John the Baptizer's ministry is to turn our hearts to the Lord. He turned his father's heart to faith (see Lk 1:64). Before Jesus' public ministry, John turned the hearts of thousands of people to Jesus (see Lk 3:3ff). With Elijah, John will turn "the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" before the end of the world and Jesus' final coming (Mal 3:23-24; Lk 1:17).

The Lord implies in the Bible that, as we draw near to the end of the world, fathers would not want or love children. Fathers would contracept and abort. They would make their jobs and themselves more important than their children. This Biblical prophecy has certainly come true. But the Lord also says that this would change before the very end. Men would repent, keep their promises to God and to their families, and love their children, who would respond with love. Are the men's movements and the home-schooling movement the work of God through John the Baptizer? Are we getting very close to the end of planet Earth?

St. John the Baptizer, pray for us. Come, Lord Jesus!

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, January 4, 2001

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 24, 2001