Gospel: John
3:22-30
Jesus and
his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them
baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an
abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet
been imprisoned. Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about
ceremonial washings. So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who
was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and
everyone is coming to him.” John answered and said, “No one can receive
anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves can testify
that I said that I am not the Christ, but that I was sent before him. The one
who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for
him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been
made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.”
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Reflection:
Would you
be willing to decrease so that Jesus should increase? Would you be willing to
remain as a faceless worker in the vineyard of the Lord?
John has no insecurities whatsoever towards Jesus
for he knew where he stood in the plan of salvation. When he was told that
Jesus was baptizing and everyone was coming to Him.
He calmly
said: “You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ, but
that I was sent before him (John 3:28). The one who has the bride is the
bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at
the bridegroom’s voice (John 3:29). So this joy of mine has been made complete.
He must increase; I must decrease (John 3:30).”
John was
never tempted to upstage Jesus even if there was an inviting opportunity to do
so. John perfectly knew that his role was to be the best man for the bridegroom
that is Jesus. John knew that his role is to simply prepare the way for Jesus. He
therefore did it with utmost humility; John even said: “He must increase and I
must decrease.”
How about
us? Are we not often guilty of narcissistic behavior? Don’t we often crave for
attention and recognition? Don’t we always want to be noticed and to always be
in front? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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