2nd Week of Advent, 2024
Ref.: Bar 5:1–9; Lk 3:1–6 Clear a pathway to our heart. 12-7,8-2024 b.k.
The words of the prophet Isaiah are cited today in our Gospel reading from St. Luke. Living on a dirt road, I like the idea of winding roads being made straight, and the rough ways made smooth. Hills made low and valleys filled in. I should like to read that verse to the County Road Commission (bless their hearts!). Between dodging potholes and erosion gullies; springing deer and fallen branches, the roads we traverse are far from being obstacle-free. This is analogous to the imperfect pathways of our lives.- pathways we are called to repair and make ready during Advent for the coming of the Lord into our awaiting hearts.
Our first reading comes from Baruch, the prophet Jeremiah’s scribe. Baruch speaks of the People of Israel being led back by God to Jerusalem after being released from their captivity in Babylon. They return with the splendor of God’s glory in peace, mercy, and justice, following a pathway made of reconciliation and future hope with God.
St. Luke starts out with a lengthy historical filler of who’s who in the region including a date, people, and places- all giving evidence of St. John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ real lives in this world. It’s pretty well documented. How many of us even know, without Googling it, who the president was when you were born let alone who was governor, bishop, and other leaders? Yet we know we’re really in the world. St. Luke proves St. John and Jesus were not fanciful myths or legends but real historical people by whom we are guided by faith down a pathway to our salvation.
St. John the Baptist’s mission is introduced to us in this Gospel. Born of Zechariah and Elizabeth, he grew from a house of Jewish priesthood to a solitary desert evangelist, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Isaiah prophesied, “A voice of one crying out in the desert”; this is the one who would tell us to prepare a straight and smooth road for the Lord to enter and dwell in our hearts.
A straight and smooth road was a valued infrastructure for those traveling by foot, cart, or horse. The Romans cleared roads for ease of commerce and military deployments in governing their empire. To stray from these roads meant physical and material hardships due to the rough terrain. These off-roads could also be havens for robbers or worse violence. Likewise, off-roads to our hearts are filled with obstacles, dangers, and evil. It is best to prepare, live, and navigate a straight path through the narrow gate, who is Jesus, to reach our salvation.
St. John preaches that we must repent of the uneven, rough, winding obstacles of sin in the pathway of our lives. We must prepare the pathway through reconciliation, mercy, and forgiveness to God and each other. Ask yourselves: Where do I stand in my pathway to allow the Lord Jesus into my heart? What obstacles in my path do I repeatedly trip over distracting me, leading me away from God and his merciful love? How can I not only overcome these obstacles but also make the path smoother for those traveling alongside me? We need to cooperate with God to level the mountains of pride in our lives, to fill in the valleys of selfishness, to straighten the winding roads of deception and self-absorbed behavior so we can approach God in purity, honesty, and humility.
Advent is not only a liturgical season of preparation and hope but it is also one of penitential grace. The sacrament of Reconciliation returns us to a smooth, straight path- to a state of grace- to worthily receive Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist at Mass. The Eucharist is our sustenance, our food for the journey along the path. Through the Eucharist Jesus fills our hearts with his love and grace.
Like the returning exiled People of Israel, may we, this Advent, enjoy the splendor of God’s glory following a pathway of reconciliation, hope, and trust in the Lord; - a pathway we walk free of obstacles together with our brothers and sisters. At the end of our pathway may we find our salvation in Christ and give all praise and glory to God.