Tall Orders are a relative term

The first reading this weekend has some tall orders:

‘A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert. Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, let every cliff become a plain and the ridges a valley; then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed…’

The orders are ‘tall’ but not impossible.

Think of the mountainous pyramids of old, with precisions that still baffle scholars. Think of: Roman aqueducts spanning landscapes; today’s bridges and tunnels spanning kilometers; China levelling about 700 mountains to build more cities a decade ago; and reclaimed lands from the sea in the Netherlands and Middle East.

We can rightly call them “biblical” feats of engineering.

As the bible does so often, it takes our feats, boasts and achievements, and says, “you could do all that, but can you do something as simple as this?”

The expression, ‘simple as this’, inevitably is the act of reforming our hearts or conversion. Human history suggests it is not that ‘simple’.

Thank God then for the Christmas moment in our history where God came to us in a privileged way. He came unarmed and he came hoping to disarm our fears. If anything, Christmas becomes a time when God comes (Ad-ventus) to level our mountains and valleys. Our part becomes to welcome God in and accept his offer for a transforming and lifelong friendship.

As our Year of Yes draws to a close, we are moving into the Year of Invitation. May your welcoming God this Advent shape you to be a person who welcomes visitors and parishioners into your heart and into the life of this parish. See you in the week

See you in the week.

God bless, Fr. Francis