Prepare the way of the Lord!
Homily preached December 10, 2023
by Monsignor Michael Deering

We are very blessed to have a sizeable Hospital right here in Tuscaloosa.

I have visited many of our parishioners there many times over the past 7 years.

And beginning one year ago ... DCH have embarked on a major project ...

to build a new, more attractive and accessible Front Entrance ...

while incorporating more accessible parking.

As I visited in the hospital several times over the past week ...

I could see that they are making good progress on their huge endeavor. 

It’s obvious that great amounts of money and effort are being invested.

 What exactly are they doing?

• They’re lowering old decks and filling in voids.
• They’re removing pillars and spreading rock.
• They’re building new ramps and entrances.
• They’re closing access roads and adding new ones.

Why are they doing this?

They’re doing all this … so that a growing number of people can have access to the medical care provided there ... and do it in a safe and efficient way.

While you might call all the work they’re doing ... “construction”,    

it’s really more than that …

it’s construction for sure … but it’s also “de-struction” and “re-construction”.

As I said, they’re lowering and filling ... they’re removing and spreading ...

and they’re closing and adding

So actually, their “construction” involves 3 things:

They’re taking down ... and redesigning ... and building up ....

to end up with ... a more efficient and more attractive Hospital.

And for me, it’s easy to see how all the work that that they are doing  …

in a very real way ... represents all the work

that we need to be doing within ourselves ...

a holier person ... that will easily enter through the Gates of Heaven.

Yes, all of us need to be about the work of ...

construction, de-struction and re-construction ...

of our hearts ... our minds ... and our souls.

In our First Reading, the Prophet Isaiah foretells that the day will come when

“A voice (would) cry out in the desert prepare the way of the Lord!”

And what would that preparation look like?                 Isaiah says:

“Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low …

Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.”

And sure enough, the first verse of Mark’s Gospel, just proclaimed, announced:

“As is written in Isaiah the prophet:

Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.”

And indeed he did!    God’s messenger was the holy man, John the Baptist.  

John the Baptist appeared on the scene in advance of his cousin Jesus ... to prepare the people to receive ... Jesus’ message and His forgiveness thru the Holy Spirit.

So, John announced, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

John performed a baptism … but not a baptism that forgave sins.

Rather, his was a baptism of repentance to prepare them for forgiveness of sins.

What happened when John cried out to people to prepare themselves for the Lord?

Mark records in his Gospel that:

“People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem

were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River

as they acknowledged their sins.”

What does that tell you?

It tells you that people know they are sinners.

The people knew it 2000 years ago … and we people know it today.

We are sinners. All of us are guilty of offending God and neighbor,

    We do this regularly ... and we do it often ... don’t we?  

So then what do we need to do...  for us to be ready for ... the day of the Lord?

We need to do our own Construction ... Destruction ... and Reconstruction!

We do this by repenting of our past sins and turnimg our lives around

by mending our ways and making straight our paths.

Yes, we need to lower the mountains of our pride ...

and fill in the valleys of our love.

We need to demolish those habits that are sinful ......

and build bridges of love between God and neighbor.

If John the Baptist felt that the people of his time needed

to prepare their way and make straight their paths,

how much more do we today need to take action

to prepare our ways and make straight our paths!

That’s the purpose of this 3-week season of Advent before Christmas.

It’s the special time where we:

prepare to celebrate the First coming of Jesus 2023 years ago as Savior ... and

prepare to experience the Second coming of Jesus at the end of time as Judge. 

Oh ... how important this is!

In our Second Reading today, St. Peter warns us of the Second Coming, saying:  , “the day of the Lord will come like a thief,

and the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar.”

It’s an image that naturally fills us with fear and trembling.

So, Peter asks the question, “Since everything is to be dissolved in this way,

what sort of persons ought you to be?”

And he guides us, “Conduct yourselves in holiness and devotion and …

be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him.”

Are you ready for the Final Judgment?

There’s only one way to get ready … and that’s to repent of your sins ...

and turn away from committing any more.

God will forgive you if you repent ... and change your ways.

St. Peter declares in his Second Letter today,   “God is patient with you,

not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

I urge you to take advantage of this Season of Advent and go to Confession.

There is simply no better way to prepare yourself for the celebration of Christmas.

Tomorrow night, Monday, the 11^th of December,

4 Priests will be here at Holy Spirit to hear confessions for 3 hours!

Fr. Tom Ackerman and Fr. Mugagga from St Francis Church ... along with ...

Fr. Victor and myself will hear confessions from 5 to 8 PM.

Come at 5 or 5:30 ... or 6 or 6:30 ... or 7 or 7:30

and get in line and pray and prepare yourself ...

to make a good confession and receive forgiveness of your sins!

You know ... John the Baptist wasn’t the only Holy person that God sent

to remind people to get ready for His Son.

No, God has sent many people over the years.

And 500 years ago ... God sent His Most Holy Mother, Mary ...

to remind the people of Mexico to get ready for His Son.

For they were worshipping false Aztec gods and offering child sacrifice to them.

So, Mary, the Mother of the One True God appeared to the man Juan Diego on his way to Mass and asked him to approach the Bishop to have a Temple built there as a place of healing for the Mexican people.

After presenting the Bishop with Roses in winter and his own Tilma (shawl) that had been miraculously marked with the image of Mary as a young Mexican woman ... a beautiful Temple was built and some 8 Million Mexicans became Catholic!

John the Baptist’s call 2000 years ago and Mary’s call 500 years ago is the same call to all of us today ... “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

Just as reconfiguring DCH Hospital involves action,

so too, reconfiguring our lives involves action.

It involves construction … building bridges between God and neighbor.

It involves de-construction … removing sinful thoughts and actions from our day

It involves re-construction … replacing actions (such as wasting time) ...

with holy endeavors (such as prayer and good works).

As we continue in Advent, let’s take advantage of ...

God’s never-ending love for us ...

His on-going call to repentance ...

and His offer to have “the joy of Christmas”  forever in Heaven!

Amen.