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Inside St. John University's Abbey, in Collegeville, Minnesota, stands a particularly memorable statue of John the Baptist. This version of the saint is an emaciated, haunting form. Towering over visitors to the church, the bronze image is tall and thin and represents John during his time in the desert when he survived on a diet of locusts and wild honey. John's right hand extends forward as if in invitation to all who enter.
Mark Powell and I spent a week in July 2010 as writing fellows at the Collegeville Institute, in association with St. John's. One evening, while exploring the abbey, I found Mark standing before this image of John the Baptist, their fingers stretched toward each other, touching tip to tip.
Mark told me this statue felt to him like an indictment. I remember being surprised by his choice of words. I knew by Mark's countenance that the feeling had to do with his faith, but in my view, Mark already exemplified the kind of person I wanted to be. Foremost, he was more like Christ than most of the Christians I had encountered in my life. I knew this from my earliest conversations with Mark, although it took me a while to comprehend the difference between these two very different and sometimes opposing ideas....