PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8
We are one week into Advent, and many of us are preparing for Christmas. Our Facebook walls have photographs of cribs and home décor, announce carol-singing events, advertise cakes and cookies…
But that’s not quite the preparation scripture and the advent liturgy recommend!
Isaiah, in the first reading, assures the exiles in Babylon that their desperate wait for freedom is almost over; God will lead them, like a shepherd, back home. The exiles have a two-fold task: to prepare the way of the Lord and to proclaim the glad tidings that God is coming to lead his people home.
Mark, in his gospel, has the same message and task. John the Baptist invites the people to straighten the pathways of their lives to prepare the way of the Lord. This was not an individualist cleansing of sins. John’s emphasis: salvation is corporate, forgiveness is corporate, and the new way of living is corporate; it is all rowing in a lifeboat together rather than having individual lifebelts.
Peter urges his Christians to conduct themselves “in holiness and devotion” and to “be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him”.
In the second week of Advent, the liturgy challenges us to put the C’s (cribs/carols/cakes/cards) on the backburner and focus on the S’s: be silent in the “wilderness” of our lives; straighten the pathways in our hearts; and share the glad tidings that our God is coming.
Will I spend time in the wilderness?
What areas of my life and our lives need straightening: what are the valleys that need filling; which are the mountains that need levelling?
How and with whom will I share the good news of the Lord’s coming?
A collegian failed all his college work. He texted his mother: “failed everything; prepare papa.” His mother texted back: “papa prepared; prepare yourself.”
This is our Advent task: we need to prepare ourselves for the coming of God. Our “Papa” is prepared… with his loving mercy.
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