| When John the Baptist sees Christ, John proclaims, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Once that mission is fulfilled, John steps aside and fades into the background. His earthly reward is imprisonment and martyrdom. John the Baptist is profoundly free.
He is free to appear foolish by worldly standards, living in the desert, clothed in camel hair, eating locusts and wild honey.
He is free to be overlooked when the true light Jesus appears.
He is free even to be under appreciated since his prophetic witness leads not to honor but to death.
None of this unsettles him. John understands that life’s purpose is fidelity to God’s will, not self- advancement.
This is the heart of our baptismal calling to die to ourselves so that we may live for Christ. As John himself said, “I must decrease and He must increase.” Let us pray for the grace to echo John’s witness and point our lives ever more clearly toward Jesus.
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