2nd Sunday in Advent Year A
Prepare the Way for the Lord
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
There have been moments in many of our lives when we have wishfully said, "If I could just start over." We might have wished that a bad decision could be undone so that we could begin again. We might have said something we truly regretted and wish we could take it back. We may be in a job or lifestyle that has made our lives drudgery or so complicated that we wish we could just quit or move away and start over.
We perhaps often dream of starting over, but we usually don't, saying things like, "I'm too old to start over," or, "Starting over would be great, but it is too risky."
Advent is a time of grace because it's a time that presents us with an opportunity to spiritually "start over."
As you and I travel we see clear signs of so many new sites being developed. Obviously, the first thing that has to be done is to prepare the land: low spots have to be filled or uneven areas leveled; sometimes boulders have to be removed and the trees either cut down or replanted elsewhere. In a word, before the foundations can be put in place and the structure built, the land or site must be made ready. And this is what John the Baptist is telling us right now: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth …”
There's a reason why John the Baptist preached at the Jordan River. It was more than just a source of water where he could baptize. The Jordan River was the place that represented the border between the desert - where the Jews wandered aimlessly for 38 years after centuries of slavery in Egypt- and the Promised Land. By preaching his message there, John was inviting the Jews of his day, to come out of the bondage of slavery, to leave their faults and wandering, sinful lives behind, and enter into the Promised Land full of God's blessings. The Baptist preaches the same thing to us today. He points us to a new exodus - from death to life, from sin to sanctity - and states very clearly that the path from the desert into the new Promised Land IS CONVERSION. A chance for us to Start Over.
God desires that during this time of Advent, we will allow ourselves to be drawn closer to Him and enter into a deeper relationship with Him. Yes, during this new Church year, the site of our spiritual relationship needs to be prepared. St. John the Baptist urges us to prepare the way of the Lord if we wish to meet the Lord. We cannot see God if there is any obstacles between us.
So you and I must identify what is the obstacle within us which hinders Christ’s drawing near and, therefore, which needs to be removed. Of course he was not talking about the hills or roads of Palestine. He was talking about the hills and roads in the heart of every person in every century that wants to meet the Lord. The obstacle will most likely be different for each one of us, but, in all honesty, we each have at least one. We must prayerfully and gently, not with anxiety, look within, examine our spiritual lives and identify the particular obstacles. To meet the Lord we need to prepare our hearts. What are the mountains and hills in our hearts that need to be leveled? It may be being too busy — “later on, Lord, right now I do not have time for You;” or it may be a false kind of independence — “I’ll do it my way;” or it may be pride — “Me first; I’m number one;” or it may be fear — “I’m afraid of what You may ask me to do, Lord;” or it may be discouragement — “I’ll never change” and “nothing helps.” In fact, discouragement is the evil one’s favorite tool, because once we are discouraged, we can so easily give up, which is exactly what devil wants us to do. What are the valleys in our hearts and lives that need to be filled in? We could think of trying to overcome an addiction or lack of confidence in oneself. What are the crooked roads in our hearts that need to be straightened? We could think of lying and deceitfulness and being dishonest with others. What are the uneven surfaces on the roads of our hearts that need to be resurfaced? We could think of bad language and being a bother to other people.
Whatever the obstacle is, we must identify it and then bring it to Jesus. Alone, we cannot remove it, but with His transforming grace, we can. More precisely, He will remove it for us.
A poet once wrote: “Of all the sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been.’” These sad words need never be said of our relationship with the Lord.
The scholar Chris Seeman explains: “It was customary for the inhabitants of a region to repair and beautify the roads by which an imperial official – or perhaps the king himself – was expected to visit his district.”
And so my dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, how are we going to prepare the way for the Lord? First of all, we need to remember that Christ himself is the "Way." Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." So, preparing the way means being transformed into Christ. St. John the Baptist reveals to us by his own life how we make this preparation. He shows us that it requires a radical following of Christ, a dying to the things of this life, and a readiness to give up one's earthly life to possess him who is not only the Way, but also the Life.
John was fully aware of his mission, handed to him by his father: “You, child, will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him.” And he wanted others to share in that mission. Let us try to do our best and God will do the rest for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
There have been moments in many of our lives when we have wishfully said, "If I could just start over." We might have wished that a bad decision could be undone so that we could begin again. We might have said something we truly regretted and wish we could take it back. We may be in a job or lifestyle that has made our lives drudgery or so complicated that we wish we could just quit or move away and start over.
We perhaps often dream of starting over, but we usually don't, saying things like, "I'm too old to start over," or, "Starting over would be great, but it is too risky."
Advent is a time of grace because it's a time that presents us with an opportunity to spiritually "start over."
As you and I travel we see clear signs of so many new sites being developed. Obviously, the first thing that has to be done is to prepare the land: low spots have to be filled or uneven areas leveled; sometimes boulders have to be removed and the trees either cut down or replanted elsewhere. In a word, before the foundations can be put in place and the structure built, the land or site must be made ready. And this is what John the Baptist is telling us right now: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth …”
There's a reason why John the Baptist preached at the Jordan River. It was more than just a source of water where he could baptize. The Jordan River was the place that represented the border between the desert - where the Jews wandered aimlessly for 38 years after centuries of slavery in Egypt- and the Promised Land. By preaching his message there, John was inviting the Jews of his day, to come out of the bondage of slavery, to leave their faults and wandering, sinful lives behind, and enter into the Promised Land full of God's blessings. The Baptist preaches the same thing to us today. He points us to a new exodus - from death to life, from sin to sanctity - and states very clearly that the path from the desert into the new Promised Land IS CONVERSION. A chance for us to Start Over.
God desires that during this time of Advent, we will allow ourselves to be drawn closer to Him and enter into a deeper relationship with Him. Yes, during this new Church year, the site of our spiritual relationship needs to be prepared. St. John the Baptist urges us to prepare the way of the Lord if we wish to meet the Lord. We cannot see God if there is any obstacles between us.
So you and I must identify what is the obstacle within us which hinders Christ’s drawing near and, therefore, which needs to be removed. Of course he was not talking about the hills or roads of Palestine. He was talking about the hills and roads in the heart of every person in every century that wants to meet the Lord. The obstacle will most likely be different for each one of us, but, in all honesty, we each have at least one. We must prayerfully and gently, not with anxiety, look within, examine our spiritual lives and identify the particular obstacles. To meet the Lord we need to prepare our hearts. What are the mountains and hills in our hearts that need to be leveled? It may be being too busy — “later on, Lord, right now I do not have time for You;” or it may be a false kind of independence — “I’ll do it my way;” or it may be pride — “Me first; I’m number one;” or it may be fear — “I’m afraid of what You may ask me to do, Lord;” or it may be discouragement — “I’ll never change” and “nothing helps.” In fact, discouragement is the evil one’s favorite tool, because once we are discouraged, we can so easily give up, which is exactly what devil wants us to do. What are the valleys in our hearts and lives that need to be filled in? We could think of trying to overcome an addiction or lack of confidence in oneself. What are the crooked roads in our hearts that need to be straightened? We could think of lying and deceitfulness and being dishonest with others. What are the uneven surfaces on the roads of our hearts that need to be resurfaced? We could think of bad language and being a bother to other people.
Whatever the obstacle is, we must identify it and then bring it to Jesus. Alone, we cannot remove it, but with His transforming grace, we can. More precisely, He will remove it for us.
A poet once wrote: “Of all the sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been.’” These sad words need never be said of our relationship with the Lord.
The scholar Chris Seeman explains: “It was customary for the inhabitants of a region to repair and beautify the roads by which an imperial official – or perhaps the king himself – was expected to visit his district.”
And so my dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, how are we going to prepare the way for the Lord? First of all, we need to remember that Christ himself is the "Way." Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." So, preparing the way means being transformed into Christ. St. John the Baptist reveals to us by his own life how we make this preparation. He shows us that it requires a radical following of Christ, a dying to the things of this life, and a readiness to give up one's earthly life to possess him who is not only the Way, but also the Life.
John was fully aware of his mission, handed to him by his father: “You, child, will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him.” And he wanted others to share in that mission. Let us try to do our best and God will do the rest for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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