Let us pray with today’s Gospel Reading (John 3:22-30)

Lord Jesus Christ,
Bridegroom of the Church and source of all joy, we thank You for the gift of this day and for the light of Your word that guides us.

Teach us, like Saint John the Baptist, to rejoice in Your presence and to recognize that every gift, every mission, comes from the Father above.
Free our hearts from jealousy, comparison, and pride, and grant us the humility that knows its true place before You.

May Your voice increase in our lives, O Lord, and may our own voices, desires, and ambitions decrease. Help us to seek not our own glory,
but only the fulfillment of Your will and the joy that comes from serving Your Kingdom.

As we continue the days after Epiphany, reveal Yourself ever more deeply to us, so that our lives may point beyond ourselves to You, the true Light and Savior of the world.

Grant us, Lord, the grace to stand faithfully at Your side, to listen, to rejoice, and to bear witness with love, until our joy is complete in You. Amen