REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 01/08/22 (Saturday After Epiphany)

John 3:29-30

29 He who has the bride is the Bridegroom; the friend of the Bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly at the Bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease."

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

Blessed Saturday after the Epiphany! The disciples of John recognized that many people were starting to follow Jesus. They reported this to St. John because it seemed that they were concerned. Why were they worried about the number of the followers of Jesus? Perhaps, they genuinely wanted people to repent, but they thought they could only do so if they were baptized by St. John and if they followed him. At the same time, it could be that behind their intention, they were seeking attention from many people. This is why St. John clarified that he did not desire to compete with Jesus, the Bridegroom. His joy is not found in the number of people following him. Rather, his joy was found in following the will of God, and he always clarified that his role was to lead the people to our Savior. He glorified God by living a life of humility. 

In our lives, we recognize that all of us have the calling of deepening our relationship with Christ, our Savior. It is always pleasing to Him when we make progress in our faith through sacraments, prayers and good works. However, our intentions may be tainted with pride if we are seeking attention from others. This can happen when we desire to be acknowledged by the people around us like what the followers of St. John did. And, when some people see the devotion of other people but not us, we may be disturbed as if we are losing a competition. Jesus is always reminding us that true joy is found in focusing solely in His voice. Unlike other people, God is always pleased by people who, in their humility, acknowledge their weaknesses and nothingness. Just like St. John the Baptist, we should decrease, so He will increase in us. When we acknowledge to Him that we are nothing, God will do everything in us. By doing this, we can also find joy when we see that other people are led to Christ even if it's not directly through us. It is because we understand more that our purpose in life is to love our God and make Him loved. 

May we always practice humility by acknowledging our sinfulness and weaknesses to our Lord. It is through humility that we can obtain the abundant mercy of God. When we imitate the humility of St. John, Jesus will reveal to us how we can love Him more in accordance to His will. He will make us more sensitive to His voice and inspiration, and He will purify our souls from pride. Let us not seek the approval of other people but only the approval of God. As we decrease, He will increase in us, and we can have the hope of participating in the Heavenly Wedding Feast between Jesus Christ and the Church. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic