Dear Friends,
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is 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.” Isaiah 4
In this Gospel for the Second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist calls for roads to be cleared, rough ways smoothed and mountains levelled. This call touches me more deeply this year because of the Thanksgiving snow storms in New York State.
The media shared the storm with everyone, so that even if our road was clear, we watched plows push through drifted highways. We saw drivers skid and slide and creep along because of snow and ice. We watched residents dig their way out the front door and clear sidewalks for others. We looked on as Bills spectators and two teams cheerfully coped with snow and a slippery field.
John’s words are a call to individual believers. We are familiar with our individual crooked roads and blocked paths. Our way may be blocked by discouragement and addiction. Loss or illness may throw us off the road or make it difficult to care for ourselves and others. A betrayal by a loved one may leave us broken down by the side of the road, in need of help.
John’s call is also a call to communities. A family may need to refresh their ways of reaching each other. A parish may be stuck in practices that block membership or community. A nation may need to reconsider exclusionary regulations that block the path for new citizens.
This Advent, let’s ask ourselves: What closed roads need to be opened? What crooked ways need to be straightened?
~ Susan Schantz SSJ
