Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (C)

Official Translation

Reading 1 – Isaiah 42.1-4, 6-7

“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold;
my chosen, in whom my soul delights:
I have put my Spirit on him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout, nor raise his voice,
nor cause it to be heard in the street.
He will not break a bruised reed.
He will not quench a smoldering wick.
Until he has set justice in the earth,
the islands will wait for his law.”

“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness,
and will hold your hand.
I formed you and will make you
a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations;
to open the blind eyes,
to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon,
and those who sit in darkness out of the prison.

Or Isaiah 40.1-5, 9-11

“Take comfort, take comfort, O my people,” says your God.
Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and proclaim unto her:
her warfare is accomplished;
her iniquity is pardoned;
she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
“Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord!
Make level in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low;
and the uneven land shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

O you who give good tidings to Zion: get up on a high mountain.
O you who give good tidings to Jerusalem: lift up your voice with strength; lift it up; be not afraid;
say to the cities of Judah, “Behold, your God!”
Behold, the Lord God will come in power, and with his arm he will rule.
Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd: he will gather the lambs in his arm,
and carry them in his bosom,
and will gently lead the ewes with their young.

Responsorial – Psalm 29.1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 Resp. 11b

R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Give to the Lord, you sons of God,
give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due his name.
Worship the Lord in holy array.

R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

The Lord’s voice is on the waters.
The God of glory thunders, the Lord on many 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
In his temple everything says, “Glory!”
The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood.
Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.

R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Or Psalm 104.1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30 Resp. 1

R. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Lord, my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty;
covered with light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

R. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

You lay the beams of your palace on the waters.
You make the clouds your chariot.
You walk on the wings of the wind.
You make winds your messengers;
your servants are flames of fire.

R. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

O Lord, how many are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.
There is the sea, great and wide,
in which are innumerable living things,
creatures, great and small.

R. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season.
You give to them; they gather.
You open your hand; they are satisfied with good.

R. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

You take away their breath: they die, and return to the dust.
You send out your Spirit and they are created.
You renew the face of the earth.

R. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Reading 2 – Acts 10.34-38

Peter opened his mouth in the house of Cornelius and said,
“Truly I perceive that God does not show favoritism;
but in every nation, the one who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.

The word which he sent to the children of Israel,
preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ, the Lord of all.
You know the things that have happened throughout all of Judea beginning from Galilee,
after the baptism which John preached:
Jesus from Nazareth, him who God anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power,
who went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Or Titus 2.11-14; 3.4-7

Beloved:
The grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation to all humans,
instructing us for the purpose that,
denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
we shall live soberly, righteously, and godly in this age;
looking for the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory of
our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us,
that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous to do good.

When the kindness of God our Savior and his love for humans appeared,
not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves,
but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior;
that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Gospel – Luke 3.15-16, 21-22

As the people were in expectation, and all in their hearts wondered about John,
whether perhaps he was the Christ.
John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water,
but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen.
He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire.”


Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying.
The sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him,
and a voice came out of the sky, saying,
“You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”