Advent is a time of preparation for the Coming of Jesus Christ into the world and into our lives.  The Coming of Jesus is the most important event of the past, present and future to impact our lives.  If your heart desires true peace and happiness, if your soul is seeking rest, if you want to live in the fullness of life, then you must take seriously the Coming of Jesus Christ both as an event of the past, of the present and of the future.  Taking seriously the Coming of Jesus means preparing our lives to receive him.

When we speak about preparations in the Advent season, often our minds turn to decorating the house, getting a Christmas tree, sending out Christmas cards, shopping for presents and arranging parties.  These are all fun things but they are not truly Advent activities and they can distract us and divert us from the true preparations of Advent that ready us for the encounter with the living God revealed in the Christ child.  The “holiday” preparations often come laden with anxiety and stress while the “Advent” preparations should give us a deep sense of peace and joy.  John the Baptist is the “herald” that announces the Coming of the Lord and so he is a true Advent guide.  His task is to awaken us and to turn our hearts and minds, our bodies and souls, and our entire lives back to the Lord.  I think that John’s message today would be to leave our holiday planning aside and turn toward heaven to prepare a way of faith in our hearts where Jesus might be born once again.

John the Baptist is a herald of freedom.  Other than Jesus and the Blessed Mother, there is no other person born that lived in greater freedom.  John proclaims freedom with his words and with his way of life.  He has truly cleared a path in his life for the Coming of Jesus, the Messiah.  Nothing will stand in John’s way of being “the voice of one crying out in the desert.”  John has no fear.  “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.” (2Tim 1,7)  He fears neither Herod nor death.  Even in Herod’s prison, the Voice continues to call all people to freedom and new life. “But the word of God is not chained.” (2Tim 2,9)  Freedom is an integral part of our Advent preparations.

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God…” (Mk 1,1)  The gospel begins with freedom.  “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Mk 1,3)  Freedom lies along the straight paths of the gospel.  Freedom is not license, as the world would see it, to have the capacity to choose whatever we want to choose.  Freedom is God’s gift of the power to become what we were meant to be; to follow a path of perfection. “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5,48)  Christian perfection is not some other-worldly ideal but rather is the realization of living to our full potential and dignity before God and the grace to live in the freedom of God’s children.  To be free is to live in the truth.  “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8,31f)  Freedom comes from choosing what is right, what is good, what is true and what is virtuous.  When we use our freedom to make a decision for Jesus and say “yes” to God’s will for our lives then we become truly free.  When we choose to do good and virtuous things in life then we grow in freedom.  Freedom implies responsibility.  In the exercise of freedom we must take responsibility for our actions.

“John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mk 1,4)  The obstacle of being free to receive the Coming of Jesus is sin.  To prepare the way of the Lord we must cleanse our lives of sin.  “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” (Jn 8,34)  If we use our freedom to choose sin then we become slaves of sin and we no longer live in the freedom of God’s children.  “If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.” (1Jn 1,9)  The forgiveness of sins prepares the way for the Lord to enter our lives.  “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5,1)  To remain free we must continue to choose the good and allow it to become a habit in our lives.  “For you were called for freedom, brothers.  But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.” (Gal 5,13)

St. Peter begs the question in his Letter to the Church, “What sort of persons ought you to be conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God…” (2Pt 3,11f)  We must remain free so that we might be able to freely receive the Lord when he comes.  John is the “sort of person” that we ought to be:  living in freedom, steadfast in faith, fearless in the proclamation of the gospel and washed clean of all sin.  In this way “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.” (Is 40,5)