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Coming home is the central theme of the Scripture readings for the Second Sunday of Advent. All three readings focus on the absolute necessity of getting ready for Christ’s return into our hearts and lives by true repentance, reparation, prayer and the renewal of our lives. I am especially struck by the first reading, from the prophet Isaiah, which describes the Babylonian exiles coming home to their native country, Judah, and their holy city, Jerusalem. Isaiah assures his people that the Lord will lead them in a grand procession to their homeland and take care of them as a shepherd cares for his sheep.
I love the command to prepare the way of the Lord. The prophet describes the task at hand; make a highway that is straight, fill in the valleys, knock down the mountains, don’t let anything stand in the way.
It reminds me of a wonderful experience I had growing up when highway 370 was being built. Part of this new road happened to run through the woods immediately behind our house. As a result, we were able to watch the whole process from beginning to end. I am fairly certain we creeped out the workers because after school each day, we would go to the edge of the woods, climb high into the trees and watch them work several hundred feet away. But we sure did learn a lot about how a road is built!
First was the clearing of the trees and other vegetation. Once that was finished, surveyors came and staked out the general outline of the expressway. After that, the heavy machinery followed. Magnificent equipment that moved incredible amounts of earth so the new roadway could be flat, wide, and straight. Those road scrapers could haul 130,000 lbs of earth in every load and the large bulldozers that work alongside them pushed a blade that was 26’ wide by 9’ tall. For someone who loves power equipment, this stage was a dream come true! After this heavy earth moving was done, precise grading equipment followed, along with compactors, tons of gravel, rebar and concrete forms, and then long lines of mixer trucks, and workers who finished the concrete with the proper texture and slight angle so the water would drain.
From start to finish, the project took a couple years and it made a lasting impression on me, watching everything that went into a road that most people would soon use at high speed with hardly a thought to all that went into it. I will always have admiration for the incredible range of equipment and technique that goes into construction, the combination of brute force and masterful skill. And the fact that it takes years of work and planning to produce a road that, once completed, could be covered in a matter of minutes, from start to finish.
But isn’t that is the whole point of preparing the way?! To transform something, someplace that currently is difficult or impossible to travel into a new creation that propels us to our destination. I like to think if Isaiah or John the Baptist saw how roads are built today, they would exclaim, “now that is what I am talking about!”
The dynamics at work in building infrastructure also apply to our spiritual lives. For most of us, there are mountains and valleys that stand between us and God’s grace. A path is possible but it must be cleared. The first step is to bulldoze the major obstacles so a new way can be plotted. The heavy lifting is not our worry; God’s grace provides the power to move whatever stands in the way. We simply have to cooperate with his gifts; accept the grace he offers through the sacraments, personal prayer, and the guidance of the Church. God’s love is capable of clearing a highway through years of sin, addiction, judgement, and self-hatred and he can do so in record time. Nothing can defeat him!
Once the large sins have been eradicated and cleared away, the finer work continues as we learn to live the virtues, look for ways to love and serve others, and choose to live our faith because we want to make God happy rather than worrying about being punished. Our faith and relationship with God becomes something we are proud of, a priority that receives the best of who we are and what we have, something we willing to share with others. It becomes part of who we are and we practice it with skill, dedication, and joy.
This process take place over years but when we look back, if we embrace it, we see that God’s grace and love can now move faster and freer than when we first started. God has a highway straight to our mind, heart, and soul.
But like any road, our relationship with God requires regular maintenance and care. Potholes must be patched, sections may need to be replaced, new lanes added for additional traffic!
Advent is a time for careful examination and spiritual evaluation. How easily can God reach my heart right now? What is the state of my soul today? Is it a multi-lane expressway, clear as far as the eye can see? Or is it littered with debris, in need of repair? Most of us probably have some work to do; I know I sure do! In these short advent weeks and every day after, let us prepare the way of the Lord within our hearts, making clear a highway for him and his gifts to come rushing into our lives whenever he so wishes!
