Last Sunday, on the first Sunday of Advent, Jesus advised us to be alert and to be watchful. This Sunday, we hear from John the Baptist, who prepared the people to welcome the coming of Jesus, as Jesus begins his public ministry and mission. John the Baptist was already very admired by the people. They trusted John as a prophet of holiness and integrity; they responded to his calls to repentance. But repentance does not just mean being sorry for what we have done in the past. Repentance is a call to change our ways and to be radically transformed and converted.
John provides us with an important lesson today: just as he prepared for the coming of Christ, we also are called to prepare our hearts and minds for Christ’s coming into the world. We prepare our lives for the coming of Christ at Christmas. We also prepare for his second coming. The second letter of Peter advises us that one day for the Lord could be like 1,000 years, so as we wait for the Lord to come again, what seems like a long time for us, is not so long for the Lord. Yet, the coming of the Lord can come quickly as well, like a thief in the night. Thus, Peter tells us to live in holiness as we wait for the day of the Lord to come, to live our best so that the Lord will find us at peace. The Lord does not want us to live in anxiety or fear, but in joy and peace as we put our faith in his promise. So, we might ask ourselves: what changes is God calling us to make, not just now, but in the year to come. What kind of person is God calling us to be? What kind of person would God like us to be?
John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus to come into the lives of the people, to come into our lives. In the first reading today, Isaiah tells us to prepare the way of the Lord by filling in valleys, by smoothing out mountains and hills, and by making the rough country smooth. In these poetic words, Jesus is calling us to remove the obstacles that are keeping us from him.
As Christ’s disciples, we give example to others in our words and actions. So many of the people we know, perhaps the people we work with and members of our own family, face many obstacles in having a relationship with Jesus. What can we do to increase our own faith and to bring others to Christ?
It is good for us to reflect upon whom we need to make space for in our hearts during this Advent season. Perhaps we need to mend or forgive a past hurt with a family member of friend, to out to someone who is hurting or in need, or to be more understanding of that person who annoys us or gets on our nerves. In our humanity, I don’t that it would take long to think of one of or more people who fit in those categories in our lives. Reaching out to that person might be a good assignment this week. We continue these days of waiting and preparation during Advent. The important thing is to use them constructively.
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