Mission

Imagine that you have a mission in life: a mission that you have known since you were young.

Imagine that you know that you have been put on this earth to accomplish one great thing.

Imagine that… you blow it.

Maybe you were asleep, maybe you were distracted, maybe you were lazy or just plain stupid, but when the moment came, you were not ready, and you nearly ruin EVERYTHING.

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist repeats twice that he did not know Christ, even though he knew that the entire purpose of his life’s work was for him to make Christ known.

Fortunately for John the Baptist (and the rest of us), God recovers the fumble through the appearance of the Holy Spirit like a dove coming down and resting upon Christ, together with a voice from the heavens. That gets John’s attention. John then takes the ball again and does what he was born to do.

Each of us are also put on this earth for a reason, and we may not be fortunate enough to have a miraculous vision come to us in the nick of time.

Each and every day we need to be attentive to the Lord and to his plan for us - his plan for this day or his plan for our entire life – so that we will always be ready, willing, and able to say,

Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.