The spiritual author, Anthony De Mello, in The Heart of the Enlightened tells a wonderful story applicable to the season of Advent. As the story goes, after thirty years of watching television, a husband says to his wife, “Let’s do something really exciting tonight.” Instantly she conjures up visions of a night on the town. ”Great,” she says. “What shall we do?” “Well,” he says, “let’s change chairs.” When John the Baptist in today’s gospel calls us to reform our lives because the Kingdom of God is at hand, he is thinking about something much more than simply shifting a few things around on the surface of our lives. He’s requiring a deep reflection on the direction in which our lives are heading and a change of direction wherever that’s needed as measured by God’s will. For example, if we are seeking vengeance on someone, we must cease from that. If our main goal is to accumulate more material wealth at the expense of our relationships with the members of our family, we must change that. If we withhold help from someone truly in need when we could provide some assistance, we need to begin providing that assistance. The coming of the Lord requires a straight path for Him into our lives. What in your life and mine needs to truly change to provide that path?
