The Christmas season of 2019 gives us both a beginning and an end. First, it is the start of another blessed year in our Catholic faith, which we celebrate with the birth of Our Lord. Secondly, 2019 also marks the end of a decade. I believe that we are at the precipice, and what we do today will impact the days ahead.
The question of how we go back to God is a simple one, but there will be many ways to answer it. Today, I would like to consult with the powerhouse of the Bible that is St. John The Baptist.
This guy was just amazing. Just imagine the character of the man who called out and stood up against a king. St. John The Baptist was strong, courageous, and passionate. We can expect no less from he who the Bible calls “the voice that cried out in the middle of the wilderness”, calling the people to be reconciled to God. In other words, the mission of St. John The Baptist was to prepare the people for the Gospel who is Jesus Christ Himself.
At this point, let’s do a quick review of Isaiah 40:3-5 which is very rich material for quiet reflection:
“A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; and in the desert a straight highway for our God.
The locations in which the verse is placing us is very important. The Scripture is telling us that we need to prepare the way of God “in the wilderness”, meaning to say that we need to make an effort to give Him easy access to us amidst the noise and mess of day-to-day life. When He calls us, will we hear Him? If today we hear His voice, will we answer His call?
Meanwhile, “in the desert” translates to our places and moments of solitude. When a person is alone, he is called to build a straight highway for God. Here in Metro Manila where the traffic is a reality, the idea of an empty road and fast commute is almost heavenly. It is fitting and strangely relevant imagery for the Bible to ask us to give God a highway to the heart.
Both in the loneliness of our souls and in the busyness of our lives, a straight path for God means that when He knocks, our doors are open. When He comes, our souls are ready to receive Him. The message of St. John The Baptist begins with an openness to God, a soul that expects Him.
Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be lowered; the rough ground will become level, and the mountain ridges made a plain. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all humanity will see it at once; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
In a homily from 2018, the priest explained it in this way: “the valleys, mountains and its ridges, as well as the rough grounds” all represent our excesses and our shortcomings. These images were meant to focus our attention to our defects; the weaknesses, flaws, and imperfections in our character that discourage us and possibly causes us to sin.
When a soul is burdened with the weight of past mistakes, the guilt of bad habits and questionable life choices, as well as the anger and hurt from past trauma and negative experiences, the soul tends to close in upon itself. It is overwhelmed. There is no peace, and the ego holds on to the past for its identity. It cannot accept new information; cannot change its own limiting beliefs, and more importantly, it cannot move forward.
But the good news is, the presence of God in our lives (because we have opened ourselves to Him) is enough to set us free. The Lord has given us our identity as the children of God. And as God’s children, we need to recognize our dependence on God and in doing so, begin to trust Him more and more. He is in control of our lives, and all things happen for the good of those who love Him. He is above any circumstance, situation, or challenge that we may be facing.
Forgiveness is the highway
However, we can only embrace this new identity after leaving behind the old one. To leave our past selves behind means to accept what has happened – both the good and the bad – for what it is, and to set it right if needed. Only then can we be free. And so the core of making straight the path for God is forgiveness. Jesus showed us the way. Christ, in His perfect example, taught us that the forgiveness and mercy of God will give us the grace to forgive others and to forgive ourselves. He is our Teacher, our Healer, and our Redeemer. God is the loving Father who runs to His prodigal son with open arms. He has showed us His love and mercy so that we can feel secure as we go through the process. It starts and ends with Him.
How do we then experience the forgiveness of God? We pray. We go to the Sacrament of Confession to feel God’s tenderness and His love. All we need to do is to ask for the grace to accept and let go of what is past, and follow God where He leads.
Our great consolation is the promise that His path is that of unconditional love, the kind that saves.
Magis Catholic 
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