“…during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Luke 3: 2-6)
I have been coming across this passage from the Gospel according to Luke. It was the Gospel reading at last Sunday’s Eucharistic celebration; and I came across it during my daily Scripture reading. “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Many people hearing this would assume that the prophet was calling for massive reform of the Jewish society. John was preparing the way for Jesus of Nazareth, whose coming would change everything.
But when I read these words, I felt them more personally. What I heard was a challenge, how am I preparing the way of the Lord; how I am preparing His way into my heart. With all the Christmas hoopla, the decorations, the Xmas specials on TV, and the commercials, we forget that we are in a period of preparation. We should be taking a good look at ourselves, and see what obstacles we place in front of hearts, that keep Jesus from coming in. What mountains of worry and anxiety are we surrounding ourselves with, that keep us from seeing the glory of God? What valleys of depression and despair have we put ourselves in, that us from seeing the light of the Father’s love?
If we accept the challenge to prepare the way of the Lord, to change, to deepen our relationship with God; we will see all those obstacles disappear. And we will see, we will experience “the salvation of God/”
A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Luke 3: 2-6)
I have been coming across this passage from the Gospel according to Luke. It was the Gospel reading at last Sunday’s Eucharistic celebration; and I came across it during my daily Scripture reading. “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Many people hearing this would assume that the prophet was calling for massive reform of the Jewish society. John was preparing the way for Jesus of Nazareth, whose coming would change everything.
But when I read these words, I felt them more personally. What I heard was a challenge, how am I preparing the way of the Lord; how I am preparing His way into my heart. With all the Christmas hoopla, the decorations, the Xmas specials on TV, and the commercials, we forget that we are in a period of preparation. We should be taking a good look at ourselves, and see what obstacles we place in front of hearts, that keep Jesus from coming in. What mountains of worry and anxiety are we surrounding ourselves with, that keep us from seeing the glory of God? What valleys of depression and despair have we put ourselves in, that us from seeing the light of the Father’s love?
If we accept the challenge to prepare the way of the Lord, to change, to deepen our relationship with God; we will see all those obstacles disappear. And we will see, we will experience “the salvation of God/”
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