John the Baptist and Catholic Influencers

Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on John the Baptist in Matthew 3 as the model for every Christian in public life. John is the greatest of the prophets and the least before Christ — a man who knows his gifts and vocation only in relation to the Lord. He baptizes with water for repentance, yet points entirely to the One who is mightier, whose baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire eclipses his own. John shows that magnanimity and humility meet in a life wholly ordered to Jesus. In a world of platforms and personalities, he teaches us to be great and small at the same time — always pointing to Christ, always finding ourselves in Him.