As prophesied by the prophet Isaiah, there is a messenger sent ahead of the Messiah. Israel was a nation in waiting, waiting for the coming of the Messiah. However, the graces and blessings we receive through our faithful devotion to prayer, the Holy Mass, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation clear the way into our heart and soul for God’s love to take hold, giving us the light of hope for our daily living. When we know we’re going to have company, we make the house ready to receive them. The Way of the Lord is the everyday path we walk, while God gets on with the work of moving heaven and earth toward to the ultimate restoration of all things. It would be bad news if the Lord waited for us to get our acts together before the Lord entered. (Make way!) This new life was made possible when the Blessed Virgin said to the Angel Gabriel: “May it be done to me according to your word.” [Luke 1:38] Mary’s openness to the love of God, by her own free will, brought new life into this world—the life of Jesus Christ. Carol also is a member of the World Apostolate of Fatima (USA) and a member of Association Jeanne Jugan, a Catholic lay organization that provides individuals with an opportunity to share in the spirituality of the Little Sisters of the Poor. How do we prepare the way of the Lord? FR. The Greek word “metanoia” we translates into repentance can mean“a changing of heart and mind.” The Hebrew word “shuv” we translate into repentance means “a turning of life.” We prepare for Christ with a changing of heart and mind, with a turning of life. Make Ready the Way Of the LORD. When we change the commas we actually change the whole meaning of the verses. The Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace. Prepare the way of the Lord. With the help of Mary's loving intercession, the Son of God comes to live within us and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Make way! And like Isaiah drawing on a metaphor of kings in his day to announce God’s work, Mark also drew on royal imagery used in his day. Clearly, John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus as all four quotes above demonstrate. “Make straight the way!” is the cry of St. John the Baptist. First, consider Mary’s Immaculate Conception. The royal and divine road comes from Babylon to Jerusalem.Centuries later, in writing his gospel, St. Mark sees this prophecy fulfilled in John the Baptist announcing the arrival of Jesus. A soldier and his wife were preparing for the baptismal party of their baby girl when the chaplain arrived for the baptism. As we share in the preparation for our Savior’s first coming, we renew our ardent desire for our Lord’s second coming. ( Log Out / Isaiah’s audience is described this way by theologian Brian Peterson: “Isaiah 40 addresses Israel in exile, people who have had all the stable structures of life ripped away, who have been caught in the turmoil of international power and politics, whose lives have become characterized by defeat and hopelessness.”. However, they did not give up hope that God may send the Messiah, who would save them. Her article on Marian devotions is featured in the May 2017 issue of Catholic Update and Liguorian magazine. 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. Bearing no stain of original sin, no barriers or obstacles blocked Mary’s faith in God. For Isaiah’s audience, this message was welcome relief and a hopeful message. Awaiting with expectation and preparing to receive the Lord are two important aspects of the Advent season. The closer we are to our Lord, the closer we are to our perfection. True, we are susceptible to sinful temptation on our life’s journey. I am a follower of Jesus, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and living the kind of patriotism Adlai Stevenson described as "not a short, frenzied outburst of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." Good News is not found in the efforts of an earthly king clinging to power, or in the preparations of an earthly king assuming power. In the midst of every difficult or strange occurrence, as Believers we must continue to believe the Lord will make a way … “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, says God, cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” Isaiah proclaimed to the people their season of punishment had passed … the season of forgiveness and restoration had arrived. We are God’s beloved children, brothers and sisters in Christ, by way of the Holy Spirit. AMPC A voice of one who cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord [clear away the obstacles]; make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God! ** I’m not claiming that this organization of five big categories is presented as such in the Bible. When the railroad was first built decades ago, it was built as railroads have always been built – to be as flat and straight as possible. Ultimately, the Good News on this Second Sunday of Advent, is not found in our ability to adequately make straight the way of the Lord. In the spirit of repentance, and to make straight the way of the Lord, many in this congregation have been studying race and racism. There is one only mode of "preparing" it - the mode adopted by John Baptist ( Matthew 3:2-12 ), the mode pointed out by the angel who announced him ( Luke 1:17 ), the mode insisted on in the Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent.