Introduction
Great personages announce their official visits ahead of time. This provides people with an opportunity to prepare for the visit, so as to be able to be ready for it. When the president of a country goes somewhere on an official visit, a whole team of security personnel, media workers, and diplomats goes in ahead of time, getting everything ready.
We do the same thing when we have an important guest coming over for dinner. We want the visit to go well; we don't want our guest to be neglected or saddened by a cold or sloppy welcome.
That's exactly what's happening in today's Gospel passage. John the Baptist is Christ's precursor, the one sent to announce his coming and get people ready to welcome him. John the Baptist plays a central role in our Advent liturgy, because this is the season during which the Church recalls Christ's first coming, readies itself to welcome him at his new, spiritual coming this Christmas, and looks forward to his definitive, second coming at the end of history.
The word "Advent" actually originates from the Latin term for "coming towards." Jesus is "coming towards" us in a new way this Christmas, and the message of John the Baptist is meant to help us get ready.
Luke emphasizes the incomparable importance of Christ's coming by pointing out how the Old Testament had prophesied not only the arrival of Jesus, but even the appearance of the precursor, John. And that prophecy, which summarizes John's message, offers us two lessons.
What We Should Do
First it tells us what to do in order to get ready for Christ's comings in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We are to "prepare the way," filling in valleys, leveling hills, straightening crooked roads, and smoothing out rough paths.
The imagery comes from a typical scene in the ancient world (before concrete and asphalt highways). When a king or emperor made the rounds of his territories, his officials would travel ahead of him, making sure that the roads were safe and in good condition (roads were notoriously unreliable in Isaiah's time, long before the establishment and spread of the Roman Empire). This assured that he wouldn't be delayed and would be less vulnerable to enemy ambushes.
Likewise, we are called to examine our own souls on a regular basis, especially in this joyful but penitential season of Advent.
We need to take some time to step away from the noise, from the hustle and bustle of our busy world. We need to look into hearts, to see where selfishness has put obstacles in our relationships with God and with other people.
We need to see where habits of laziness and self-indulgence have worn away our self-discipline. All of us need to fill in some spiritual potholes and clear away some unwelcome debris, so that the graces God has in store for us this Advent will be able to stream unhindered into our hearts.
The heart is the road God wants to follow so as to come into and transform our lives; it is up to us to do the necessary repairs to allow that to happen.
There is no better first step for doing that, of course, then preparing and making a good confession.
Why We Should Do It
Second, Isaiah tells us why we should prepare our hearts for Christ's comings. He writes: "all flesh shall see the salvation of God." This is a beautiful reminder that we, meaning both the entire human family and each of us individually, need God's grace.
The peace, meaning, and joy that we thirst for above all else is out of our sinful reach. We need someone to bring it to us, to search us out in this desert of our earthly exile and give us the waters of eternal life.
We need a Savior. If we didn't need a Savior, if we were able to give ourselves the meaning and fulfillment we yearn for, then Jesus Christ would never have had to come to earth. God would not have had to invent Christmas. We would not need Advent – in fact, we wouldn't need religion at all. But the fact is that we do. This fallen world, and our fallen human nature, has been poisoned by sin, and only God has the antidote: grace.
Jesus is always coming into our lives with his saving grace, just as he came so dramatically at the first Christmas two thousand years ago. He always wants to bring us closer to God, closer to the fullness of life that we long for. But he won't force his way in – he respects us too much to do that.And that's why we need to prepare our hearts to welcome him.
Conclusion: Getting Others Involved
Christ came to earth, at the first Christmas, to be our Savior. He wants to come again spiritually this Christmas, to let us experience more fully the grace of his salvation.
And he will come again at the end of history to bring his plan of salvation to its final fulfillment. This is our God, a God who is lovingly and powerfully involved in our world and our lives. A God who wants to be more and more involved.
All the Advent activities that we engage in: spending more time in prayer, using the sacrament of reconciliation, lighting Advent wreathes, and decorating our houses for Christmas… These are all designed to encourage us to let him be more involved.
If we haven't started those activities yet, it is not too late – with our God, the God of omnipotent mercy, it is never too late. As we continue with this Advent Mass, we should thank God for reminding us of his action in our lives, of his goodness and power. And we should ask him to help us do our part in these weeks still remaining before Christmas.
But we should also realize that we are the lucky ones. We are here today, listening to God's Word, being reminded of his plan, being encouraged in our faith. But what about all those people who are not here today. Jesus came to save them too. They are in the pit and in need of a ladder as much as we are.
Maybe part of our preparation for Christmas can be spreading the good news, reminding others that God wants to be involved in their lives, no matter what they may have done, just as God has reminded us.