The Art of Pointing: Becoming a Signpost in a Selfie World
Have you ever stood at the "Arrivals" gate of a busy international airport? It is a fascinating place to people-watch. There is a specific kind of electric energy there. You see hundreds of people streaming out of the sliding glass doors—tired travelers, families wrestling with strollers, and tourists looking confused. Amidst that chaotic river of humanity, there are the people waiting.
They are scanning the crowd. They are on their tiptoes. They are looking for one specific face. And the moment they see that face—the moment a father sees his son returning home, or a friend sees a loved one—the reaction is almost always the same.
They point.
They might wave their arms frantically or nudge the person standing next to them and shout, "There! That’s him! That’s the one!" In that moment of recognition, the person pointing ceases to care about themselves. They don’t care if they look silly. Their entire existence, in that split second, is defined by identifying the beloved and making sure others see him too. "I am here," they seem to say, "because he is there."
We live in a culture that has largely lost this art of pointing away from itself. We live in the age of the "selfie," where the camera is constantly turned inward. We curate our lives to say, "Behold me. Look at my achievements. Look at my opinion." The primary pronoun of our age is "I." But today, the Church invites us to flip the camera. We are invited to stand in the dusty sandals of John the Baptist and recover the holy art of pointing away from ourselves. We are invited to learn how to say, with our very lives, "Behold Him."
In today’s Gospel, we encounter John the Baptist at the peak of his influence. It is important to remember how famous John was at this moment. Crowds trekked into the wilderness just to hear his voice. He had disciples and social capital. In our modern world, this is the moment where a consultant would tell John to "leverage his brand."
But notice what happens the moment Jesus walks into his peripheral vision. John does not try to share the stage. He immediately becomes a signpost. He points a finger and declares, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."
There is a profound humility in this text. Twice in this passage, John admits, "I did not know him." Despite being relatives, John admits he did not truly grasp the depth of Jesus’ identity until he saw the Spirit descend like a dove. John had to learn to see with spiritual eyes. He had to wait for God’s revelation.
This theme of selfless identity threads through all our readings. In the first reading, Isaiah speaks of a Servant formed from the womb, not for his own glory, but to be a "light to the nations." The servant’s identity is entirely wrapped up in being a beacon for others. Similarly, in the second reading, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are "called to be holy"—not for their own sake, but in union with all those everywhere who call upon the name of the Lord.
The scriptural message is clear: Our holiness and our identity are never private possessions. We are saved personally, but we are not saved privately. We are saved to be witnesses. John the Baptist understands that a lamp is useless if it draws attention to the lampstand rather than the light. When he says, "Behold the Lamb," he is essentially saying, "My work is done. Follow Him."
We have now entered "Ordinary Time." The Christmas decorations are down, and we wear green—the color of growth. John the Baptist reminds us that our "ordinary" task is to spot Jesus in the crowd of our busy lives and point Him out to a world that is searching for hope.
How do we do this in 2026? We do it by becoming a "living index finger," pointing to Christ through the distinct quality of our lives. Here are three ways to practice the "Art of Pointing" this week.
1. Point through Radical Humility
The next time you receive a compliment or achieve a success, try to deflect the glory. This doesn't mean putting yourself down; it means acknowledging the Source. John said, "A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me." When you are praised at work or in your family, can you graciously accept it while acknowledging that your talents are a gift? When we act with humility in a world of arrogance, we become a signpost that points to the Humble King.
2. Point through the "Lamb" Identity
John calls Jesus the "Lamb"—the one who takes away sin. We point to the Lamb when we imitate His mercy. The world operates on the logic of the wolf: hit back harder, hold grudges, and seek revenge. We point to Jesus when we choose to forgive the unforgivable. When you refuse to gossip or when you swallow your pride to reconcile a broken relationship, you are showing the world a different way to live. You are taking away sin rather than recycling it.
3. Point by Seeing the Invisible
John said, "I saw the Spirit come down." He was looking for God where others just saw a crowd. This week, make a conscious effort to see Jesus in the "invisible" people—the grocery clerk, the lonely neighbor, the person you usually ignore. If you treat them with the reverence due to a Child of God, you are witnessing. You are telling them, "I see the image of God in you."
This week, catch yourself when you start to turn the camera inward. When you feel the urge to say, "Look at me," stop and look for where God is working in someone else. Let our prayer be the words of our Psalm: "Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will."
May we go out into this ordinary week and, through our kindness and our mercy, show the world the extraordinary love of the Lamb of God.
