"He must increase; I must decrease." - John 3:30
In the new year, scriptures illuminate our new relationship with God. In today's Gospel, John the Baptist tells his disciples that it's time for Jesus to manifest himself. Jesus must increase; John must decrease. The Baptist's role is to bear faithful witness to Jesus, so that people would believe in Jesus. The bridegroom comes to re-establish a relationship between God and us. The Baptist is the best man of the bridegroom, rejoicing in this honor.
God makes straight-forward demands, summed up in the Ten Commandments - really statements about freedom from attitudes and behaviors that undermine our relationship with God and one another.
Our God is a God of love, and our response to God's unconditional love is gratitude. This planet and the people on it are created to reflect the image of God. And so, all creation—human beings in particular—is worthy of reverence. This deserves our careful attention, so we take time in Mass every Sunday to nurture that relationship with God.
God, through Jesus's example, challenges us to support virtues in our care for others—cherishing life from beginning to end; being a good neighbor to anyone we encounter; caring for aging parents; being faithful to our promises; respecting the rights of others; not exploiting people or treating them as objects; courageously proclaiming the Truth. .
Do I realize that I am "writing" my Gospel chapter by chapter each day by the deeds I do and the words I say?
God, give me the grace to live the Gospel so that others will recognize in me the presence of your goodness.
Reflection by:
Fr. Kevin Mackin, OFM
Did You Know...
Fr. Kevin E. Mackin, OFM, of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, has served in parish ministry and chaplaincy, and as a college president and professor. His articles and books include Enjoying God's Gifts; Get Thee Behind Me, Satan: Rejecting Evil; and Christian Unity: The Next Step 'That They May All Be One.' His website is afranciscanjourney.blogspot.com.
