Advent 2 (Luke 3:1-6) Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.

If you want to visit the arctic you need to prepare for the cold. If you want to visit the tropics you need to prepare for the heat. If you want to experience God you need to prepare to meet Jesus.

Moses and the prophets understood this. Through careful observation of human behavior they came to realize that most people most of the time are not interested in God. Most people most of the time ignore or reject God.

Moses draws two important conclusions about human nature. The first conclusion is that God created human beings in His image and likeness. The image and likeness of God are love and holiness.

The second conclusion is that human beings have separated from God. We have not only separated from God we are stubbornly and willfully lost in separation.

The prophets declare that God designed humanity to walk with Him on a journey through this universe of matter, energy, time, and space. It is a journey that manifests the infinite and eternal love of God in the present moment. Sadly, through our own choice the journey we choose to take manifests fear, anxiety, pride and despair.

From time to time when I am using my GPS unit to find an address I hear the words: Sorry to inform you but you are going the wrong way. You need to turn around follow the directions more closely.

The last of the prophets, John the Baptist, brought this message to his generation. It is a message for all generations. John reminds us of the prophet Isaiah’s warning. We are off the path God invited us to take. We are not following the directions God gave us in the Bible. We are headed in the wrong direction. We are lost in a detour that keeps us trapped in the arrogance of self-will. We are going in circles of self-indulgence and self-deceit.

The path is straight. The detour spirals away. The path is illuminated by God’s word in the Bible. The detour very gradually and almost imperceptibly moves from light to twilight to darkness. The path is narrow to provide safety and security in the midst of temptation and danger. The detour is wide and broad and open to all manner of threat disguised as opportunity.

The prophets declare to us: prepare! Take personal responsibility for your life. Assume responsibility for your relationships with God, other people and the image and likeness of God imprinted on your soul. Your path is your choice.

The prophets teach us how to prepare. Make God’s paths straight. Avoid the detours. Trust the directions. Keep moving forward in the light to the light on the straightway of the light.

The Bible is the set of directions we need to take the journey. The Bible is not the journey. It is not the Way. The Way is Jesus. The journey forward is the personal relationship we cultivate with Jesus.

Jesus offers to meet us at the altar of sacrifice on the Seventh Day of Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Do you make the way into your heart and mind and will straight for him to meet you at the appointed time and at the appointed place?

Jesus sends us a teacher in the person of the Holy Spirit. Do you make the way into your thoughts, emotions and choices straight for the Holy Spirit by reading, studying and memorizing the Bible?

Jesus walks with us in the present moment of our lives. He walks with us in joy and sorrow, in pleasure and pain, in victory and defeat. Do you make your way with him straight through faith, hope and love?

It is your choice to take the one true straight path into the light of life. It is your choice to take one of many broad and enticing detours into the darkness of death.

On this second Sunday of Advent the last of the prophets cries out to us: Prepare. Make a choice. Set your course. Choose wisely.Walk in the light. Walk in the Way God has set before our species and each of us as individuals. It is the way of life. It is Jesus.