Letter: Do you make straight the path of the Lord?
A reflection on the Scripture readings of the second Sunday of Advent (Lk 3:1-6)
Dear Brothers and sisters,
Have you ever thought of a hilly and treacherous road being a sign of the fallen world that we live in? Due to the sin of our first parents, our fallen condition is first and foremost within our soul, intellect and will. We see this reflected in the world we live in as well: the breakdown of the family, a division within communities, nations warring against each other, and the list goes on. We see this symbolized in nature as well with storms and natural disasters.
All of this creates difficulty in communion. Healthy communion with one another and communion with God.
Scripture gives us another sign of this difficulty with the treacherous terrain that God must journey to establish this communion with man and woman. “Valleys,” “hills,” “winding roads,” and “rough ways” are all signs of this difficult path of communion that we now experience.
The path of our journey to God, or rather I should say, God’s path to us, should be smooth and easy, at least in a perfect world. But it is not perfect; not since the sin of our first parents. However, in God’s great rescue plan, He desires to reestablish a smooth and easy way of communion with Him. When we cooperate with God’s grace, we make low the hills, fill the valleys, make straight the winding roads and make smooth the rough ways.
With God’s help we must create an easy path for God to come to us. If God is not able to make contact with you then will not experience the salvation He wants for you. When we hear His Word and act on it, we fill the valleys. When we become men and women of prayer while truly loving others as ourselves and God above all things, we make smooth the rough ways. When we have a heart for repentance and seek the Sacrament of Confession regularly, we make straight the winding roads. When we put a stake in the ground and say I will take my family to Mass every weekend, we make low the mountains.
Brothers and sisters, what does God’s path to your soul look like? Is it treacherous? Does it go every direction but straight? May we be strengthened in responding to God’s grace in order to make a smooth and straight highway to our souls so as to receive that ultimate communion with God.
In Christ,
Father Jeff Read
Holy Family Church
