May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
Last Sunday we began the season of Advent. We heard that the purpose of the Advent
season is to prepare to welcome Jesus Christ.
Today we hear that message again as we are invited to prepare the way of
the Lord. Today we also receive a guide
for our time of preparation.
In our reading from the book of the Prophet Baruch, we hear
that the city of Jerusalem and the chosen people of the Lord are told to take
off the robe of mourning and misery.
They are told to prepare to receive the glory of the Lord, for the
mountains will be made low, and the age old depths and gorges will be filled to
level ground. In those days the Lord
will lead Israel by the light of his glory, and when everything is prepared,
the people will see the glory of the Lord.
We hear in our reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the
Philippians that God is at work and preparing us to complete the good work that
he has begun in us. We are being
prepared so that our love may increase and we may be pure and blameless for the
day of Jesus Christ.
And today in our reading from the Gospel, we hear the
announcement that the salvation of God is near.
Today in our gospel, we receive our guide for this time of
preparation. For the next three Sundays,
we will encounter John the Baptist, and he will guide us as we prepare to
welcome Jesus Christ. Today we are
introduced to John and hear about the times in which he lived. We hear about the kings and the rulers of
earth, and the High Priests of the temple that will pass away, as we hear the
cry of the final prophet who will announce the coming of the Messiah. It is the task of John the Baptist to prepare
the way of the Lord, to proclaim his presence, and to adore him when the glory
of the Lord appears.
Today, John the Baptist invites us to prepare the way of the
Lord. Echoing the voice and the words of
the prophet Isaiah, John invites us to make straight the paths of the Lord, for
every valley shall be filled in and every mountain and hill shall be made
low. John proclaims that the winding
roads will be made straight and the rough ways will be made smooth. And finally he announces that all flesh shall see
the salvation of God.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, on this second Sunday of
Advent, the Lord invites us through the preaching of John the Baptist to examine
the paths of the Lord in our own lives. We
are invited to look into our own souls and carefully reflect on the valleys that
need to be filled in and the on mountains that need to be made low. In other words, dear brothers and sisters, we must
look at those things which prevent us from welcoming Jesus Christ.
This is a difficult time of year for many of us. Perhaps this year you mourned the loss of a loved
one, or perhaps at this time of year you mourn the passing of a loved one long in
the Kingdom of God. We cannot deny our sadness
and our grief because to do so would be to deny our humanity. But we can ask the Lord to receive our sadness
from the valley of our hearts as an offering unto him. Whatever our sadness or whatever our difficulty,
or even whatever our sins, John the Baptist guides us to make them an offering to
the Lord, so that the Lord himself will make straight his paths.
As we now enter into the mystery of the Lord’s love made present
to us in the Eucharist, let us joyfully receive the guidance of John the Baptist.
Let us welcome the work of the Lord within
as he accomplishes his good work through us. And let us ask for the grace to offer our whole
lives as an offering to Lord that we may live in the light of his glory.
Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic
Church, Monroe, NC
