The Gospel presents John the Baptist as a 'witness'. People who heard his powerful and challenging preaching, especially the religious leaders, were curious to know his credentials. "Who are you?" they asked. Was he actually the long-expected Messiah? Was he Elijah, expected to return to inaugurate the Messianic age? Or the Prophet, foretold by Moses? He is none of these and, in a way, he is all of them. For he is indeed a "voice crying in the desert: Make straight the way of the Lord" (words taken from Isaiah). Today's reading suggests two things for us to consider. Let us answer the question John was asked: "What have you to say about yourself?" Do I know what my role is in God's plan and am I carrying it out? The second is that the role of John is each one of ours also, namely, to prepare the way for Christ to come into people's lives, especially those who do not know him or have wandered away from him.