Third Sunday in
Ordinary Time
January 25, 2026 Cycle A
Green priestly vestments symbolize hope and the
vitality of the life of
faith.
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Liturgical Year 2025-2026
Introductory Acts Of Worship
The Entrance Prayers: On Sunday, usually a hymn praising God is sung in place
of reciting a
Psalm from the Bible which invites us to enter more deeply
into the mystery of
God's love for us. The recited weekday Psalm expresses
a youthful heart
and spirit, delighted that we may come before the living
God.
Entrance Song / Entrance Psalm (Antiphon)
Entrance Song
Psalm 95:1,6 O
sing a
new song to
the Lord! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. In His
presence are
majesty and splendor, strength and honor in His holy place.
The Priest Approaches and Kisses the Altar: The
altar is a symbol
of Christ. In it are cut five crosses to recall the
five wounds of
Christ. The altar also represents the Church and has
embedded in it the
relics of her saints. The priest comes to the altar to
celebrate the
Sacrifice in the Church's name. Because of the glory
surrounding the
altar upon which the divine Sacrifice will be made, the kiss
of the priest
unites the Church to Christ, its Redeemer.
Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
The Greeting: We are welcomed in God's name. Our response
unites us to our
neighbor, to the priest and to God. (The priest may
select from several
forms of greeting).
Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
All: And with your spirit.
The Penitential Prayers: We
recognize our
guilt for past sins, express our sorrow for them, and ask
that Mary, the
angels, the saints, and our brothers and sisters in Christ
pray for the Lord
God's mercy. (The priest may select from several
forms).
Priest: Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge
our sins, and
so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Priest / All: I confess to almighty God and to
you, my brothers
and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in
my words, in
what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my
fault, through my
fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed
Mary
ever-Virgin, all the angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and
sisters, to
pray for me to the Lord our God.
The Absolution:
Priest: May almighty God have
mercy on us,
forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
All:
Amen.
The Gloria: The Glory of God prayers have existed from the second
century. They
repeat the angels praise of God which
heralded the birth of Christ on earth.
Our praise is lifted again through the years as we
rejoice at His coming
as Lord, God, the most high Jesus Christ, who at Christmas
took on our human
nature while at the same time being the son of Man. This
ancient hymn expresses
our recognition of God's glory and love. It calls upon
Christ as our holy
and divine mediator, and the Holy Spirit who forever binds
us together in God's
love.
Priest and All: Glory to God in the
highest, and peace
to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty
God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your
glory. Lord
Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you
take away the
sins of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right
hand of the
Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy
One, you alone are
the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the
Holy Spirit, in
the glory of God the Father. Amen.
The Collect:
The
priest lifts the
united prayers and petitions of the congregation to God the
Father through the
merits of Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
Priest: Let us pray.
Priest: All-mighty ever-living God, direct
our actions
according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your
beloved Son we may
abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your
Son, who lives
and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and
ever.
Liturgy of the Word
Christ
is made known
to us through the Old Testament which prepares us to
recognize Him. In
those days, God inspired men who spoke His message.
Now, the New
Testament Gospel reading announces His presence to us
directly through His
Son. Both readings bring God's message to us.
Our responsibility is
to respond.
The First Reading: From
the Old
Testament
Priest/Reader: A reading from the
prophet Isaiah.
First Reading: Isaiah 8:23-9:3
First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali; but
in the end he has glorified the seaward road, the land west of
the Jordan, the
District of the Gentiles.
Anguish has taken wing; dispelled is darkness: for there is
no gloom where
but now there was distress.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
upon those who
dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have
brought them
abundant joy and great rejoicing. As they rejoice before you as
at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke
that burdened
them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their
taskmaster you have
smashed, as on the day of Midian.
Priest/Reader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks
be to God.
The Responsorial Psalm: This Psalm praising God is a prayer to God, or
recommends the practice of
virtue. It is sung as an interlude between the
scriptural readings.
It provides yet another instructional setting and invites
the assembly to
imitate the cantor who sings a repeated response to the
verses of an ancient
Psalm many of which are attributed to King David. The
verses are sung
first by a cantor (song leader) accompanied by instruments,
the refrain is sung
by the people.
Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Cantor: The Lord is my light and my salvation.
All: The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Cantor: The Lord is my light and my
salvation; whom should I
fear? The Lord is my life's refuge; of whom should I be
afraid?
All: The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Cantor: One thing I ask of the Lord; this I
seek: To dwell in
the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze
on the
loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple.
All: The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Cantor: I believe that I shall see the bounty
of the Lord in
the land of the living. Wait for the Lord with courage; be
stouthearted
and wait for the Lord.
All: The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Second Reading
Priest/Reader: A Reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to the
Corinthians.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that al
of you agree
in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but
that you be
united in the same mind and in the same purpose. For it
has been reported
to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people,
that there are
rivalries among you. I mean that each of you is saying, “I
belong to
Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I
belong to
Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for
you? Or
were you baptized in the name of Paul? For Christ did
not send me to
baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of
human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.
The Alleluia: An ancient expression of joy anticipating the Lord's
message we will hear
in the Gospel.
Matthew 4:23
Cantor: Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
All: R/.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Cantor: Jesus proclaimed the gospel of
the kingdom and
cured every disease among the people.
All: R/. Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Gospel: The
Liturgy of the
Word is completed by the reading of the Gospel. Before
its reading, the
members of the assembly trace the sign of the cross upon the
forehead to
indicate their mental acceptance of the Truth, on the lips
to indicate their
readiness to announce it, and over the heart to indicate
their sincere desire
to accept it into their lives. The "Good News" of the
Gospel tells
that God's kingdom has come for all to hear, accept, and
announce to the world
for its salvation. It is God who is speaking to
us. Christ comes to
teach us by the example of His life and by His own words.
Priest: Cleanse my heart and my
lips, almighty
God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel.
Through the words of
the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Priest/Deacon: A reading from the holy Gospel according
to Matthew.
All: Glory to
you, Lord.
The Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23
Matthew wrote to show that Christ was the
Messiah and fulfilled
the Jewish
prophecies
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent,
for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand.”
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two
brothers, Simon who is
called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the
sea; they were
fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will
make you fishers
of men.” At once they left their nets and followed
him. He walked
along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of
Zebedee, and his
brother John. They were in a boat, with their father
Zebedee, mending
their nets. He called them, and immediately they left
their boat and
their father and followed him. He went around all of
Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and
curing every
disease and illness among the people.
Priest: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise
to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
The Priest's Sermon: The
priest develops,
explains, and comments upon the Master's words, so our minds
may be
enlightened, and our hearts enriched.
(A
priestly
reflection upon this Gospel)
Profession of Faith: We state
in the
Nicene Creed the principles of our faith in precise and
definite terms.
All: I believe in one God,
the Father, the
Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and
unseen. I
believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the
Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light,
true God from
true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all
things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came
down from
heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary
and became
man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered
death and was buried and rose again on the third day in
accordance with the
Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the
right hand of
the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the
living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord,
the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who
with the
Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken
through the
prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church. I
confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look for
the resurrection
of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
General Intercessions: We pray
for the needs
of the pope, civic leaders, our own needs, those of others,
the sick, the
dying, those who have died, the church, and the world.
The response of
all to each intercession: Lord hear our prayer.
All: Lord,
hear our
prayer.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Gifts of
bread and
wine symbolizing ourselves are presented to the priest who
will offer them to
God the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, they will
become the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ whom we receive in Holy
Communion. Jesus unites
Himself with us for our spiritual nourishment and
strength. Today, when
individuals do not present their own personal offerings of
bread and wine, the
monetary contribution symbolizes the material of their
united sacrifice.
The priest makes and offering of the bread and wine to God.
Preparation of the Bread and Wine:
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord
God of all
creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread
we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for
us the bread of
life.
All: Blessed
be God for
ever.
Priest: By the
mystery of
this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of
Christ, who humbled
himself to share in our humanity.
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all
creation, for through
your goodness we have received the wine we offer you; fruit of
the vine and
work of human hands it will become our spiritual drink.
All: Blessed
be God for
ever.
Priest: With
humble spirit
and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may
our sacrifice in
your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.
The Priest's Hands are Washed: This act
was
traditionally necessary because the priest handled the
various gifts presented
by the people. Now, the cleansing act using water
reminds the priest and
ourselves of the need to cleanse not only the hands but the
soul. Soon,
the priest's hands will hold the actual body of Christ, and
we will become His
dwelling place.
Priest: Wash me O Lord, from my
iniquity and
cleanse me from my sin. Pray,
brethren,
that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the
almighty
Father.
All: May the
Lord accept
the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his
name, for our good
and the good of all his holy Church.
Prayer over the Gifts: Speaking
in our name,
the priest asks the Father to accept the gifts we offer
through him.
Priest: Accept our offerings, O Lord, we pray,
and in
sanctifying them grant that they may profit us for
salvation. Through
Christ our Lord.
Eucharistic Prayer: (Number Three: The priest may select from several
forms).
Priest: The Lord
be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Lift up
your hearts.
All: We lift
them up to
the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to
the Lord, our
God.
All: It is right and just.
Preface Prayer:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and
everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and
eternal God,
through Christ our Lord. For out of compassion for the
waywardness that
is ours, he humbled himself and was born of the Virgin; by the
passion of the
Cross, he freed us from unending death, and by rising from the
dead he gave us
life eternal. And so, with Angels and Archangels, with
Thrones and
Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing
the hymn of
your glory, as without end we acclaim:
Acclamation:
Priest and All: Holy,
Holy, Holy
Lord, God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your
glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the
Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Priest: You are
indeed Holy,
O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for
through your Son
our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy
Spirit, you give
life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to
gather a people
to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a
pure sacrifice
may be offered to your name.
Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same
Spirit graciously
make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration,
that they may
become the Body and Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at
whose command
we celebrate these mysteries.
The priest repeats the words which Christ used at his
Last Supper when He
changed the bread into His Body and the wine into His
Blood. His Body and
Blood are truly present but under the appearance of bread
and wine. The
death of Christ is prolonged in each of those who receive
Him worthily.
We apply His death to ourselves so that we may share His
glory. This
moment is the most solemn on earth because it is Divine act
which enables us to
apply to ourselves the Cross which Christ willingly took
upon Himself.
We are
called to die
to sin and lift our very selves to God so that we become
changed; to do as God
would have us do, to become what God would have us
become. Our own little
cross can lift us into union with Christ's Cross so we may
earn the joys of
everlasting happiness with God the Father.
The Lord's Supper: At the time he was
betrayed and entered
willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks,
broke it, and
gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my
Body, which will be
given up for you.
In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the
chalice and, once
more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is
the chalice of my
Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will
be poured out for
you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this
in memory of me.
Memorial Acclamation: (The priest may
select from several
forms).
Priest: The
mystery of faith.
Priest / All: When we eat this Bread and drink this
Cup, we proclaim
your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Memorial Prayer: (The
priest may
select from several forms).
Priest:
Recalls Christ's Passion, Resurrection, Ascension, the
Church, the dead,
and ourselves.
Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the
saving Passion of
your Son, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven,
and as we look
forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this
holy and living
sacrifice. Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church
and,
recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to
reconcile us to
yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood
of your Son
and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit
in Christ.
May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we
may obtain an
inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed
Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, with your
blessed Apostles
and glorious Martyrs and with all the Saints, on whose constant
intercession in
your presence we rely for unfailing help.
May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord,
advance the
peace and salvation of all the world. Be pleased to
confirm in faith and
charity your pilgrim Church on earth, with your servant, _____
our Pope and,
_____ our Bishop, the Order of Bishops, all the clergy, and the
entire people
you have gained for your own. Listen graciously to the
prayers of this
family, whom you have summoned before you: in your compassion, O
merciful
Father, gather to yourself all your children scattered
throughout the world.
To our departed brothers and sisters and to all who were
pleasing to you
at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your
kingdom.
There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory
through Christ our
Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.
Doxology
Prayer of Praise: Through him, with him, and in him, O God,
almighty
Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is
yours, for ever
and ever.
All: Amen.
Communion Rite
In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we symbolically offer
ourselves to the
Lord through the gifts of bread and wine. At the
Consecration, we offer
our very lives to be united the God the Father through the
Cross of
Christ. In Communion, we find that we have not died at
all, but have come
to life. We have surrendered ourselves to God through
His Divine Son,
Jesus Christ. In return become ennobled and enriched. We give up time
and we get eternity, we give
up our sin, and we receive grace, we surrender our self-will
and receive the
strength of the Divine Will, we give up ourselves and we
receive
everything. For the Son of God says to us that unless
we receive Him we
shall not have Divine life in us. But it is not really
we who receive
Christ as it is Christ who receives us, bringing us into
Himself.
God makes His Cross the very means of our salvation and
our life.
While we have crucified Him, His eternal love cannot be
extinguished.
Christ willed to give us the very life we crucified in our
Redemption, the
Consecration of Holy Thursday into Communion, His death into
our everlasting
life.
The Lord's Prayer:
Priest: At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we
dare to say:
Priest and All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed
be they name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive those who
trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil.
Priest: Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously
grant peace in our
days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free
from sin and safe
from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming
of our Savior,
Jesus Christ.
All: For the
kingdom, the
power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Prayer for Peace:
Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave
you, my peace
I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your
Church, and
graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your
will. Who
live
and reign forever and ever.
All: Amen.
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us offer each other the sign of
peace.
Breaking of the Bread:
Priest: May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ bring
eternal life to us who receive it.
Priest and All: Lamb of God, you take
away the sins of
the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant
us peace.
Priestly Preparation: May the
receiving of
your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment
and
condemnation, but through your loving mercy be for me protection
in mind and
body and a healing remedy.
Priest: Behold
the Lamb of
God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those
called to the supper of the Lamb.
Priest and All: Lord, I am not worthy that you should
enter under my
roof, but only say the world and my soul shall be healed.
Priest: May the Body of Christ keep me safe for
eternal life.
May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
Communion Antiphon:
PS 34:5
Look toward the Lord and be radiant; let your faces not be
abashed.
Communion of the Faithful:
Priest: The Body of Christ.
The Faithful: Amen.
Priest/Deacon/
Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister: The Blood of Christ.
The Faithful: Amen.
Cleansing of the Vessels:
Priest: What has passed our lips as food, O Lord,
may we possess
in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may
be our healing
for eternity.
Prayer after Communion:
Priest: Let us
pray.
Priest: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that,
receiving the grace by
which you bring us to new life, we may always glory in your
gift. Through
Christ our Lord.
Concluding Rite
Greeting:
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with
your
spirit.
Priest: Bow down
for the
blessing.
Final Blessing:
Priest: May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
keep your hearts
and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, our
Lord Jesus
Christ.
All: Amen.
Priest: And may the blessing of almighty God, the
Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you
forever.
All: Amen.
Dismissal Prayer:
O my Jesus,
forgive us our sins.