Scriptures:
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8
“Yesterday,” President Roosevelt said on December 8, “the
United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked.” He went on to say, “No matter how long it may
take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their
righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress
and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the
uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never
endanger us again.”[1]
December 7th 1942, a day that will live in
infamy. We hear the story of Pearl
Harbor every year at this time. It has
special meaning for the families who lost a loved one, a survivor, or those who
participated in WWII. Yet the magnitude
of this event did not come into my full understanding until returning home one
evening driving from the North Shore over the mountains on the Likelike
Highway. As I crested the mountain there
was a moment where I could see all of Pearl Harbor. The view from a mountaintop can be a whole
lot more than you might expect.
Advent comes around every year and each year we hear the
Isaiah prophecy. Isaiah 40 is an
invitation to the prophet’s mountain. The invitation from Isaiah is to come up and
to see and to hear; to come up and sit for a while and take in quite a
view. It’s a whole lot more than you
expect, sitting here and taking in Heaven and Earth and the promise of
God. Isaiah prophesied an almost
unthinkable message of hope to the captive Israelites. For two generations they have been in exile
and it is about to end. God has forgiven
Israel’s sins and is calling them back to the Promised Land. “Make straight in the wasteland a highway for
our God.” (Is 40:3) “Go up onto a
high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of the good news!” (Is 40:9)
Mark in citing Israel’s Sacred Scripture points to its
fulfillment with John the Baptist’s message of faith; “A voice of one crying
out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” (Mk 1:3) John’s ministry
is characterized by “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mk 1:4) Last week Msgr.
Page mentioned, “Advent is not a period of waiting, that there is something we
must do.” “Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand!” (Mt 3:2) Repentance involves getting one’s affairs in
order with a view to reconciliation with God. Mark’s description of John the Baptist’s
appearance (not wearing fine clothing), ministry setting (the wilderness – a
place outside the control of structured society) & his humility (“One
mightier than I is coming after me. I am
not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.”) highlights his role
in salvation history as the forerunner announcing the coming of the long
awaited Messiah.
Which highlights a question from our second reading, “…what
sort of persons ought you to be”? (2 Pt 3:11) Scripture tells
us everything will pass away, and when this happens “the earth and everything
done on it will be made known.” (2 Pt 3:10) John the Baptist
– the message of faith tells us, “Prepare the way of the Lord…” (Mk 1:3) “Prepare” the
key word for the Advent season. Prepare
for the fulfillment of God’s desire “not wishing that any should parish but
that all come to repentance.” Prepare a
space for the Holy Spirit who can guide us to all we need to be prepared for
the coming Messiah who desires for us to be with Him always & forever. Accept the invitation to the mountaintop of Isaiah;
listen for the voice crying out of the desert. Spend some time with these prophets who know
that all of Creation is shaped into a pathway from the wilderness to the Reign
of God.
John the Baptist’s message of faith, calls us to the
wilderness to discover whether we are in the midst of and aftermath of a Pearl
Harbor attack, in the midst of a Babylonian exile spanning two generations, or
in the midst of a personal desert experience, comes a highway for our God, a
highway of restoration and rebuilding and redemption.[2]
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