At the beginning of each Advent we hear the cry of Saint John the Baptist echoing the words of the prophet Isaiah, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths (Mt. 3:3; cf. Is. 40:3). We all know about preparing because the month of December is consumed with preparation. We wrap gifts, plan Christmas parties, and address the many Christmas cards we will send. But, of course, Advent is not really about those types of preparation. It is the time for spiritual preparation for Christmas, and, indeed, to ponder more deeply the mystery of God made man. The preparation of each Advent is about “making straight” the way for the Lord.
The “S”-curve
Just south of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the major interstate running through the hills of Kentucky, there was a stretch of highway which was notorious for accidents. In addition to being on a hill there was a very dangerous “S”-curve in the road. Invariably a tractor trailer would not slow down soon enough and it would topple over taking with it all the cars around it. Finally, after much planning and financial speculation, the civil authorities changed the pattern of the road so that the “S”-curve would no longer be as severe.
In our spiritual lives, we can be a lot like those vehicles which traveled that section of highway. We carry burdens, weighed down by life, and still we move ahead. We pick up speed as we move along; as long as we travel along the straight paths of the Lord there will be no difficulties. However, once we come to a turn in the road, we have to be prepared to slow down or even stop altogether. If not, we run the same risk as those unprepared truck drivers.
Sin-curves
Just as there was that dangerous “S”-curve in the highway, there are dangerous “S”-curves in our lives. Quite simply, they are our sins; they are the sin-curves that take us off the path stretched out before us. Make straight the way of the Lord ultimately means to be freed from our sins—to be straightened out, so to speak.
Think about what sin does each and every time we choose it. Sin slows us down as we move towards the Lord. We lose our momentum and very often our resolve to be faithful. Sin causes damage to ourselves and very often to those around us. Sin can even be fatal and leave us wrecked at the side of the road. The sin-curves in our lives are the times when we determine what we will do, regardless of what the Lord’s will might be or even of what the teaching of the Church might reveal. The sin-curves rise up when we wander off the straight path the Lord has given us, only to realize how far we have traveled away from him, and even ourselves.
Straight path
The sin-curves in our lives can only fully be examined in the light of the confessional. There, confessing our sins to the priest, who acts in the person of Christ, we open that straight path to our heart. We look back on the road we have traveled and recognize the times that we have chosen to drive elsewhere. Confession and Advent go hand in hand: John the Baptist preached repentance and revealed Christ as the one who can free us from those sins.
When they reconstructed that highway, it was better than before, but it still wasn’t completely straight. When the Lord reconstructs us this Advent we will be, not because of ourselves, but because of his grace at work within us. His paths will be straight to the innermost depths of our soul. Then we will have made the best preparation possible for the celebration of Christmas and still have time to write those Christmas cards.
© Mag December 2003
