Today’s Gospel takes us into the Judean countryside where both John the Baptist and Jesus are baptising in nearby but separate places. This causes some consternation among John’s disciples, who are worried that they are losing business because ‘all are going to him.’

John’s response shows that John is not concerned that his life’s work is being eclipsed by the arrival of Jesus on the scene as he famously declares: ‘he must increase but I must decrease.’ (John 3:30) John’s humility is grounded in his attentiveness to what God has asked of him, namely, that he is the messenger who prepares the way for the Messiah. Because he understands this clearly, he is neither resentful nor threatened by Jesus’ ministry.

As we prepare to celebrate the feast of the Baptism of Jesus tomorrow, let us firstly remember with gratitude, the gift of God’s grace in our lives, but also be attentive to what God asks of us as his disciples, so that like John we can stand confident in being heralds of the presence of Jesus in our world. Like John this is not being haughty but rather cooperating with God to use what has been given to us from heaven for God’s greater purpose.

We might well ask ourselves today: What gifts and abilities has God given me that I am being asked to use to bring the Kingdom alive in our world? Our answer might be a good starting point for revealing our resolutions, direction, goals or priorities for 2025.   

by Mike Humphrys