Gospel Reflection – January 18, 2026

Dear brothers and sisters, peace and all good.

Even though we are currently in Cycle A of the liturgical year, reading through the Gospel of Matthew, on certain Sundays we hear excerpts from the Gospel of John. You could say we are looking at the same Jesus, but from a different point of view.

It would be far too little—or at least incomplete—to settle only for the human Jesus or the baby in Bethlehem. Jesus is not just an outstanding leader for humanity, nor is He merely a symbol of some great ideal that the world cannot reach on its own. Jesus is the Savior of everyone who accepts His Word and His Grace.

It is not enough to look at Jesus with human eyes. As Saint John the Baptist taught us, if we don’t want to get stuck halfway, we must contemplate Him through the eyes of faith. He comes to save us by carrying the fragility of us all.

Today’s story continues where we left off last week with the Baptism of the Lord. It takes us back to the Jordan River. John the Baptist wonderfully represents this gaze of faith: “I did not know him, but the Father told me…” It is God the Father who gives us new eyes to see the Living God in Jesus—the Savior who comes to free me from evil, anxiety, sin, and pain.

This is precisely the goal of the Word proclaimed at Mass during these Sundays of Ordinary Time: to push you into the personal adventure of becoming a disciple of Jesus. And to start that journey, the first step is to get close to the person of Jesus.

Clear away your pre-conceived ideas about the Church, about God, about faith, and even about Jesus himself. Approach Him with a clean slate so you can understand what He is like and who He is. Stand by His side. Stop and look at Him. Spend time with Him. You can do this in the silence of a church or in your own home. He is there.

Because of this, I think we are very lucky.

First of all, we are lucky to have a Church that is, thanks to her great tradition, very wise. She is aware that we often struggle to realize what is right in front of us because there are so many distracting lights that stop us from seeing the True Light—the light of Christ. That is why, I believe, she proposes these readings today. Perhaps we don’t remember that last Sunday we encountered the Baptism of Jesus. Just in case, the Gospel of John alludes to that episode and tells us clearly: “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him.” John leaves no room for doubt: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

shortly, before Communion, we will repeat those very words. The priest will say that those called to the supper of the Lamb are blessed. This means we should be truly joyful, because we can hold God in our hand, receive Him in our mouth, and become one with Him. The Lamb of God gives Himself for us and allows us to leave behind the distance that sin created between us and God. We only need to be attentive and recognize His Light. We can do it, just as John did. We are very fortunate.

Secondly, we are lucky to be members of a holy people. We are not alone on this journey. Paul greets his community in Corinth with these words, adding a nuance that I find important: “to all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are not a closed group, turned inward on ourselves. Like Paul, we are called to be apostles of Jesus Christ. We cannot see Jesus walking down the street among us today, but we have the good fortune of continuing Paul’s work. We can remind people that living as a Christian is worth it. Maybe through words, but above all, through our actions.

Thirdly, we are lucky to have a God who has chosen us from the very beginning. He is a faithful companion on the road. We may feel far away or close to Him, but we always receive His messages. Every day, we can see gestures of hope. Maybe it’s missionaries who choose to stay with the poor in the middle of an armed conflict; maybe it’s a young person spending their free time taking an elderly person to Mass, or a son visiting his sick mother.

Every week, the Liturgy of the Word brings us a letter from God addressed to each one of us. It arrives without delay, it never gets lost in the mail, and there is no extra postage due. It is a light letter, easy to carry, and suited to our understanding and capacity. The faithful God of Jesus always writes to us, even if sometimes we don’t write back.

The prophet Isaiah also received this letter from God. He presented us with a message: He was chosen from his mother’s womb for a specific task. He finds his strength in God to be a light to the world and to gather the nations. When this text was written, Israel was suffering in exile in Babylon. They could not see their future clearly. But God was with them.

We can be like Isaiah. The Lord also chose us before we were born. We also live in a world that is not easy, but we are lucky enough to count on God’s support. If we are willing to read the letter God sends us in every moment, and if we respond with a more committed life, we can shed some light on our surroundings.

We have gone from front to back—from the Gospel to the First Reading. But we haven’t moved backward; we have moved forward. In all these texts, we have found reasons to consider ourselves fortunate. I hope that this luck we have translates into the life of each one of us. We know what we can do to be better, and we are called by God to try.

Let our joy in being His children be seen, and let it turn into a light that can brighten the world’s shadows. Today is all about prophets: John the Baptist pointed to Jesus; Paul dedicated himself to spreading His teaching through much of the known world; and Isaiah was a light for his people. Let us also be prophets of today. And if we fail, let us not forget that we can try again. There will always be another letter, certified and urgent, with our name on it.

I invite you to pay close attention to this Jesus, who will continue passing through your life in the Sunday Word. If you come to understand Him, surely you will say, like Peter: “To whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life.”

In those moments, try to say to the Lord every now and then—as Jesus did, as Mary did, as the prophets did—“HERE I AM, LORD, TO DO YOUR WILL.”

Stop and contemplate what rises from within you. Jesus is better than you think. He is not playing games to hurt you. You simply have to discover Him as Brother, Friend, and Teacher.

Your brother in faith,