Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Phil 1:4-6, 8-11
Lk 3:1-6
One of my favorite family vacations was when we went to the Grand Canyon. The four of us, my parents and my brother and I, piled into our Dodge Caravan Mini-van – all the rage in the eighties on our summer trip. We started our trip to the Grand Canyon by going North. [really? That made no sense to me – I think I was in the third grade at the time and my geography told me that the Grand Canyon was West, not North. I offered to drive, but my parents said no.] We went North up through Oklahoma and Kansas and stopped in Colorado Springs for a quick stay before heading down to the Grand Canyon. Of course we had to do the family camping thing, the KOA campsites and my brother and I were the best-behaved siblings ever. [And when I say we were the best-behaved I mean that I would have probably been tried as an adult in some states we drove through. ] After almost a week of driving, we eventually did make it to the Grand Canyon and it was certainly one of the most awesome sights I have ever seen in my life: we reached the Promised Land! But it was short lived; we stayed only two days because we were behind schedule. My biggest regret was not getting to ride the donkeys. We finally got back to our home in Dallas in more or less one piece – I think I lost a few of my stuffed animals along the way.
Looking back, I often wondered why we had to go through such a roundabout way to get to our destination. Wouldn’t it have been better to go straight there and perhaps enjoy it for at least a few more days? Instead of stopping and going, winding here and there and enjoying myself, I was getting myself into more and more trouble with my brother and my parents. We hear in today’s Gospel of John the Baptist preaching out in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. The Lord is coming and we are going to meet Him. We must prepare the way of the Lord: to take the most direct route possible. As our family was driving through Colorado down to the Grand Canyon, we had so many mountainous roads to drive through. It was so stressful for my parents – going up and down, watching out for falling rocks, and trying to keep the two of us boys from tearing each other to pieces. If the valleys were filled and the mountains leveled, we would have had a much easier time traveling to our destination. A straight and smooth road – not a winding and rough road – to the Grand Canyon!
Then again, I think about my life and my walk with God. And perhaps you too may feel the same way. Looking back, those roundabouts and rough patches and smooth ways were what made our journey unique and special – something for us to reminisce. If all the valleys and mountains were made level, there would be no Grand Canyon, no Rocky Mountains. There would be nothing beautiful to look at or visit. But you know what? When we are looking back at our difficult times and struggles, we can see the beauty and we can see the triumph… why? Because we are glad it’s over! But as we look forward, if there was a shortcut to a desired destination, why would you deliberately try to put yourself into danger or undue stress? For example, you have procrastinated on homework or a project or a task and waited until the last minute causing you to get angry at people around you for your mistake – why get into that? After all isn’t the shortest distance between two points is a straight line? Get it done! For those who are still young it still sounds like something fun and there is room for that, but you who are older know that some of those side trips in life can have disastrous consequences – spiritually, emotionally, socially, financially, or mortally.
If we look at the past few Sundays we have had readings about God coming in His glory and that there would be a great fear and trembling when He comes. Even last Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent’s scripture readings reflected a sense of urgency in preparing for God’s coming. This Sunday is no different: A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. I would like to draw your attention to a few parts of this Gospel that make today’s message so strong.
You’ll notice that at the beginning of today’s Gospel reading, we basically have a historical date – a setting in which this narrative will take place, In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…. This is for the reader to know that this is a historical reality that this was the world at the time of this event. Rome ruled, Herod was ruling as tetrarch and the high priests were Annas and Caiaphas. It would be like saying that the Civil War began in the second year of Lincoln’s presidency. The listing of names and places allows us to piece together that what John the Baptist was doing and when Jesus walked this earth was a real place and actual historical occurrence, not just something that happened “a long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.” By having story touch historical reality, what follows has greater importance and significance as we hear about this John the Baptist, the son of Zachariah.
The prophet of Isaiah is quoted – the 40th chapter to be exact – and also slightly connected to our first reading: … every lofty mountain be made low, and the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground. This brings for us a fulfillment of one of the many prophecies. What was prophesied centuries ago is now being fulfilled; a big fat “I told you so!” from God. There is some guy out in the middle of “nowhere-desert” telling us to repent, be converted, and prepare the way for Christ’s coming.
What Isaiah, John the Baptist, and all the other prophets of the past are talking about, of course, is preparing the way to God into our hearts, not a highway construction project. Our Lord who is coming, requires a straight path from us – without the road blocks, without the hurdles that we throw in His way. When something is obviously good for us and is something that we truly desire with all our heart – we do what we can do to make it happen. It is remarkable how one can clear their schedule for a football game, time for a movie, or a weekend vacation, but yet cannot even make the time to go to Mass for a Holy Day of Obligation (ahem, yesterday).
It’s really about priorities in life – if you really wanted to do it, you would make the time to do it or at least give a best effort. When we prepare the path for the Lord, we are making a straight path – not a winding, rough one – but a highway straight into our hearts. We prepare for Him – by finding ways to allow God to dwell in our hearts and also making use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, allowing His grace to flow into every part of our lives. There is a Chinese saying; and because I’m Chinese I can say it without it being cliché: “You cannot write on rotten wood.” God cannot work in your life nor can He force His will on you if you don’t want it. He does, however, make an offer that you can’t or shouldn’t refuse: eternal joy and happiness with Him. In this Advent season, it is the season to prepare for Christ’s coming into the world and we do so first with ourselves. God desires that our love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness. When we prepare the way of the Lord, when we make straight the pathway of the Lord to our heart, we are preparing for His coming on Christmas Day and when He comes, we will rejoice and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
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