We were moving my son out of our home and into his new apartment. I asked, “Should I put this box here?” He replied, “Ask her!” he said, referring to his future bride. This is actually happening. My son is getting married soon. They rented an apartment and he planned to live there alone until the wedding when his bride would join him.
Realization struck me at that moment. My son viewed the apartment, not as his, but rather as theirs. He was giving his future bride complete control over organization and décor, something I had always been in charge of before. My competitive nature bristled at this and my motherly heart felt some difficult things. There was someone new. Someone whose opinion mattered more than mine.
In today’s Gospel, there is someone new baptizing and the people approach John in confusion. Accustomed to everyone following John, someone else is now doing the same thing, drawing attention away from John. This new man’s opinion mattered more. Many people were leaving John to follow him. John’s disciples, in their competitive nature, challenged John, perhaps attempting to spark envy in him. Isn’t it natural to want to be the most important, the leader, the most popular?
However, John’s response surprises them. He finds joy in recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. He reminds his followers that the Bridegroom is more important than the Best Man. The role of the Best Man is to be the one who “stands and listens for him, [and] rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.”
By saying, “He must increase; I must decrease,” John demonstrates true humility. When we are in charge of something or are doing something we are good at, there is often no space for anyone else to enter in – not unless we decrease, become less, stop hogging the spotlight.
We all have a gift, a purpose, a time and a place to practice that gift. John knew his gift, his place. He knew when to step up and when to back down. His example helps us to realize that sometimes we are not the star of the show but rather a warm-up act or a supporting role – whether at work, in ministry, or in our social life. Or even in our own family, when our own sons become bridegrooms and their future wives become the ones on whose opinion they rely.
Reflecting on this Gospel, I can see that it is time for me to decrease, to step back. And with a smile, I looked at this new woman whom my son loves enough to spend his life with, and asked, “where would you like this box?”
Estábamos mudando a mi hijo de nuestra casa a su nuevo apartamento. Le pregunté: “¿Pongo esta caja aquí?” Él respondió: “¡Pregúntale a ella!”, refiriéndose a su futura esposa. Esto está sucediendo de verdad. Mi hijo se iba a casar. Alquilaron un apartamento y él planeaba vivir allí solo hasta la boda, cuando su esposa se reuniría con él.
En ese momento, me di cuenta. Mi hijo veía el apartamento no como suyo, sino como de ellos dos. Le estaba dando a su futura esposa control total sobre la organización y la decoración, algo que yo siempre había hecho. Mi naturaleza competitiva se irritó ante esto y mi corazón maternal sintió algunas dificultades. Había alguien nuevo. Alguien cuya opinión importaba más que la mía.
En el Evangelio de hoy, hay una persona nueva bautizando y la gente se acerca a Juan confundida. Acostumbrados a que todos siguieran a Juan, alguien más ahora hace lo mismo, desviando la atención de Juan. La opinión de este nuevo hombre importaba más. Muchos dejaban a Juan para seguirlo. Los discípulos de Juan, en su naturaleza competitiva, lo desafiaron, quizás intentando despertar su envidia. ¿No es natural querer ser el más importante, el líder, el más popular?
Sin embargo, la respuesta de Juan los sorprende. Encuentra gozo al reconocer a Jesús como el Mesías. Les recuerda a sus seguidores que el Novio es más importante que el Padrino. El rol del Padrino es ser quien “lo acompaña y lo oye hablar, [y] se alegra mucho de oír su voz”.
Al decir: “Es necesario que él crezca y que yo venga a menos”, Juan demuestra verdadera humildad. Cuando estamos a cargo de algo o hacemos algo en lo que tenemos mucho talento, a menudo no hay espacio para que nadie más intervenga, a menos de que disminuyamos, nos volvamos menos, y dejemos de acaparar la atención.
Todos tenemos un don, un propósito, un tiempo y un lugar para practicar ese don. Juan conocía su don, su lugar. Sabía cuándo dar un paso al frente y cuándo ceder. Su ejemplo nos ayuda a comprender que a veces no somos la estrella, sino más bien un telonero o tenemos un papel secundario, ya sea en el trabajo, en el ministerio o en nuestra vida social. O incluso en nuestra propia familia, cuando nuestros hijos se convierten en novios y sus futuras esposas en quienes confían.
Al reflexionar sobre este Evangelio, veo que es hora de disminuir, de dar un paso atrás. Y con una sonrisa, miré a esta nueva mujer a quien mi hijo ama lo suficiente como para compartir su vida con ella, y le pregunté: “¿Dónde quieres esta caja?”
Margaret Gartlgruber longs for moms to know: You are enough! It is not what you accomplish that matters – God delights in you every single moment simply just for being you! A semi-retired stay-at-home mom, wife, author, blogger, freelance writer, lay RC member Margaret blogs at https://ruledbybananas.com/. Contributing St. Monica to the Cloud of Witness book, you can learn more by signing up to her St. Monica Novena, and get free copy of 15 Simple Morning Prayers.
Feature Image Credit: Master of the St. John’s Altarpiece, Public domain, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_John_the_Baptist_Pointing_Out_Christ_as_the_Lamb_of_God_Philadelphia_Museum_of_Art_Cat._347.jpg
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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