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Prepare the Way of the Lord!

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Second Sunday of Advent

Father Steven Reilly, LC

Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: "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, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you know the sincerity of my desire to spend this time with you. As I begin this meditation, I believe that you are here with me, that you never abandon me. Because I love you, my one wish is to please and console you in your solitude in the tabernacle. I hope in the boundless mercy that motivated your incarnation. May we one day meet again in your heavenly kingdom.

Petition: Give me the grace to renew my Advent preparation.

1. The Concrete History: Today’s Gospel contains a veritable roster of First Century Palestinian big-names, both religious and political. Why? St Luke wants to emphasize that God’s marvelous deeds do not happen in a vacuum, but in the concrete reality of history. The greatest of God’s interventions, the Incarnation — when the Word became flesh — happened at a concrete time and place. This should have great impact on our spiritual lives. Jesus’ coming among us cannot be just an abstract idea that I learned in CCD. Jesus came to this world for ME! This overwhelming love calls forth a grateful response, unless I try to keep it at a safe distance. Jesus came to our world. Will I let him into mine?

2. A Voice Crying Out in the Desert: The ministry of John the Baptist was an important part of God’s plan to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. He was very successful and opened many hearts to repentance and eventual faith in Jesus. So it is somewhat ironic that the phrase "crying out in the desert" usually refers to a noble but futile effort. That, unfortunately, could be the case now, if I am allowing the Holy Spirit’s inspirations to die in the “desert” of my self-absorption. Am I so wrapped up in the material side of Christmas preparation that I am forgetting the spiritual preparation?

3. "Prepare the Way of the Lord!" The memory of the Incarnation and the continuous prompting of the Holy Spirit in our hearts add up to the great program of Advent "Prepare the way of the Lord." We are called as Christians to do precisely this. Society is starving for the message of Christ. All of our prayers and work should be done with the spirit of faith, so that we are indeed preparing the way of the Lord.

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, you came into our world, taking on our human condition. For too long, this has been just an idea for me. Let it sink into my heart and stir my will to action. You have loved me so much. I must return my love with concrete deeds. I recommit myself to fight for your Kingdom.

Resolution: I will offer up three simple invocations spread throughout today, telling Jesus I love him and wish to prepare my heart to welcome him this Christmas.

Our Journey in the Desert

Pastor’s Column

2^nd Sunday of Advent

December 9, 2012

“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,

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God!”

Luke 3:5-6

The first and third readings today almost sound like a big construction project, and in a way they are: valleys being filled in, mountains leveled, roads straightened, rough roads paved. What in the world is being described here? These reading sounds either irrelevant or hopelessly idyllic, but wait a moment.... These are all METAPHORS. The speaker is John the Baptist calling out from the desert. Let’s explore these spiritual places of the heart.

The desert: a place of testing, a place of trial and deprivation, of hunger and stark beauty, life and death. God often speaks in the desert places of our lives, when we have been purified by suffering or have experienced a loss, or a hunger for God.

Valleys and mountains: Highs and lows. On the mountain we see clearly; we are exhilarated; we have achieved something; our path seems clear; the road ahead joyous. A mountain also indicates that the road to the top may be arduous and steep, difficult to climb and full of dangers and difficulties.

A valley: During such times as these we are often sliding downhill or seem to be. The view is limited; the way gets darker; the path is unknown; we may be in sin or depression or suffering.... The valley often means suffering in scripture. Yes, we have been here too.

The winding road: What does this represent? Many switchbacks, goals that must be altered, the way seems unsure; we seem to be making little progress, we may be getting discouraged, we must travel slower than we wanted, life has brought us confusion. We may not know where we are going or if we are even on the right road at all, yet we keep going.

The rough road. It speaks for itself! Our life is anything but smooth; it seems we are coming apart.

God’s light will cut through all of this.... All of these things are only a part of the journey. It is precisely in these kinds of difficulties: arduous climbs, depressing descents, confusing switchbacks in our progress, rough patches...... Desert Experiences.....that we find that God is most active. Our journey of life is not meant to be a freeway, so much as a hike; not easy, but challenging. We have the Holy Spirit as our guide and the Church, through whom he speaks, to lead us until we reach our home. Such is our Advent and our life’s journey.

Father Gary