John the Baptist gives testimony to Jesus, in whom he sees no ordinary person. John had seen the Spirit of God come down on Jesus and it was that same Spirit in which Jesus* followers would be baptised. They would become in a special way brothers and sisters of Jesus and children of the same Father. So in the First Reading the author also reminds us that the Father in the great love lavished on us, has consented that we become His children. With this, there comes the promise that we shall one day become like Him, when we see Him as He really is. But, to make sure that that dream will come true, we "must try to be as pure as Christ". We must then live our lives in such a way that everything we say and do may be modelled on the example that the Son has given us. At the same time, it is only with the help of that same Son that we will continue to grow in His likeness. But we can be sure that, if we truly desire it, that help will certainly be given.