ADVENT: A TIME TO PREPARE THE WAY

 by Fr. Gary Thurman

So the Church year begins anew, with another observance of the Season of Advent.  The cry of this Season, found in all four Gospels as well as in the Book of the prophet Isaiah, is to “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”  What does this mean, to prepare for the Lord, to make His paths straight?

Have you noticed how many obstacles you face in your life every day?  We desire to make a simple trip from point A to point B.  But there are so many obstacles in the street: the multitude of cars parked along the curb because of the lack of sufficient parking, the eighteen-wheeler creeping along in a residential community, the supposed roadside stand which has sprawled into a middle-of-the-highway palengke.  And then there is the worst obstacle of all: the MMDA officer who is supposed to “clear the way,” but whose directions actually become the worst deterrent to proper traffic flow. 

So, you decide to walk instead.  But the sidewalks, where you can find one, are likewise filled with impediments.  The sari-sari-store has decided to make the sidewalk passing in front of it the floor of its sales counter.  The missing cover for the storm drain is quite a hazard.  The broken chunks of concrete which used to be the sidewalk make travel that much harder.  And more recently, sidewalks all over Metro Manila have been obstructed by a mass of tarpaulin advertisements that are attached in wooden frames to the lampposts, hung so low that they effectively block the whole sidewalk for pedestrians every few meters.  Before, these posts were adorned with Christmas lights, wreaths, and other decorations at this time of year.  No more!  Now, they are the support for ads plugging everything from dangerous cosmetic surgery to unhealthy fast food to cheaply built condominiums.  Can we please have our sidewalks back? 

The storm drains are filled with obstructing tree toots, domestic garbage, and construction debris, so that they overflow with each moderate rain.  The paths to administrative justice are blocked by miles of red tape and outstretched hands looking for their tong.  The way of society seems to be obstructions, obstructions, everywhere.  And still the voice cries out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way!  Clear the path!” 

For Isaiah and John the Baptist, they were referring to obstructions of a more serious nature.  As Christians, we erect obstructions that keep us away from the ways of God.  We have our false idols, our pagan rituals, our selfish desires, and our stubborn ideas that stand in the way of the Kingdom of God being manifested in our lives.  So John cries out, “The Kingdom of God is at hand!  Clear out that junk!”  Because, as his preaching makes clear, it is righteousness that makes the Lord’s footsteps into a way.  (Psalm 85: 13) 

So, Advent is upon us.  The word for the Season is “Come!”  But when the Lord comes, will he find a wide, unfettered boulevard, or a clutter of obstructions that keep His glory from being revealed in us?  It is time for us to “Clear the way for the Lord; make smooth a highway for our God!”