1 John 5:14-21 / John 3:22-30
There is no doubt that God hears our prayers. In fact, He always answers our prayers.
The question is in the way God answers our prayers.
The 1st reading gives an indication of how we should pray when it says: we are quite confident that if we ask the Son of God for anything, and it is in accordance with His will, He will hear us.
Yet, it is so easy for our prayer to be laced with self-interests and self-centered desires.
As we come to the end of the Christmas season, the figure of John the Baptist comes up again.
He did not say anything about prayer but what he said in the gospel showed that he was a person of prayer and who understands what God's will is.
With Jesus beginning His public ministry, John the Baptist sensed that it was time to do handing-over.
And he also had some words of wisdom for us when he said: A man can lay claim only to what is given him from heaven.
He knew who Jesus is and he knew who he was.
So as he gracefully steps aside, he had this to say: He must grow greater, I must grow smaller.
Let our prayer be that Jesus will grow greater in our lives and that we give thanks to God for all that has been given to us. That's all that we need.