First Reading

Reading from the first letter of John

1 John 2:29–3:6

Dear children: If you know that God is righteous, you must recognize that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! If the world does not acknowledge us, it is because it did not acknowledge him.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure. Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who remains in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint John

John 1:29-34

The next day, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and declared: «This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one of whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel».

Then John gave this testimony: «I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God».