Preparing the Way with Pope Francis

Homily for 2^nd Sunday of Advent Year C 2015

Baruch 5:1-9; Philippians 1:3-6,8; Luke 3:1-6

Introduction

This year I have had the privilege of having Pope Francis visit both the USA my adopted home, and Uganda my original home.  Watching the Ugandan visit on TV last week, I noticed how many places had been spruced up.  Roads that I know to be unpaved, were paved; churches that I know to be in disrepair were renovated; even the airport received a touch of paint.  All these preparations were made, because of the high esteem in which the Ugandan people hold their guests, especially the Pope.

Scripture and Theology

No wonder then that John the Baptist uses the same image of preparing roads, to teach about the coming of the Messiah.  Quoting from the Prophet Isaiah, John speaks of himself as the voice crying out in the desert, telling people to prepare the way for the Lord, to make straight his paths, to fill in every valley and level every mountain.

They are to do this preparation by repenting of their sins and coming to him for a baptism of repentance; this baptism would be the visible sign of the change happening in their hearts.  And indeed many people heard the message of John, left behind their evil ways and came to be baptized.  So when Jesus the Messiah finally showed up they were ready to become his disciples.  In fact, some of the close disciples of Jesus like Andrew, were first disciples of John the Baptist.

We read this passage about John the Baptist during Advent, because its message is relevant for our Advent celebration.  While John's message prepared the people for the First Coming of Jesus, this same message should prepare us for the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of time.  We too must prepare the way for the Lord, make straight his paths, fill in the valleys and level the mountains in our lives.

The people in Africa who were making preparations for the visit of Pope Francis perhaps did not realize that he was coming to them, to help them make preparations for the arrival of an even greater guest, Jesus Christ Our Lord.  I would like to suggest that like John the Baptist, the Pope, wherever he goes, teaches people to prepare the way for the Lord.  I would like to share the three messages that Pope Francis preached in each of the three African countries that he visited, messages that can also help us prepare us for the Coming of the Lord.

The first stop for Pope Francis was Kenya, which happens to be where my mother was born.  Perhaps you know about Kenya because of the great long-distance runners that come from there; I am not one of them.  The Pope described Kenya as a country blessed with great human and natural resources. And to them, his message was: “Be strong in the faith, do not be afraid.”

This was a welcome message for a country that has faced terrorists attacks over and over again: the bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi in 1998, the attacks at a shopping Centre two years ago, and the attack at a University earlier this year in which nearly 150 students were killed.  But he told the Kenyans that being strong in the faith also meant protecting the environment and carrying out economic development that is fair, inclusive and sustainable, and for the young people, growing in peace and fraternity.

The next stop for the Pope was Uganda, my home country.  Most Americans of a certain age know about Uganda because of the notorious dictator Idi Amin.  But the Pope was there to focus on another group of famous Ugandans, the twenty-two martyrs who gave up their lives for the faith 130 years ago.  That is why his message for Ugandans was: “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

As he challenged Ugandans to be witnesses like the martyrs, he also thanked them for their witness: the witness of catechists who teach the faith; the witness of charity seen in the many communities that serve the poorest, the disabled, to the sick; the witness of the young who, despite their difficulties, guard the gift of hope and seek to live according to the Gospel and not according to the world; the witnesses of priests and the religious who give themselves completely to God and his people; and of course the witness of the missionaries who brought the faith in the first place.  This witness had become the leaven for the entire society, as seen in Uganda's successful fight against AIDS and Uganda's welcoming of refugees from neighbouring countries over the last seventy years.

The last stop of the Pope's African voyage was the Central African Republic, a country which gets its name from its location in the heart of the continent.  It is also a country experiencing internal conflicts and great suffering; where Catholic priests have had to protect Muslim refugees in the Church compounds as their parishioners tried to storm the gates.  That is why his message for them was: “Let us go over to the other shore” (Lk 8:22), words that Jesus used in the gospel to invite the disciples to cross the lake with him.

With these words Pope Francis invited the people to leave behind war, divisions, misery, and cross over to the side of peace, reconciliation, development, a journey that starts in people's consciences, attitudes and intentions.  And the Pope himself walked the talk, by visiting an Evangelical community, a mosque and a refugee camp for Muslim refugees.  It is in this war-torn country that, albeit a week early, the Pope opened the first Holy Door of the Jubilee of Mercy, as a sign of faith and hope for that country, for Africa and for the world.

Christian Life

Like John the Baptist, Pope Francis thus became for the people of these three countries, a voice crying out in the desert:

·        "Be strong in the faith, do not be afraid” – a message of faith and hope

·        “You will be my witnesses” – a message of faith and charity

·        “Let us go over to the other shore” – a message of conversion.

Just as they had prepared the roads for his visit, with these messages the Pope prepared the roads of their hearts for the Lord Jesus Christ, who comes to us at Christmas but more importantly will come again at the end of time.

But these messages are not just for the Kenyans, Ugandans and the Central Africans.  These messages are relevant to us too, as we go through Advent.

·        As we prepare for the Second Coming, we too need to be strong in the faith, especially in view of terrorist attacks, both domestic and foreign, against this country and the world at large.

·        As we prepare for the Second Coming, we too need to be witnesses of the Lord, especially to our families and co-workers and indeed to the society at large.

·        As we prepare for the Second Coming, we too need to go over to the other shore – the shore of faith rather than doubt, hope rather than despair, love rather than hate.

Conclusion

As we continue into the second week of Advent, each of us should ask ourselves: "What concrete thing am I doing to prepare not just Christmas but also for the Second Coming?"  There is going to confession, reading the Bible and the Catechism, extending the joy of Christmas to those who might not have any.

May the things we do, prepare the way for the Lord and make straight his paths, so as we fill in every valley and level every mountain of our lives, he can come into our lives and the lives of all.