The story of John the Baptist begins the Advent Season by calling us to repentance and preparation… for the Lord our God is near.

Those two words mean different things to different people, but each of us has an obligation to look deeply into our heart and soul and test the waters of forgiveness and reconciliation as they apply to those we love. Is our heart and soul really at peace with those around us or is there yet more work to do in terms of our relationships with others? It is very hard to prepare for the “Way of the Lord’ when there is anger and impatience within us.

The season of Advent, much like the season of Lent, gives us an opportunity to reflect on how well we are prepared to receive Christ at Christmas. Each of us is called to sanctity and make holy a season and a time which has been so secularized. How can we blame the world for using the season to “hawk” its goods while we do nothing to raise the sacred profile of Christ’s coming?

I ask each of us to walk in the footsteps of John the Baptist and prepare the “Way of the Lord” which is our duty and our responsibility, since we too are baptized into Christ just as John baptized so many at the Jordan River.