From the same homily, I dazed through the bulk of the homily, if I'm going to be honest. In addition to Vanessa's point about recognizing the dignity of each person, Fr. Jim made a point of the line from the Gospel, because he existed before me. From the Annunciation, we know that Elizabeth was six months into her pregnancy when Jesus was conceived, so the Baptizer's statement here is pointing to the higher truth of Jesus' existence from the beginning of time.

In that sense, he is serving as the last "Old Testament" prophet, preparing people for what is to come in Jesus, by proclaiming that Jesus is not just any other prophet, but the Son of God.