In today’s Gospel, we hear of John the Baptist saying: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.” As we walk on in life, are there things, persons, issues that block the road ahead of us in our journey to God’s heart?
Advent is the time for cleaning up, and clearing up. It is that painful but liberating time to let go of excess baggage that we do not need for the journey. It is the time for getting rid of things, habits, mind sets, situations, and even persons that harm us, and destroy us. Let go… let God! This season of Advent is an opportune time for us to assess how prepared we are for this coming of Jesus into our lives. Do we have room for Him in our hearts? Are we willing to turn away from persons, things, events, places that drive us away from following the Lord completely? How can we welcome Christ, how can we receive God’s grace! How can we enter the promised land with him, if we have no room in our hearts for him, if we are not prepared?
This is advent. Time to empty ourselves in order to prepare a room in our hearts for Christ. Maybe my heart is full of pride, anger, selfishness. To empty ourselves means to repent. That is why John the Baptist, the voice of Advent calls us to repent, to change direction, and to face a new way of life. My friends, to repent is a change of attitude toward life, and toward the things we think important now. To repent is not saying I am sorry over and over again, to repent is doing things in a new way, a way that allows Christ to enter more deeply into your hearts. To repent is to be more sensitive to the ways God comes into our lives all year long. If you say you are really sorry for your sins, prove it and
come to the Sacrament of Penance, if you say you welcome the Christ Child this Christmas, show it by your works of charity and love. Let us ask God the grace to repent and empty ourselves in order to welcome Jesus in our hearts.
