First Reading – Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
R: (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
R: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R: Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
to do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia – John 1:14A, 12A
The Word o God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him,
he gave power to become children of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel – John 1:29-34
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
Related Post:
Reflection: Jesus Cures Simon Peter’s Mother-in-Law
One of the Gospels for this week is a narrative about Jesus as He begins healing the sick. In this 2018 Post, My Reflection outlines what we can particularly learn from the example of Peter’s mother-in-law, and the example of the prophet Samuel in the First Reading, as well as some reminders about our calling from God.
This first Post to start off the 20’s offers an absorbing My Reflection. I’m sharing with you my heartfelt personal advice on how to let go of the past… the way I did. Many “practicing” Catholics are still carrying the heavy baggages of the past—hurts, wounds, bad choices, wrong decisions, mistakes, regrets. Here is a Catholic perspective on why letting go of the past will enable you to move on, with God, to have a present and a future. I guarantee that there is so much to reflect on and learn in my piece. Happy New Year 2020!
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