An Extended Celebration of the Incarnation

In most of the world, Epiphany is celebrated on January 6, but in the United States, it is transferred to the Sunday after January 1. The gospels for these intervening days are from Jesus' early adulthood, but before he begins his preaching ministry in earnest. The readings from Mark and Luke are from before Jesus' baptism; the baptism is not recorded in John, although it is acknowledged as already having happened in 1:32.

January 2 — John 1:19 - 28
January 3 — John 1:29 - 34 
January 4 — John 1:35 - 42
January 5 — John 1:43 - 51
January 6 — Mark 1:1 - 8 OR Luke 3:23 - 38
January 7 — John 2:1 - 11

In 2022, Epiphany is celebrated in the United States on Sunday, January 2. Therefore, there are no weekdays between January 1 and Epiphany.

The Holy Family - Janet McKenzie


In all of the 2-year daily lectionary cycle and the 3-year Sunday lectionary cycle, we hear the entirety of only one book of the Bible: 1 John. Starting on December 27 and ending on the Saturday after Epiphany, we methodically work our way through every verse of 1 John at daily Masses, although in any given year, at least one passage will be suppressed because of a feast or solemnity taking precedence. We also hear selections from 1 John on the Sundays of Easter in Year B.

Since the Christmas season is an extended celebration of the Incarnation, it is appropriate that the first readings come from 1 John. In rhapsodically repetitious prose, 1 John confronts a heresy that denies Jesus’ humanity. 1 John argues for a very incarnational, or embodied, spirituality. As 1 John explains to us at the outset, it is our experiences lived through our bodies and senses that we have come to know Jesus, the Word of life:

Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life —
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us— 
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1 - 4)

The Holy Family - Eva Campbell

It is through these same bodies, especially by expressing love for one another, that we work out our salvation. As 1 John 4—always used as the gospel acclamation for weddings—says, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God.”

The Holy Family - Michael Moyers

Five of the 27 books of the New Testament are associated with the Apostle John: the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 & 3 John, and Revelation. The books share a similar writing style and similar themes. However, the majority of contemporary biblical scholars believe that while John probably influenced the authors of these five books, he was not likely the primary author of any of these books. Instead, these books were more likely written by "the Johannine community," a group of John's disciples who most likely gathered in Ephesus in Asia Minor. 1 John shares the most similarities with the Gospel of John. For example, compare the last line of the quotation above with Jesus' instructions at the Last Supper about the vine and the branches: "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete" (John 15:11).