It is 09th January 2016. The readings are from 1Jn.5:14-21 and the Gospel from Jn.3:22-30. The first reading reminds us about our privilege and responsibility as a believer in Jesus Christ. We are invited to communicate with God through our prayer. Prayer life helps us to find the will of God and to have certainty in what we believe. It is our prayer that sustains our inner being and reminded that we are children of God. On the contrary, what separate us from God is sin, which is our wrongdoing. Sin makes us stubborn and disobedient to God and leads us to death. We begin to notice that we turn into children of darkness and to have partnership with the Evil one, who teaches us to justify all the evil we do and to turn a blind eye to God. Sin trains our minds to worship and idealize the false gods. We idealize our flesh, fame, power, wealth, and possession. The responsorial Psalm prays, “Lord, takes delight in his people.” (Ps.149:4). In the Gospel we encounter a typical life situation of allowing Jesus to grow and increase in our spiritual life. We all like to hang in there with our popularity. In everyone’s life, we need to face the inevitable that we need to move out so that the other may move in. John moved out graciously in order that Jesus could move in doing the will of God. Let us move out of our insecurity, and make way for Jesus. “He must grow greater, I must grow smaller.” (Jn. 3:30). May God bless you.