In the last line of last weekend’s Advent-opening Gospel, Jesus finishes up with a single word that forms its own sentence: He says “Watch.” That is, stay awake & alert in order to stay alive. Wouldn’t we say the same thing while we’re driving in our cars? Yes! But Jesus ALSO has a specific reason for saying “Watch!” It’s because we DON’T know ahead of time WHEN or HOW God will come into our lives. You KNOW that Jesus wears many faces: strangers’ faces, families’ faces, friends’ faces, spouses’ faces, &grandparents and children’s faces. Jesus Christ comes to be with us: to get us ready to help us help others, and help us change for the better.
And we also have a connection in everyday language with what John the Baptist tells his disciples to do. Think about it: how do we describe our home preparation if people are coming to visit? Let’s straighten up! & how do we describe someone who’s chronically dishonest? As crooked as the day is long. So, if we are to take John the Baptist’s advice & follow his teaching to get closer to Jesus, who is truly John the Baptist’s cousin, we might pause from all our running around & ask ourselves a few things: First,
- What needs straightening up in my life, so I can have a healthier, happy, & holy life? Well, it might be things on which I waste time, energy, or thought. Like what? Like an addiction to gambling, or to gossiping, or even overeating or overdrinking: we can face them all! Remember the tag line from the earliest Lay’s potato chip commercials: they TAUNTED us saying, “Betcha can’t eat just one,” and most times, they were right! So, are any of those areas of our lives the DEAD zones that need help & refreshment? Now is a GOOD time to learn, as it’s good to learn WHEN it is the best time to speak, & WHEN it is the best time to be silent.
- John the Baptist ALSO tells us to make the crooked ways straight. Now, I never thought much about this before, but I now realize that as I imagine a crooked road heading out from me, it’s ME who is making things more difficult for Jesus come DIRECTLY to me. I can be the COMPLICATION. NOW, I can see that the crooked road is a symbol for ANY roadblock or obstruction I can set up, whether it’s an ACTIVE one like deciding not to pray daily, OR visits to websites where the material is not good for our spiritual/moral wellness. OR, and here’s one I’ve recently thought of: sometimes it feels necessary to ALWAYS have TV, the radio, a podcast, or some sound and noise going on. How am I supposed to hear Jesus with all those other sounds? Even if Jesus ignited sticks of dynamite standing right next to us, I might not hear what he’s saying, and I need to hear it.
So what’s the HEALTHY path like? It has generous portions of meditation, & prayer, & good quality spiritual reading, like the book we’re giving out this weekend about the Body of Christ: it reminds us that the Holy Communion we receive is the Body of Christ but that WE ARE the Body of Christ, too! We also practice good spiritual health when we thank God for the specific good people He has sent in our lives – the ones who generously & faithfully & joyfully share their gifts with us, all because God loves us. As God’s Word reminds us: “YOU are God’s work of art, shown forth in Christ Jesus our Savior!”
It’s good for us to face the truth, so that we can COMMUNICATE the truth to others. And the truth is that YOU are important to the One True God, who depends on you to make God’s divine words and divine breath a reality, so as many people as possible can be confident & know what we know. So, Happy Growth in God; Happy Divine Nourishment all week long; & Happy Advent to one & all.