“Who are you?” This is the question asked to John the Baptist in today’s Gospel. The cousin of Christ understood not only who he was but also who he was not: “I am not the Christ,” he said. I am a voice in the wilderness. His incontrovertible self-knowledge could serve as an amazing example for each of us.
What is the core of your identity? Does this sense of yourself influence how you live and what you do for Christ? John the Baptist was clear that Jesus was the Messiah, and this consciousness allowed him to point others towards Jesus as Savior through how he chose to live his life.
Take a moment and list three identities you are aware of in yourself. I am a son, a daughter, a colleague: How have I served Christ? How do I serve Christ? How ought I serve Christ?
Perhaps a deeper look into the various hats I wear offers practical opportunities to invite others towards Jesus.
—Damian Torres-Botello, S.J. is a Jesuit scholastic currently studying philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.