LIVE IT TODAY: Saturday, January 10, 2026
I am not diminished when you step aside; My glory is revealed when you rejoice in My work.
LIVE IT TODAY: Saturday, January 10, 2026
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
I am not diminished when you step aside; My glory is revealed when you rejoice in My work.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
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.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
True joy is found not in being central, but in being faithful.
This Gospel reveals one of the most luminous moments of spiritual maturity in all of Scripture. John the Baptist stands at the height of his influence—crowds still come, his authority is recognized, and yet comparison creeps in. His disciples are unsettled: “Everyone is coming to him.” What they perceive as loss, John recognizes as fulfillment.
John’s response begins with radical humility: “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.” Identity, fruitfulness, influence—none are self-generated. They are received. The Greek verb lambanō (to receive) implies openness, not grasping. John knows his role is gift, not possession.
He then uses a nuptial image drawn from first-century Jewish weddings. The friend of the bridegroom (philos tou nymphiou) was not a rival but a guardian of joy—preparing the way, standing watch, listening attentively for the bridegroom’s voice. His success was measured not by attention received, but by joy completed. “So this joy of mine has been made complete.”
The line that follows is not resignation but freedom: “He must increase; I must decrease.” The word dei (“must”) signals divine necessity. This is not self-erasure; it is alignment with God’s order. Decrease here does not mean worthlessness—it means transparency. John becomes a clear window through which Christ shines.
This Gospel speaks powerfully into family life. Comparison is one of the most corrosive forces in the home—between spouses, among siblings, even in parenting. The temptation is to compete for affirmation or to measure ourselves by visibility and results. John shows another way: joy rooted in vocation, not recognition.
We parents are often tempted to see our role as producing outcomes—success, accolades, approval. John reminds us that our task is preparation. We listen. We rejoice. We step aside. Our children are not our achievements; they are entrusted to Another.
A saint-forming home is built when parents model this freedom—when we celebrate God’s work in others, refuse rivalry, and teach our children that greatness is found in fidelity, not applause. We pray over them by name, not that they outshine others, but that Christ shine clearly through their lives.
“Christ must be proclaimed by all the faithful… The Church’s mission flows from Christ’s own sending.” (CCC 900)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where am I struggling with comparison or the need to be recognized?
In My Home: How can our family better celebrate one another’s gifts without rivalry or resentment?
In My World: Where is God inviting me to step back so that Christ may be seen more clearly?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one gift or strength you see in another family member—and thank God for it aloud.
Then, one by one, pray over each person by name, asking for freedom from comparison, joy in their unique calling, humility of heart, and the grace to let Christ increase in their lives.
Daily Challenge:
Consciously affirm someone else’s success today without mentioning your own.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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As I read this, it seems to be revealed that the comparisons, the need for recognition, even the sense of rivalry, applies not just in families but in professions, in corporations, and clearly to all of us here on Substack, in the publishing world, all us writers ... measuring our "success" by clicks, views, likes, subscribers gained, and thinking, "How can he/she have so many looks and I'm floundering here?" Your advice is so on target, in all contexts! Thanks for a holy prompt to a good day.