A switch did not “go off” in St. John the Baptist’s mind, whereby at one moment he proclaimed the Christ, and another moment he doubted. As St. John the Baptist faced his death in prison, he knew he must finalize and wrap up his own mission. His mission was to point others toward the Christ.

The very last act of St. John the Baptist was to get his disciples to ask Jesus the question they should be asking and then to proclaim what they hear and see. St. John was inviting his disciples to become Jesus’.

When we think about the last moment in a project we are completing, or when we will face retirement, or when we will face our own death are we ready to point toward the mission, and not ourselves? Are we ready to gather those who follow us, and look up to us, and to direct them where their attention must be?

man in black long sleeve shirt raising his right hand — Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash

Missio Dei

St. John the Baptist's Last Effort