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2nd Sunday of Advent Year C, 8th December

A Voice cries in the wilderness:
'Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight'
John the Baptist makes Isaiah's prophecy his own, as he ushers in a 'baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin'. As written in Isaiah, John is the fulfilment of that voice that cries out 'prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.' Isaiah told the people to make a pathway home from exile and John called us to prepare for our entry into the Kingdom. We are to take the 'highway' or 'motorway' and hear the 'sat nav' declare, 'you are still on the fastest route'.

We may need to make some repairs, filling in any 'potholes' in our relationship with God or even 'resurface' the entire carriageway of our life with a conversion back to His Word. For Isaiah's people, if the mistakes of the past that led to exile have not been learned, then the benefits of returning to Jerusalem will not be realised. For us, more than ever, being called to return to the Covenant that God has made with his people, is a call that remains counter cultural, 'a voice crying in the wilderness'; therefore, we must show that God's Word is alive and active in our life.

We must demonstrate that God's saving action in history forms our identity here and now and constitutes our frame of reference for how we, as God's People, live and engage with the culture in which find ourselves; and that our Christian perspective on sacrifice, goodness, and virtue is all directed towards eternal life. The Church is a 'light in the darkness', illuminating the path of truth and virtue, which forms a large part of our salvation in Christ. As such, may this Advent Season be one of hope and expectation.

God Bless, Fr Simon