord, and who has no respect for vanities and absurd falsehoods5You have accomplished your many wonders, O Lord my God, and there is no one similar to you in your thoughts. I have announced and I have spoken: they are multiplied beyond number6Sacrifice and oblation, you did not want. But you have perfected ears for me. Holocaust and sin offering, you did not require7Then I said, "Behold, I draw near." At the head of the book, it has been written of me8that I should do your will. My God, I have willed it. And your law is in the midst of my heart9I have announced your justice in a great Church: behold, I will not restrain my lips. O Lord, you have known it10I have not concealed your justice within my heart. I have spoken your truth and your salvation. I have not concealed your mercy and your truth from a great assembly11O Lord, do not take your tender mercies far from me. Your mercy and your truth ever sustain me12For evils without number have surrounded me. My iniquities have taken hold of me, and I was not able to see. They have been multiplied beyond the hairs of my head. And my heart has forsaken me13Be pleased, O Lord, to rescue me. Look down, O Lord, to help me14Let them together be confounded and awed, who seek after my soul to steal it away. Let them be turned back and be in awe, who wish evils upon me15Let them bear their confusion all at once, who say to me, "Well, well.16Let all who seek you exult and rejoice over you. And let those who love your salvation always say, "May the Lord be magnified.17But I am a beggar and poor. The Lord has been concerned about me. You are my helper and my protector. My God, do not delay
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1.1-3
1Paul, called as an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God; and Sosthenes, a brother2to the Church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints with all who are invoking the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place of theirs and of ours3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ
Gospel: John 1.29-34
29On the next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and so he said: "Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold, he who takes away the sin of the world30This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me arrives a man, who has been placed ahead of me, because he existed before me.31And I did not know him. Yet it is for this reason that I come baptizing with water: so that he may be made manifest in Israel.32And John offered testimony, saying: "For I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove; and he remained upon him33And I did not know him. But he who sent me to baptize with water said to me: ‘He over whom you will see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.34And I saw, and I gave testimony: that this one is the Son of God.
Sermon
John the Baptist, standing at the Jordan, points to Jesus with profound clarity: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." His testimony, that Jesus is the Son of God upon whom the Spirit descends and remains, reveals the fulfillment of ancient prophecy. Indeed, the prophet Isaiah long foretold of a Servant chosen from the womb, not only to gather Israel but also to be a "light for the Gentiles, so that you may be my salvation, even to the furthest regions of the earth." John's encounter at the Jordan confirms that Jesus is this very Servant, the one whose mission extends far beyond the boundaries of one nation, bringing God's salvation to all humanity.
This universal call to salvation, prefigured by Isaiah and proclaimed by John, resonates deeply in Saint Paul's opening words to the Corinthians. Addressing them as "sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints," Paul extends grace and peace to those who invoke the name of our Lord. These Gentile believers in Corinth are living proof of Isaiah's prophecy fulfilled – they are among the "furthest regions of the earth" now illuminated by Christ, the "light for the Gentiles." Their very existence as a church demonstrates that the mission of the Lamb of God, attested to by John, has borne fruit, drawing people from every background into God's family through the redemptive power of Jesus.
For us today, these readings invite us to recognize Jesus with the same conviction as John the Baptist. We are called not merely to acknowledge him as a historical figure, but to see him as the living Lamb of God who continues to take away the sins of the world and to baptize with the Holy Spirit. Just as John testified and the Servant was a light, we too are summoned to be instruments of God's grace and peace in our own lives, allowing His light to shine through our daily actions and interactions. This means embracing our identity as "saints" called to holiness, and bearing witness to the universal love of God, thereby participating in His ongoing mission of salvation for all people, even to the furthest regions of our own world.