Sunday, January 18, 2026

Dear brothers and sisters,

John the Baptist is the son of Zechariah, a priest, and Elizabeth, a relative of Mary. After the angel Gabriel announced his birth to his father, he has a special chance to encounter the unborn Savior when Mary visited his mother. Called to be the final prophet of the Old Testament tradition, John stands at the threshold between God's promise and His fulfillment regarding the Savior. Preaching in the wilderness along the Jordan River, he lived a life of simplicity, prayer, and radical trust in God.

In this weekend’s Gospel, John the Baptist identifies Jesus not merely as a teacher or prophet, but as “the Lamb of God,” the true Passover sacrifice and the suffering servant foretold by the prophets. John testifies that Jesus is the Son of God, upon whom the Holy Spirit descends and remains. Empowered by the Spirit, Je-sus possesses His own sacred identity and divine authority yet humbly enters into human history to dwell among His people. John also proclaims Jesus as the Promised One who offers Himself for the forgiveness of sins, the healing of the world, and the redemption of humanity through His earthly mission.

With deep humility and true obedience, John declares that Jesus must increase while he himself must de-crease. John acknowledges that his baptism with water is only a sign of repentance and readiness for God’s saving action. As “a voice crying out in the wilderness,” he calls people to turn away from sin, to repent, and to prepare for the coming of the Promised One. His role was not to gather followers for himself, but to bear witness to Jesus, to prepare His way, and to direct all attention toward the fulfillment of God’s promises.

In this way, John the Baptist becomes a powerful model of true discipleship. He invites us to listen to his testi-mony and make it our own. Following his example, we are called to recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God, to trust in His saving work, and to live according to His teachings. In the grace of Baptism, we become faithful disciples of Christ to desire the kingdom of God and eternal life. We also bear witness through our words and actions among others, and direct others not to ourselves, but always to Christ, our Lord.

“Through Baptism, the Christian is sacramentally assimilated to Jesus, who in His own baptism anticipates His death and resurrection. The Christian must enter into this mystery of humble self-abasement and repent-ance, go down into the water with Jesus in order to rise with him, be reborn of water and the Spirit so as to become the Father's beloved son in the Son and ‘walk in newness of life’” (CCC 537)

Sincerely yours in Jesus Christ and Our Lady of La Vang!

Reverend Kiet Anh Ta.