A Guide for the Journey
In honor of my milestone birthday last February (my twin would object to stating which), I decided to treat myself to a high tech toy. So off I went to the local electronics store to purchase a GPS. Until I spoke with the sales person, I didn’t even know what “GPS” stood for. She informed me that it was a “Global Positioning System.” Though technically challenged, I came to understand that what a GPS did was guide one along the way from Point A to Point B by means of a series satellites somewhere up in the heavens. A rather pleasant sounding feminine voice announced all the twists and turns of the journey, even declaring how far I had to go on any particular leg of the journey.Probably the most amazing aspect of the GPS was that if I made a mistake and turned the wrong way, that “woman up there” patiently announced that she was “recalculating” and helping me restore the path to my destination. Remarkable!As a friend of mine would say to such an “ahha moment,” “There’s a homily in there somewhere.” As we come to the second week of our Advent journey, I would have to agree.All three of our Scriptures are about journeying. Baruch is encouraging the Israelites, and us, not to give up hope.Led away on foot by their enemies, [your children] left you [Israel];but God will bring them back to youborne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.For God has commandedthat every lofty mountain be made low,and that the age-old depths and gorgesbe filled to level ground,that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.Luke echoes those encouraging words by quoting another prophet, Isaiah, in announcing the ministry of John the Baptist.A voice of one crying out in the desert:“Prepare the way of the Lord,make straight his paths.Every valley shall be filledand every mountain and hill shall be made low.The winding roads shall be made straight,and the rough ways made smooth,and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”As we continue in our Advent journey, I would propose that the Word of God is clearly a “spiritual GPS.” Whether our perspective is the historical advent charted in the Hebrew Scriptures, the eternal advent of the Second Coming, or the symbolic advent of the liturgical celebration of Christmas, the Scriptures offer both a consolation and a comfort.We are comforted by the vision. The journey to destination itself is cause for celebrating. Regardless of the difficulty of the journey, the Word of God, our “spiritual GPS,” offers encouragement by holding the vision of the destination foremost in our minds and hearts. The GPS on my dashboard is a constant reminder of just where I am going and prods me along the way to make the best choices on the journey. I find the words of the Letter to the Philippians reinforce the spiritual task at hand.I am confident of this,that the one who began a good work in youwill continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.But like the GPS, the Word of God, challenges us on the journey. When we stray from the path, when the “mountains” are daunting, when the “winding roads” are bewildering, when the “rough ways” are frightening, the Word of God gently yet firmly “reroutes” us, so that any interruption of the journey will not prevent us from eventually reaching our goal.For most of us the present journey to the celebration of this particular Christmas is foremost on our minds. The historical advent is instructive; the eternal advent a bit too ethereal. The now consumes us. And that’s not a bad thing. What we go through this December, 2009 with wars, unemployment, financial chaos, divisions in the country and in our Church, all these are more than enough “mountains,” “winding roads,” and “rough ways” for our spiritual GPS.Whatever our individual destinations, we have a guide on our journey, consoling and challenging. Like that calming and deliberate feminine voice of a GPS, the voice of the prophet Baruch offers guidance to the destination and the route:Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights;look to the east…for God is leading Israel in joyby the light of his glory,with his mercy and justice for company.