PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD
Advent is a sacred time of longing and preparation for the Lord; a time for waking up to listen to the Spirit calling deep within us. The words of Isaiah in the First Reading bring to this Sunday’s liturgy a cry of consolation for a people desperate for peace. As we make a straight path to welcome the Lord into our lives, he gathers us up into his arms like a shepherd tenderly holding his lambs.
Peter’s letter in the Second Reading to the early Christian community teaches that the Lord wants no one to be lost: he desires for all to be gathered unto himself. Since we do not know the time of the Lord’s return, our prayerful preparations will draw us nearer to the peace that he promises.
The Gospel of Mark that we follow throughout this coming year begins the revelation of the Good News with that same call of the prophet Isaiah that began our readings: ‘Prepare a way for the Lord’. John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness, calls us to repentance and renewal. He baptises with water, but tells of the time when we will be made new by the Holy Spirit.
Source: Excerpted from the Scripture reflection courtesy of St Beuno’s Outreach in the Diocese of Wrexham, UK available at www.australiancatholics.com.au