The Voice Crying Out in the Wilderness!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

December 6, 2015

Today’s Gospel taken from Luke 3:1-6 tells us that John the Baptist began his public ministry by touring the region of the Jordon and preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins, just as it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah “A voice of one crying out in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” 

Sister and brothers, those words of prophet Isaiah were first addressed to the old Israel. But as the New Israel, it is also addressed to us. A profitable way of reading and meditating on the Old Testament is for us, Christians, to see ourselves as the “new Israel.” Like the old Israel, we have also been called to a covenant relationship with God. Like the old Israel, we have not been faithful to that covenant relationship. Like prophet Isaiah, John the Baptist invites us to submit to God by removing every hesitations, obstacles, hinderances, and impediments we have allowed to clutter our hearts. Those impediments inhibit and prevent the influx of grace that God sends to us. On this second Sunday of Advent, the Church urges us to rid ourselves of anything that is foreign or alien in the Kingdom of God. 

You know, the problem with contemporary Christians is not that they sin. From the beginning of creation, humanity has always struggled with sin. We all sin! Isaiah 53:6 says “Like a sheep, we all have gone astray.” In Romans 3:23, St. Paul maintains that, “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” The problem with today’s Christians is that we treat sin with levity. Sometimes, we celebrate it. The problem is not that we sin. The problem is that when we sin, we call it a mistake. There is a difference between a mistake and transgression. A mistake is an error in judgment— something we do unintentionally like pouring salt into a cup of coffee, thinking it was sugar, turning onto a one-way street and going the wrong way. These mistakes may happen because are are distracted or careless and not paying attention. But sin or a transgression is more than a mistake. It is a deliberate choice to do something we know is wrong. Mistakes are made unintentionally, but transgression or sin is deliberately done. Unlike a mistake, we choose to sin. We need to understand the difference between the two and call it what it is. Calling sin a mistake is avoiding responsibility. Any refusal to accept the responsibility of our wrongdoing may prevent us from seeking repentance, forgiveness and healing. If we deny it, we can’t get healed. The problem with us today is that when we sin, we rarely have some guilt. We call it unavoidable. Guilt is God’s gift designed to encourage us to move to repentance and reconciliation. Genuine guilt oftentimes leads to repentance, confession and then healing. Some people blame their wrongdoing on others. Some call it their neighbor’s fault or the devil’s fault:  “The devil made me do it.” Like Eve, we don’t take responsibility for our actions. We sin and still claim that sin has not made us sinners, that we are still good people. We sin and give reasons to justify our actions. We sin and never feel remorse or guilty of wrongdoing. We sin and claim that we are not hurting anybody, rather catching fun. We call sin, fun! Any message that condemns sin is equally condemned, and the preacher is seen as outdated, old-school, out-fashion and out of touch with the real life. 

Last Sunday, I said that Advent is a period of preparation and getting ready, not only to celebrate the historic birth of Jesus, but to celebrate his rebirth in our hearts and lives. This concept of Advent as a season of making adequate preparation for the coming or arrival of the Savior of the world is specifically highlighted in today’s Gospel: “Prepare the way of the Lord…” But How do we begin this preparation?

This is what the voice crying out in the desert has urged us to do: 

1. Prepare the way of the Lord— Clear the weeds of wrongdoing. Be in the right disposition. 
2. Make straight his path— Live a straightforward life. No double standardness.
3. Every valley shall be filled— Flee from spiritual shallowness. Know your faith, preach your faith, practice your faith. Talk about it at home, at work, on the street, everywhere by words and most importantly by the actions of your life. 
4. Every mountain and hill shall be made low— Remove every hesitation to falling in love with God. Uproot every spiritual stumps. Give up resistance to the word of God. Jettison habits like excessive drinking, gossiping, porn viewing, substance abuse and even food abuse. When any of these habits grows, they clutter our hearts and minds, and make it harder for us to be holy, to be the best version of ourselves, to love God wholeheartedly, please him and serve him with utmost devotion, dedication and commitment. 
5. The winding roads shall be made straight— Renew your baptismal promise to follow the way of Jesus. His way is easy and his burden is light. Stop suffering alone. Stop living alone in the cold. End your loneliness lonely journey by inviting Jesus to journey with you. Without him, life is painful and purposeless.
6. And the rough ways made smooth— Confess your sin through the sacrament of reconciliation, receive mercy, pardon and absolution. Sin makes our life rough, but God’s mercy smoothens it. Sin makes our life dull, but God’s mercy brightens it. Sin makes our life difficult, but God’s mercy makes a way even when there seems to be no way. Sin leads to darkness, God’s mercy brings and leads to light. 

And when we have accomplished all these by the grace of Jesus Christ who loved us and died for us, we all shall see the salvation of God.