ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.
Listen "He Must Increase, I Must Decrease"
Episode Synopsis
He Must Increase, I Must Decrease
He Must Increase, . . .
The Homily weaves together the Letter of St. John and the Gospel’s encounter . . .
. . . with John the Baptist to confront a central Christian tension: believers are truly begotten of God and called to freedom from sin, yet they still struggle daily with weakness and divided hearts. St. John’s stark claim that those begotten of God do not sin is not naïve or dismissive of human frailty; rather, it holds before us the full vision of what God’s grace is meant to accomplish over time . . . a gradual but real transformation into holiness.
This struggle is most clearly expressed in the warning, “Beware of idols.” Idolatry is not merely the worship of false gods in stone or wood, but the subtler temptation to fashion God in our own image—to follow Him on our terms, according to our preferences, fears, and egos. Such self-made gods quietly displace the true God and fracture the heart. As surrender to Christ deepens, these idols lose their power.
. . . I Must Decrease
The Gospel illustrates this truth through John the Baptist’s humility. Faced with questions about ritual washings and concerns about his diminishing prominence, John redirects attention away from himself and toward Christ. Rituals, ministries, and even religious figures have meaning only insofar as they prepare the way for Jesus. John’s defining posture . . . “He must increase; I must decrease” . . . is not self-negation but right ordering: Christ must be central, and everything else finds its place in relation to Him.
As the Christmas season draws to a close with the Baptism of the Lord, the reflection culminates sacramentally in the Eucharist. Christ, once an infant in the manger, now comes to dwell within the believer. Each “Amen” becomes a renewed rejection of idols and a consent to Christ’s growth within the heart. Slowly, faithfully, this diminishing of self allows believers to approach the freedom and joy of true children of God.
Listen to this Meditation Media. Listen to:
He Must Increase, I Must Decrease
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art Work
St John the Baptist in the Wilderness: Spanish Artist and Painter: Diego Velazquez: 1620
He Must Increase, . . .
The Homily weaves together the Letter of St. John and the Gospel’s encounter . . .
. . . with John the Baptist to confront a central Christian tension: believers are truly begotten of God and called to freedom from sin, yet they still struggle daily with weakness and divided hearts. St. John’s stark claim that those begotten of God do not sin is not naïve or dismissive of human frailty; rather, it holds before us the full vision of what God’s grace is meant to accomplish over time . . . a gradual but real transformation into holiness.
This struggle is most clearly expressed in the warning, “Beware of idols.” Idolatry is not merely the worship of false gods in stone or wood, but the subtler temptation to fashion God in our own image—to follow Him on our terms, according to our preferences, fears, and egos. Such self-made gods quietly displace the true God and fracture the heart. As surrender to Christ deepens, these idols lose their power.
. . . I Must Decrease
The Gospel illustrates this truth through John the Baptist’s humility. Faced with questions about ritual washings and concerns about his diminishing prominence, John redirects attention away from himself and toward Christ. Rituals, ministries, and even religious figures have meaning only insofar as they prepare the way for Jesus. John’s defining posture . . . “He must increase; I must decrease” . . . is not self-negation but right ordering: Christ must be central, and everything else finds its place in relation to Him.
As the Christmas season draws to a close with the Baptism of the Lord, the reflection culminates sacramentally in the Eucharist. Christ, once an infant in the manger, now comes to dwell within the believer. Each “Amen” becomes a renewed rejection of idols and a consent to Christ’s growth within the heart. Slowly, faithfully, this diminishing of self allows believers to approach the freedom and joy of true children of God.
Listen to this Meditation Media. Listen to:
He Must Increase, I Must Decrease
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art Work
St John the Baptist in the Wilderness: Spanish Artist and Painter: Diego Velazquez: 1620
More episodes of the podcast Ad Jesum per Mariam
The Heavens Were Opened
17/01/2026
Where Christ Is, There Is Our Home
16/01/2026
Finding the Child by Finding the Mother
14/01/2026
The Hidden Moment That Changed the World
27/12/2025
Our Lady’s Promise: I Remain With You
22/12/2025
The Sign Humanity Could Not Ask For
20/12/2025
In God we trust