This is not a literal transcript, but it will give you the gist of his message.
His message reminds us that this time of grace we call Advent is not just a time of preparing for holidays and Christmas celebrations.
It is unusual for someone to deny something that others want to attribute to them. John the Baptist told those who came to him, 'I am not the Christ. I am not the Prophet. I am not Elijah. I am not the someone else you want me to be.' He was a voice calling us to make our lives an open road for the Lord.
He had a very healthy knowledge of himself and of God, which enabled him to become an open channel, a conduit between God and His people and nothing more. He understood that he was proclaiming the message and not the message himself.
John the Baptist teaches us how to become an open channel of God for the lives of others. John the Baptist prepared for his ministry. Preparation and practice are needed to become heralds of the Gospel.
Each of us has been invited by God in our Baptism to be His voice for others. Our voice will come to us more, the more we come to Christ. Habits of daily prayer and honest Christian living will aid us in coming closer to Christ and getting His message out and about.
We also learn from St John the Baptist how to avoid self-aggrandisement. He got down on his knees before Jesus when Jesus came to him for Baptism. St Peter, my namesake, he too often got down on his knees acknowledging his sins and weakness before Jesus.
They both show us that the way to greatness is by trust, humility and simplicity.
These days they are not popular virtues, but we can resurrect their use and value, and make them central to our lives.
Let us ask ourselves, how often do we get down on our knees before God, both literally and figuratively?
John the Baptist's preparation became a sign of hope and renewal of life for multitudes. They saw that in him, and came. Wouldn't it be wonderful if people saw us this way too?!