Daily Reading for Wednesday, January 7th, 2026

Reading 1, John 3:22-4:6

²² After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the Judaean countryside and stayed with them there and baptised.

²³ John also was baptising at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water, and people were going there and were being baptised.

²⁴ For John had not yet been put in prison.

²⁵ Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew about purification,

²⁶ so they went to John and said, 'Rabbi, the man who was with you on the far side of the Jordan, the man to whom you bore witness, is baptising now, and everyone is going to him.'

²⁷ John replied: 'No one can have anything except what is given him from heaven.

²⁸ 'You yourselves can bear me out. I said, "I am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent to go in front of him."

²⁹ 'It is the bridegroom who has the bride; and yet the bridegroom's friend, who stands there and listens to him, is filled with joy at the bridegroom's voice. This is the joy I feel, and it is complete.

³⁰ He must grow greater, I must grow less.

³¹ He who comes from above is above all others; he who is of the earth is earthly himself and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven

³² bears witness to the things he has seen and heard, but his testimony is not accepted by anybody;

³³ though anyone who does accept his testimony is attesting that God is true,

³⁴ since he whom God has sent speaks God's own words, for God gives him the Spirit without reserve.

³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to his hands.

³⁶ Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life: God's retribution hangs over him.'

¹ When Jesus heard that the Pharisees had found out that he was making and baptising more disciples than John-

² though in fact it was his disciples who baptised, not Jesus himself-

³ he left Judaea and went back to Galilee.

⁴ He had to pass through Samaria.

⁵ On the way he came to the Samaritan town called Sychar near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

⁶ Jacob's well was there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 2:7-8, 10-11

⁷ I will proclaim the decree of Yahweh: He said to me, 'You are my son, today have I fathered you.

⁸ Ask of me, and I shall give you the nations as your birthright, the whole wide world as your possession.

¹⁰ So now, you kings, come to your senses, you earthly rulers, learn your lesson!

¹¹ In fear be submissive to Yahweh;