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Gospel Reading for January 02, 2026 – John 1: 19-28
REPENTANCE
This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
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Being baptized with water by John signified REPENTANCE. A lot of people came to believe in him and because of this he was able to draw them to REPENTANCE. John was a perfect instrument of Christ because he made it very clear to his followers “who the boss was” and made it very clear that he was just preparing the way for him.
We may be good preachers and even have the gift of healing, and be able to claim a substantial number of followers, but if we are unable to draw our followers to REPENTANCE, we are unable to contribute substantially to Christ’s mission of salvation. This is because for us to be saved, we need to acknowledge our need to repent and change our ways. For us Catholics, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, through which we are able to receive God’s forgiveness, the authority of which was given by Jesus to his apostles.
Lord, we pray to never get lost along the way to you, or if we do, to always find our way back to you!
