In this past Sunday’s gospel, John the Baptist points out the Lamb of God and admits twice, “I did not know him.” This is curious, because according to Luke’s gospel, he recognized his Messiah from within the womb of his mother Elizabeth while the Son of God was in the womb of his Mother!! This is high scriptural validation for the Catholic Church’s insistence that life begins at conception (which is important to remember this week as hundreds of thousands flock to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life), and John began his work as a prophet before he was even born. But something happens in the intervening 30 years between that encounter and his encounter with Jesus at the Jordan River. As a child in the womb, he recognizes the Savior, but as an adult, he no longer knew him. Did the weight and cares of the world cloud his vision? Perhaps his own expectations blinded him or at least obscured his vision. It might be with this in mind that Jesus advises us to become like little children in order to enter the Kingdom of God.
Have we fallen into the same blindness which prevents us from recognizing the presence of God in our midst? Have our own expectations impeded our ability to realize when Jesus is acting in our lives? Have we become to cynical to see when miracles are happening around us? We need to look for the Lamb of God. We need to let ourselves be blinded by his light, much as a single candle flame in the darkness can block out the darkness if we focus on that point of light. Once we have allowed ourselves to be more aware of God’s action in the world, then we have to be like John the Baptist and point Him out to those who might ignore his presence. “Behold the Lamb of God!”
