Bearers of Light!

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 49: 3, 5-6; 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34

The second Sunday in Ordinary Time invites us to reflect on our role and place in God’s mission. 

The readings of the day not only deepen our understanding of the vocation we have received from God but also facilitate our missionary focus. 

The first reading from Isaiah belongs to the Second Servant Song that was written during Israel’s exile in Babylon. God speaks a powerful truth – ‘You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory’ – to the nation that suffers from exilic wounds and discouragement. It is when the nation is questioning its worth that God’s word assures it of liberation and restoration. And here, Israel is called to remember and be grateful for God’s faithfulness. The passage also reminds the nation of its mission to be ‘a light to the nations,’ thus indicating the nature of the expanding mission. This passage is also read Christologically, demonstrating that Christ embodies Israel’s mission of reaching out to the whole world.

The second reading clearly establishes Paul’s apostolic authority by grounding it in God’s will rather than his personal merit. Paul thus forestalls any effort by the Corinthians to challenge his authority. From establishing his own identity, Paul now moves on to establish the identity of the Corinthian Church as belonging to God and not to individual leaders like him. Before he would address the divisions and conflicts among the Corinthian Christians, Paul anchors their identity in Christ. Moreover, Paul’s use of ‘grace’ invites our deeper reflection and understanding. By the use of the word, Paul clarifies that grace is God’s unmerited favor towards those He has called. For this reason, our vocation flows from God’s mercy rather than our own merits. Since we are perfected for God’s mission, it is mandatory that we not only discern our roles in God’s salvific plan but also fulfil them faithfully.

The Gospel text on John’s testimony about Jesus highlights two important details. At first, John’s testimony about Jesus comes from who he is not. John lets his disciples understand Jesus’ superiority with no sense of insecurity in him. John’s statement that Jesus is ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ affirms Christ’s superiority and pre-existence. John joyfully points to Christ, employing the word ‘behold.’ John testifies to Jesus so that his disciples will follow the Lord. Secondly, John’s faithfulness is seen in the way he makes his proclamation Christ-centered. In pointing to Christ away from himself, John demonstrates our vocation to be Christ’s witnesses, not his replacements. For this reason, our evangelization cannot be mere self-promotion but should be focused on who Jesus is and what he has done. In sum, John’s testimony is a model for our mission.

The readings provide us with points for reflection and action. 

1. God’s vocation is for a mission. If God is faithful and generous in extending the gift of vocation to us, how generous and thoughtful are we to return it? If we fail to discern our role and place in God’s plan, we only frustrate God’s purpose for us. 

2. To be a Christian is a vocation to holiness. The greatness of our vocation is that we are perfected by God’s grace. It is this heavenly intervention that should form and shape our mission. The fact that we are meant to be used for God’s purposes should enhance our mission. 

3. John’s testimony reveals his clear self-understanding. Our unfaithfulness betrays a lack of understanding of who Christ is and what he did for us. The joy of proclaiming the Lord flows from a clear self-awareness of ourselves as beloved servants and bearers of the light of Christ. 

Let us pray that we may be a faithful bearer of Christ’s light. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar