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Baptism of the Lord (A)

January 11, 2026

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Collect

Almighty ever-living God,
who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan
and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him,
solemnly declared him your beloved Son,
grant that your children by adoption,
reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,
may always be well pleasing to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

Thus says the Lord: 1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. 6 “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”

Responsorial Psalm 29:1-2,3-4, 9-10

R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Second Reading Acts 10:34-38

Peter began to speak to those assembled in the house of Cornelius. “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel Matthew 3:13-17

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so for now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Catena Nova

You were led to the holy pool of baptism, just as Christ, was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb that had been prepared beforehand. Each one of you was questioned in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You professed the saving faith and three times you were immersed in the water and three times emerged. This symbolized Christ’s burial for three days. By this action, you died and were born. The saving water was your tomb and at the same time a womb.” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

Although as Son of God he needed neither cleansing nor purifying, yet on a particular day at a determined time when he was thirty years old he underwent the rite of baptism, that unique mystery by which alone we receive salvation. By undergoing baptism he consecrated it, and by that consecration he bestowed as a heavenly gift on all believers the holiness which baptism confers. (St. Odilo of Cluny)

While John did indeed baptize our Lord and Saviour, in a deeper sense he was baptized by Christ, for Christ sanctified the waters, John was sanctified by them; Christ bestowed grace, John received it; John laid aside his sins, Christ forgave them. The reason? John was a man, Christ was God. For it is God’s prerogative to forgive sins, as it is written: Who can forgive sins, except God alone? This is why John says to Christ: I ought to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? For John needed baptism, since he could not be without sin; Christ, however, did not need a baptism, since he had committed no sin. (St. Chromatius of Aquileia)

For the Divine Power, looking into human hearts, mercifully takes from them the crimes of their unbelief by the washing of baptism, and throws those crimes out of their Way, Which is Christ; for in Christ there is no death, but life through pure confession and washing away of sins. Through Him each of them is clothed in the purity of salvation, and through Him the brightness of the blessed inheritance, from which the first human being was expelled, is opened to them. And each of the faithful is admonished by words of truth that they should lay aside the old ways of iniquity and accept the new gift of grace for salvation….And the children who have passed through the womb of the image [of Ecclesia] walk in the splendor that surrounds her; which means that they, who through the font of sacred baptism have the Church as their happy mother, should remain in and keep to the divine law by which their mother is illuminated and adorned. (St. Hildegard of Bingen)

The Church does not dispense the sacrament of baptism in order to acquire for herself an increase in membership but in order to consecrate a human being to God and to communicate to that person the divine gift of birth from God. (Hans Urs von Balthasar)

The reason Our Lord was baptized was because it was part of the whole process of emptying, of humiliation, of the Incarnation. How could He be poor with us, if He did not in some way conform to our poverty? How could He come among sinful men and women to redeem them, if He did not also reveal the necessity of being purged from sin? There was no need of Our Blessed Mother to submit to the rite of purification, as there was no need of Our Lord to submit to the rite of Baptism by John. He had no need personally of having sins remitted, but He assumed a nature which was related to sinful humanity. Though He was without sin, He appeared to all people as a sinner, as He did on the cross. That was why He walked into the Jordan with all the rest of the sinners to demand the baptism of penance “in remission of sins.” (Fulton J. Sheen)

Once you have grace, you are free. Without it, you cannot help doing the things you know you should not do, and that you know you don’t really want to do. But once you have grace, you are free. When you are baptized, there is no power in existence that can force you to commit a sin — nothing that will be able to drive you to it against your own conscience. And if you merely will it, you will be free forever, because the strength will be given you, as much as you need, and as often as you ask, and as soon as you ask, and generally long before you ask for it, too. (Thomas Merton)

Homily

Have you by chance seen a production of Les Miserables — on stage or the movie? Even if you haven't, Victor Hugo’s story is familiar enough: a story of sin and redemption, of the contrast between justice and mercy, law and grace. The story opens in a dark, dank and dismal French prison where the hero, Jean Valjean, has been imprisoned nineteen years for the “terrible” crime of stealing a loaf of bread to feed a hungry child. He is about to be paroled, but under one condition: he must forever carry a document with him showing he’s an ex-convict. This yellow paper makes him an outcast to society, and his freedom a sham.

One day Jean went begging at the door of a bishop’s palace. The bishop welcomed Jean to his table and offered him lodging for the night. But the desperate Jean--who can no longer make a decent living--makes off during the night with two silver candlesticks from the bishop’s home. He’s soon caught by the story’s villain, by the name of Javert, who was Jean’s former prison guard. And Javert would like nothing more than to see Valjean returned to prison. But, lo and behold, the bishop, in an act of extraordinary kindness, pretends he had given Jean the candlesticks, and thus spares him a return to the dungeon.

Now after this incredible show of mercy, Jean decides he has to hide his true identity in order to survive, so he tears the parole paper up, and starts his life over. He becomes a great success, a wealthy man of influence, who gradually learns to treat others with the same compassion shown him by the bishop. Yet, he is a man on the run, in violation of the terms of his parole and, like David Jansen in The Fugitive, his past is always on the verge of catching up with him. For Javert, his sworn enemy, fanatically pursues Valjean from place to place, intent on having justice and the law served. No matter the change which has taken place in his former charge.

Now you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you this story! Well, Valjean and Javert in a way embody something about today’s feast of our Lord’s baptism. For the exchange between John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth is like the struggle between Hugo’s characters. For John came preaching repentance, a fearsome figure, the last of the fiery prophets. Indeed, the Baptist is a model of the righteous person who fulfilled the Law of Moses to the letter: Indeed, he fulfilled all righteousness. (cf. G) But, then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. (G) And John protests. For if John was a model of righteousness, surely the Nazarene was all the more so for something told the Baptist: Here is the servant whom God upholds, the chosen one with whom God is pleased. (cf. I) So why should Jesus submit to a baptism of repentance by John? If in fact this is the long-awaited Messiah, who will bring forth justice to the nations, for whose teaching the coastlands will wait. (cf. I) John rather needs to be baptized by Jesus, yet Jesus is coming to him. (cf. G) Why?

The answer’s not clear. Jesus speaks mysteriously: Allow it now, he says, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. (G) That was all John needed to hear: the magic word “righteousness”. So he allowed it. But the mystery remains: the mystery of a righteous man who appears in the form of a sinner, taking the sinner’s part. A man whose career begins where John’s ends. A man who is the opposite of John. For John cried out in the desert, while Jesus comes not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. (I) John appeared and preached in ways to make one tremble, while Jesus does not break a bruised reed, nor quench a smoldering wick. (cf. I)

John came neither eating nor drinking, but Jesus came doing both. John hightailed it to the desert to live apart from sinners, while Jesus sits in their company, enters their homes, and is known as their friend. John died in prison for speaking out against the immorality of a king, while Jesus is executed as a breaker of the Law, a plaque over his head mocking him as “the king of the Jews.” What does this contrast mean?

Well, for one thing a new age dawned on the earth the day Jesus appeared before John. It meant the time for justice is past, an era of mercy come. It means the burden of the Law is lifted, as the age of the Spirit descends. It means the reign of sin is ending, redemption is at hand. For a great exchange happened at the Jordan River. Justice yielded to mercy, law gave in to grace, innocence took the place of the guilty. From now on, the usual priorities will be reversed: the least shall be greatest, and the greatest, least.

But back to our story if it were to take all this into account: Javert must now allow Valjean to go free. For the prisoner has been touched, less by the hands of a bishop, as by Jesus of Nazareth [who] went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil. (II) Javert must also give up his claim on justice, and his trust in law. For the only One among us not to know sin, has become sin for our sake. Javert must cease his boasting too, and with him all who rely on their own righteousness, and realize all have sinned and been deprived of the glory of God. And Javert too must accept mercy, and acknowledge he has been undeservedly justified in the blood of Christ. He, and the rest of us must, in other words, do as John did and trade places with the Lamb of God, who alone takes away the sins of the world. Jesus, a light for the nations, [come] to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. (I) The same Christ our Lord, to whom be glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Intercessions (Joe Milner; The Sunday Web Site)

For the Church: that we may participate more fully in the mission of Jesus and place our gifts and talents in God’s service.

For the new bishop-designate of the Rochester Diocese, John Bonnici: that his ministry may be fruitful and God will furnish him with the ministerial and leadership gifts needed to shepherd the local church in these challenging time.

For a new springtime of justice: that we may strive to fulfill all righteousness in our words, actions, and relationships so that God may be glorified in all things.

For a renewed awareness of God’s covenant with us: that we may abide in God’s commitment to be our God and perceive the length and breadth of God’s love for us.

For all who are preparing for baptism and for all who are newly baptized: that the Spirit of God will guide their growth in faith, wisdom, and holiness.

For the members of Congress: that God will give them a clear understanding of the truth and courage to address the issues before them for the good of the nation.

For the members of state legislatures: that God will guide them in their deliberations, help them to work together for the common good, and inspire them with new insights in confronting the major issues of society.

For all who are ill: that God’s Spirit will rest upon them, relieve their suffering and restore them to wholeness.

For all who are recovering from natural disasters: that God will preserve them from danger, give them courage and strength, and speed the assistance which they need.

For all who have experienced violence: that God will heal their wounds and memories, free them from fear, and protect them from further harm.

God of the covenant, you anointed your beloved Son with the power of the Holy Spirit to be light for the nations and release for captives. Grant that we who are born again
of water and the Spirit may proclaim with our lips the good news of his peace and show forth in our lives the victory of his justice. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

Offertory Antiphon

Offertory Hymn

You are the Light for the revelation to the Gentiles,
O my eternal Son.
O ineffable Begotten One of the unbegotten Father,
You have come in the appearance of my likeness.
You come in order to enrich the human race,
which is afflicted with the poverty
that You took upon Yourself. (3x)
We praise Your compassion, O Lord!

Communion Antiphon

Closing Hymn

When John baptized by Jordan’s river
in faith and hope the people came,
that John and Jordan might deliver
their troubled souls from sin and shame.
They came to seek a new beginning,
the human spirit’s ageless quest,
repentance and an end of sinning,
renouncing every wrong confessed.

There as the Lord, baptized and praying,
rose from the stream the sinless One,
a voice was heard from heaven saying,
‘“This is my own beloved Son.’“
There as the Father’s word was spoken,
not in the power of wind and flame,
but of his love and peace the token,
seen as a dove, the Spirit came.

O Son of Man, our nature sharing,
in whose obedience all are blest,
Saviour, our sins and sorrows bearing,
hear us and grant us this request:
daily to grow, by grace defended,
filled with the Spirit from above;
in Christ baptized, beloved, befriended,
children of God in peace and love.

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