Monsignor Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with Exaudi readers his reflection on the  Gospel of this Sunday, January 18, 2026, entitled “Here  I am, Lord, to do your will.”

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Isaiah 49:3, 5-6: “I  will make you a light to the nations, that all may see my salvation.”

Psalm 39:  “Here I am, Lord, to do your will”

1 Corinthians 1:1-3:  “All of you have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and are his holy people.”

John 1:29-34:  “This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

The river flows down from the mountain with its crystal-clear waters, leaping among the rocks, rushing through the ravine, and pouring right through the middle of the town. Its transparent waters soon turn opaque as it collects the trash and waste of the entire community. They call it “the filthy river,” even though it is so clean and gives so much life and beauty. It sweeps away all the filth as it flows, but it appears that the more it purifies, the more dirt and waste people throw into it. Will the river ever tire of purifying and giving life? My river is like those good people who only know how to give love and kindness. My river is like Jesus, who doesn’t expect thanks, who always continues to liberate, purify, and forgive.

Although we began Ordinary Time last Monday, today is the first Sunday we return to our daily lives to face our everyday problems. We have left behind the Christmas and New Year holidays and are now climbing the January hill. And the hill is indeed steep because we must face ordinary situations, but in an extraordinary way, and we must transform each day’s journey into a time of building, sowing seeds, and a call to hope. And this year, unfortunately, we have to confront an environment of violence, injustice, doubt, and growing poverty. It would seem discouraging. But the true disciple finds reasons to persevere in their struggle. Today, Saint John the Baptist shows us the best way to walk this path: accompanied by Jesus. In the first few days, we have already begun to discover this face of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, but now the Baptist wants us to draw closer to Him, to know Him intimately, to allow ourselves to be touched, cleansed, and strengthened by Jesus.

The image of Jesus that this unique prophet offers us is that of the Lamb of God. Perhaps this word means nothing to many of us, or we see it merely as a beautiful, rustic image, but for the people of Israel it holds a profound meaning that we can hopefully recover and transform into a current and motivating image. Let us consider its meaning: the people who lived in slavery are freed by God, but the sign of liberation is the blood of a “lamb” sprinkled on the doorposts of their houses. Thus, the Lamb appears as the liberator. When the people of Israel celebrated their annual festivals, they had to purify themselves of all sins. In an ancient rite, they chose a young goat and, after casting upon it all the sins of the people, sent it into the desert so that with it all the wickedness of the people would disappear. It was a beautiful rite that implied repentance and conversion. The great feast of Passover and liberation was celebrated by everyone partaking of the same lamb in a family and community celebration. Liberation, purification, and a sense of community are intertwined in the memory of the people. All these signs, experienced and lived by the Israelites, should come to mind when John presents Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But how can we explain and live this in our own time? We must allow ourselves to be touched by Jesus, feel him as the great liberator when we feel overwhelmed by injustice, see him as the one who builds unity against individualism and selfishness, and know ourselves to be purified and forgiven in an environment of corruption and sin.

Often, we Christians ourselves have forgotten the meaning of sin. We have reduced it to a kind of stain or impurity on the “soul,” or to a psychological problem, but sin is something much deeper: it breaks down the relationship between people, destroys community, dulls the senses, and causes us to lose our own identity and vocation. We must recognize that there is something preventing us from living life to the fullest. We call this reality of injustice, selfishness, lies, and ambition sin. Some are frightened and refuse to call it sin, but even if we don’t call it sin, we are experiencing within ourselves, in our structures, and in society, this evil that hinders our happiness. That is why, when John presents Jesus to us, he is not indicating a moralizing action or a cleansing of customs, but rather announcing that God is on our side in this struggle against all evil and injustice. Jesus offers us all his love, support, and strength to free us from evil and enable us to live in harmony, happiness, and fulfillment. We cannot remain passive. It is true that Christ takes away sin and is the only one who can do so, but his dynamism involves us all in a sincere, honest, and tenacious struggle against all evil.

Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, but we are his disciples, and we too must wage a relentless battle against all sin, not in the scrupulous sense of someone who sees faults everywhere and is frightened, but against true sin, the one that kills and divides, the one that causes hunger and inequality, the one that deceives and seduces, the one that denigrates and humiliates, the one that separates us from God. Jesus accurately judged the social lies and the lies of the world, and he took the side of truth and life. He pledged his word and transformed the community. Today we cannot be silent accomplices to so much injustice. Silence is a sin when nature, fraternity, and coexistence are being destroyed. Today we too must feel impelled by the Spirit to form this people of saints that Jesus has liberated. Let us experience Jesus, who has entered into our history and bears our sins; he erases them. Today his strength and his grace accompany us in a sincere struggle against all personal and communal evil. We cannot remain indifferent to sin. What are we doing to overcome evil and injustice? Do we remain silent and coexist with true sin? How do we accept this beautiful image of Jesus the Lamb in our lives? What does it inspire us to do in our daily lives?

Good Father, who calls us to a full life and in Jesus offers us the gift of the Lamb who takes away sin, grant us the wisdom to discern evil and the strength to persevere in the pursuit of good. Amen.