The season of Advent presents us with themes of promise and preparation. The promise is of a Savior and a new world order. This promise began with the story of creation and Adam and Eve and the events of the Hebrew scriptures, and it continues to the present day, as God continues to create and do new things in our midst. The preparation is our role in this unfolding of salvation history.
Pope Francis in his new book, “Let us Dream,” reminds us that we are called to transformation, not simply to escape the past, but to participate in the creation of a new future, one more in keeping with gospel values. Conversion comes through remembrance and dealing with the past in a positive way.
The new world order that Jesus inaugurates is a call to reconciliation, to move forward in the Spirit of Christ, the spirit of unity, the spirit of our common humanity. The global pandemic we are experiencing offers us the opportunity to examine how we live together, how we are called to self-sacrifice for the common good, how individualism and selfishness are dead ends, and to make some fundamental changes in how we treat each other.
The call of John the Baptist to “Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight his paths” refers not simply to the days leading up to the birth of Jesus. It is an ongoing preparation and investment that the Reign of God continue to grow in our world. My photos this week depict elements of nature and of constructed objects, all of which serve to remind us of our call to care for our earth and for each other.
“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you. He will prepare your way. A voice crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight his paths.'” (Mark 1:2-3)
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Very nicely done ! Gerry Callahan BC High ’69
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Thanks, Gerry. Merry Christmas!
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