He Must Increase

“He must increase and I must decrease.”

After his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus went with his disciples to the Jordan River valley where John was baptizing. The disciples of John the Baptist were concerned that everyone was now going to Jesus. John responds: “He must increase, and I must decrease.”

Pope Benedict XVI said, The Baptist’s words are a program for every Christian. Jesus must increase and we must decrease. Well, if Jesus is the program, then we must do what he did.

one

Jesus took Mary for His Mother

The first things Jesus did was take Mary for his mother and lived in a close relationship with her throughout the entirety of his life, from the manger to Cana to the Cross. Then he gave her to us to be our Mother. To live in imitation of Jesus and have his life increase in us we must develop our own personal relationship with Mary, moment to moment, day after day. Throughout the day, recall her presence and ask her counsel. Mary, what should I say or do here and now?

two

Jesus spent time with the Father in prayer.

I challenge you to find a time in the life of Jesus that does not begin or end with prayer. We always find Jesus going off before sunrise to prayer or spending all night in prayer. The priority for Jesus was his relationship with His Father in prayer. If Jesus is to increase in our life, then it must be our priority to.

By prayer we mean daily meditation, using the Rosary or prayerfully reading the Word of God. Set aside time to speak to God from your heart, then read or listen to the Word of God, and think about it. Then form a simple, practical concrete resolution to put into practice that day flowing from your meditation.

three

Jesus did the will of the Father.

When the Apostles returned from searching for food Jesus said: “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to complete his work.” The life of Jesus was fed by doing the will of God.

It is significant that Jesus said his life was fed by doing the will of God. The same goes for us. If we do the will of God, then our lives will be fed with meaning and purpose, significance and joy. If we only do our will, then our lives will be empty.

What are the duties and responsibilities of your state in life? These are the will of God. Do not do them for money or some sense of accomplishment to make yourself significant, and certainly don’t do them because you have to.

Fulfill your responsibilities because it is the one of the greatest ways to love and please and grow closer to God your Father and become more like Jesus.

four

Jesus took up his cross willingly

Jesus told us that we must take up our cross and follow him. Our cross can be anything we did not choose, do not like, and cannot change.

If Jesus is to increase within us, then we must not resist our cross nor can we carry it with a bad attitude. We must take up our cross with confident trust and offer them to God to help him rescue souls.

Jesus saved the world by his Cross. He is inviting us into His rescue mission to save souls by accepting and offering up our crosses. Jesus wants to increase his mission of saving souls through you. Will you let him or resist him?

five

Finally, Jesus was not so busy that he had no time to listen. 

Jesus had the whole world to save. Yet, time and again we find him in the Gospel listening to the needs of the individual who stood before him; the Father whose son was dying in Capernaum, the Woman at the Well, the man lying paralyzed by the Pool of Bethesda, on and on…probably to the annoyance of the Apostles.

What those in our lives need to know the most is that they have value and that we care. We can give them what they need most by listening to them. The crazy thing is that they don’t want us to listen to them for hours on end. Ten minutes does wonders for those who depend on us.

Give time to listen, be attentive, show them you really care.

He must increase, and I must decrease.

That must be our program.

Ask the Lord, “Where can I bring more of you and less of me.”