Today's Thoughts...

Today’s Thoughts: I have always been struck by John the Baptist’s words in the last line in today's Gospel, "He must increase; I must decrease." What a meditation on faith! When you think about it, are not John’s words our challenge each day and perhaps our hardest challenge?
 
The world around us tells us every day to increase. Increase what we have, what we want, what we desire, what we need, who we are! Our economy is built on increasing, increase spending so we can increase building, producing, creating and thus increase profits. When we finally leave home all we want to do is increase because the world tells us we are defined by what we have, what we have achieved, what we own, what we have accumulated. As is often quoted, "The one with the most toys wins!"
 
Yet, what John is telling us in the Gospel today is that for us to be people of faith, we must decrease so that Jesus, so that God, can increase in our lives. It is not about being the greatest, the best, the biggest, the most powerful, or the most important. It is about God. John had it all. He was liked, he was loved, he was important, he was powerful, and he had all the attention. However, for him, all of this was not as important as his relationship with God. He knew what he was about. He knew his mission and it was time for God to be the most important focus and all John could do was rejoice!
 
Sometimes we think God is not present, God is always present, at home, at school, at work, in the government, everywhere. The problem is not where is God – but that we have made ourselves too big, so we and others cannot see God!
 
Can we let go of the world, let go of what the world says is important and let God? Can we recognize our mission, our ministry, our relationship and let God be the focus? Can we decrease and let God increase in our life and in the world? Tough questions for tough times, but if we are willing the end result is great joy!
 
Have a great Saturday everyone!