“You can’t spell adventure, unless you begin with Advent.” Here we go, it is the second Sunday of our Advent journey/advent-ure. Hopefully, it is not just another Advent, in fact, it is a grace-filled season of preparation. I would say, it is the gift of preparation. It reminds me of a Christmas song “…prepare Him room…” These words from the song Joy to the World call us to prepare and make space in our hearts for Christ. Remember, Christ is the reason for the season!
As we light the second candle of Advent, the candle of love, we are fully aware that it is the love for Jesus that burns our hearts to take this advent season seriously by making a big and intentional effort to prepare in a deeper and more meaningful way for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The big theme for us to reflect on this second Sunday of Advent is “preparing the way for the Lord, making his paths straight”. How?
Speaking of preparing the way for the Lord, we are reminded of John the Baptist. He is the protagonist of the art of preparing. We are all familiar with the profound statement by John, “Let Jesus increase, and me decrease.” For me, the heart of what it means to prepare the way for the Lord is to let Jesus increase and ourselves decrease. How do we do it?
First of all, it comes from the humility. From John we learn how to be humble. Humbleness or humility shows implicitly in the way John puts himself before Jesus: “I am not fit to kneel down and undo the straps of his sandals.” In other words, he is saying that I am not worthy.
For sure, just like John, we are not worthy for Jesus. But here is the paradox, it is because we are not worthy that Jesus comes to us, God is reaching out to us. It is because we are not worthy that we should have better preparation. The more intentionally we prepare, hopefully the worthier and better person we become!
Many people approach the Advent season as “a waiting time” to welcome the Emmanuel in Christmas. That’s why, our prayer this season is “Come, Lord Jesus”. Nevertheless, reflecting deeply on the act of waiting (waiting in hope), let us also remember that while we are waiting in expectant faith, God is also waiting for us. Here is the message, God, our merciful Father, has been waiting for us. It is also the Advent of God: God is continually coming to our lives and our world.
John is calling us to prepare the way, and yes indeed, Jesus is the Way. In other words, we prepare the way for the Way. We prepare the way by embracing the Way. We prepare the way by living out the Way in our own ways. For this we pray, Jesus, help us to make your way as our way, your life as our life, your mission as our mission. It is another word of praying: letting Jesus increase, and me with my selfishness and sin decrease.
Secondly, what does it mean to make his paths straight? It again comes to the way we live our lives. It is about the direction of the vision of our lives. Do we embrace the vision of the Kingdom of God that is embodied in Jesus? How many of us walk on our own paths, get lost in different paths, and even get stuck in the wrong paths? Advent calls us to set out on the paths of goodness and holiness.
The second reading reminds us of how to live in the paths that are straight. The image of new heavens and new earth are used to give us a sense of walking in the paths that are straight. It is the path in line with the vision of the Kingdom. It is the path that seems ignored by many; it is a less travelled path. It is the path that is bent by our worldly desire.
Therefore, I would say, Jesus’ invitation to “Follow Me” sounds to me as the invitation to walk in His paths again, but in our context, to make the paths straight again. It is a new beginning again. The second reading puts it this way: you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the day of God to come.
So, as we journey through this Advent, let’s again approach this time as a penitential season. It is a privileged time to turn back to God, something that is never too late to do. It may include our commitment to conversion, receiving the sacrament of reconciliation and self-renewal. It is to create “a new earth”, to put on a new perspective in the light of God’s vision and dream for humanity.
In our small way, this could also mean seeking forgiveness for our sins, reconciling with our loved ones, or making more commitment for prayer, reflection, and charity works. May this holy season of Advent prepare us to be bearers of hope, love, joy and peace to this wounded world, to continue to participate in God’s ongoing work of salvation of the world.