Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – 18th January 2026
Dear brothers and sisters,
The Gospel of this Sunday places before us one of the simplest and, at the same time, one of the most overwhelming statements in all of Scripture: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” It is not a long discourse, nor a carefully crafted sermon, but a sentence spoken with a full heart. John the Baptist does not explain Jesus, does not defend him, does not prove him. He points to him. And by pointing to him, he steps aside. This is perhaps the first lesson of tenderness offered to us today: faith does not mean placing ourselves at the centre, but allowing God to be seen.
Isaiah tells us that the servant of the Lord was called from his mother’s womb, that his name was spoken by God before he himself could ever hear it. It is an image of extraordinary gentleness: God knows us before we know who we are. He carries us in his heart before we know how to utter a prayer. And even when a person feels tired, useless, without fruit – “I have labored in vain” – God does not give up, but widens the mission: “I will make you a light to the nations.” Where we see limits, God sees wider paths.
The Psalm responds to this experience with a cry that is almost a whisper: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me.” God is not hurried, but neither is he distant. He is a God who bends down. This image is filled with deep tenderness: God does not shout at us from above, but stoops down to the level of our hearts, like a mother who leans close to her child to hear his breathing.
Saint Paul, at the beginning of his letter to the Corinthians, does not begin with reproaches, even though he knows very well how divided that community is. He begins with a blessing: “Grace to you and peace.” Before correcting, he comforts. Before setting things right, he blesses. This is profoundly evangelical: God never begins with reproach, but with grace. Not with fear, but with peace.