Reading I Is 42:1-4, 6-7
Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the
earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I, the LORD, have called you for the
victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
OR: Is 40:1-5, 9-11
Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and
proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
indeed, she has received from the hand
of the LORD
double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the
LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a
highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be
made low;
the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be
revealed,
and all people shall see
it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has
spoken.
Go up on to a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by a strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 29:1-2,
3-4, 3, 9-10
R. (11b)
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Give to the LORD, you sons of God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
Give to the LORD the glory due his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.
R. The Lord will bless his people with
peace.
The voice of the LORD is over the
waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
R. The Lord will bless his people with
peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
The LORD is enthroned above the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king
forever.
R. The Lord will bless his people with
peace.
OR: Ps 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25,
27-28, 29-30
R. (1)
O bless the Lord, my soul.
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
you are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
You have spread out the heavens like a tent-cloth;
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
You have constructed your palace upon
the waters.
You make the clouds your chariot;
you travel on the wings of the wind.
You make the winds your messengers,
and flaming fire your ministers.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them allC
the earth is full of your creatures;
the sea also, great and wide,
in which are schools without number
of living things both small and great.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
They look to you to give them food in
due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled
with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
If you take away their breath, they
perish and return to the dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
Reading II Acts 10:34-38
Peter proceeded to speak to those
gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no
partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears
him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the
Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus
Christ, who is Lord of all,
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the
devil,
for God was with him.”
OR: Ti 2:11-14;
3:4-7
Beloved:
The grace of God has appeared, saving
all
and training us to reject godless ways
and worldly desires
and to live temperately, justly, and
devoutly in this age,
as we await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory of our great
God
and savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to deliver us
from all lawlessness
and to cleanse for himself a people as
his own,
eager to do what is good.
When the kindness and generous love
of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous deeds
we had done
but because of his
mercy,
He saved us through the bath of
rebirth
and renewal by the Holy
Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us
through Jesus Christ
our savior,
so that we might be justified by
his grace
and become heirs in
hope of eternal life.
Alleluia Cf. Mk 9:7
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The heavens were opened and the voice of
the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
OR: Cf. Lk 3:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
John said: One mightier than I is
coming;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and with fire.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of
his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was
praying,
heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit
descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”