Prepare a Way for the Lord; Make Straight His Path.

Homily for December 10, 2017.


John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:4.

Last Sunday, we began a new season in the Church; the season of Advent; a time of vigilant preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you recall, last Sunday we heard Jesus saying: “Watch therefore for you do not know when the Master of the house will come.”

As we noted last Sunday, to be vigilant is to be alert in the spirit; alert to temptations, alert to spiritual laziness. Today, being the Second Sunday of Advent, we are taking a step further in our drive to prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus. This time around, our focus is not so much on vigilance but on REPENTANCE.

Today, we are called upon to look inwards and carry out a proper sanitization exercise; to clean up our hearts and throw out those things that are foul and smelling. Today we are called to prepare a way for the Lord; that is, to remove anything that will act as an obstacle to Jesus’ coming.

The prophet Isaiah says: “Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill shall be made low, the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places shall be made plain.” Now, Isaiah is not asking us to get bulldozers and earth-moving vehicles for road construction, he is talking about the roads of our heart.

The valleys to be lifted up represent the good things we ought to do that we often fail, the valleys are those opportunities are have to perform charity, to help the needy, to volunteer for the sake of others and we refused. Today we are called to repent.

The mountains and hills to be made low are those bad habits of ours, our sinful inclinations and evil deeds, even our bad thoughts that have occupied so much space in our hearts thereby making it inhabitable for God. Has sin become a mountain in my life? Am I sleeping with a person who is not yet married to me or who is not my spouse? Do I feast on pornography as a means of sexual gratification? Do I indulge in stealing, telling of lies and so on in my business? These are mountains and hills that must be removed! Repentance is the key.

The uneven ground and rough places represent a kind of prayer life that is not consistent; a prayer life that is there today and absent tomorrow; a prayer life that is only active when we are in difficulty. Prayer should be constant; prayer is a relationship; prayer not only brings us closer to God, it brings God closer to us. As St. Peter advises us in our second reading: “what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” 2 Peter 3:11-12.

Coming down to our Gospel passage, we are presented with the powerful figure of John the Baptist, the true icon of the Advent Season; the voice which Isaiah prophesied about that would cry in the wilderness; the no-nonsense person who not only spoke the raw truth but lived out the life and died for the truth.

In the coming days, we shall be hearing more about this great man John the Baptist and in our preparation for Christmas, there are many lessons to learn from him.

One; John the Baptist teaches us to repent and ask for forgiveness of sin. Mark tells us that all the country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him and were baptized by him in the river Jordan confessing their sins. Indeed, the best preparation we can have for Christmas is to go for confession; not for the sake of going but with a genuine resolve never to go back to our sins again.

Two; John the Baptist lived a life of asceticism. We are told that he was “clothed with camel’s hair and had a leather girdle around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.” The lifestyle of John the Baptist clearly show how we should treat worldly things. No wonder our opening prayer at mass this morning says: “may no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your son.” Dear friends, Christmas is not a time for us to get engrossed in worldliness, it is a time to focus on Jesus.

Thirdly; John the Baptist was quick to draw attention away from himself. He said: “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” Dear friends, everything we do during this season should point to Jesus Christ. Don’t just hang decorations in your house, let the picture of Jesus be big and bold. What is the essence of putting lights everywhere and buying expensive Christmas tree if Jesus himself is nowhere to be found? This is a time to promote Jesus not Santa Claus. This is a time worship God not decorations and lights!

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, create in me a pure heart, renew my spirit. Amen.

*Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Third Sunday of Advent. Bible Study: Isaiah 40:1-11, 2nd Peter 3:8-14 and Mark 1:1-8).*


Fr. Abu.

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