Life is more harmonious when things are in order. This is true not only for our physical surroundings but also for our spiritual lives. We need the Advent season to “prepare the way of the Lord” and “make straight his paths.” To undergo this preparation is to put things in order. It is to renew certain practices and discontinue others. To prepare the way of the Lord is to “straighten up” the house of our soul, recognizing where clutter has taken over and disorder has placed obstacles in our relationship with the Lord. For as the Gospel of Matthew reminds us, “He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Being an organized person can be observed in various ways. My grandmother would always do her laundry on Monday mornings. My mom would usually go to town for groceries on Saturday afternoons (and then stop by Church for confession, as well.) Most guys have a system in their garage that requires things get put back in their proper place so that they can be found the next time they are needed. When things are in order life goes more smoothly. When things are in disarray, we can get irritated and frustration sets in. When things are in harmony, we are more content.
The admonition of St. John the Baptist “to prepare the way of the Lord” suggests that some reordering in all our lives is needed. My kitchen counter is cluttered because I have no organizational plan for the things that usually end up there. That’s often the case with our spiritual lives. We are basically good people, but don’t really have a way of ordering our spiritual lives. Most of us would agree that we would like to go to heaven, but how many would say they are following a plan to get there?
One of my former spiritual directors used to always say, “Plan your work and work your plan.” He was talking about being intentional about my relationship with Jesus, about being his disciple. Jesus outlines his view of discipleship in the Sermon on the Mount. He wants us to “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.” This seeking is part of having a well-ordered plan for our spiritual lives. In these days of Advent, we might “prepare the way of the Lord” in our hearts by developing a spiritual plan to follow, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
A well-ordered plan for our spiritual life has daily, weekly, monthly and yearly aspects of being a disciple of Jesus. Daily we ought to pray upon awaking, before retiring for the night and perhaps at a couple other times of the day. This may include reading sacred scripture, various devotional prayers like the rosary and some spiritual reading. Weekly, we ought to go to Mass and perhaps spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration, seeking a close intimate sharing with our Lord. To this we might add one of the works of mercy (feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, etc.) On a monthly basis we ought to prepare for and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation or schedule a personal day of recollection from sun-up until sundown – a day without technology and minimal social interaction. Annually, we ought to set aside at least 48 hours for some time of retreat. In this way, we will have less “straightening up” to do when the Lord of Glory comes.
Often it is easier to straighten up the house we live in than it is to take up the re-ordering of our spiritual lives. In fact, we can come up with a well-ordered plan to be better at avoiding the clutter and disorder that may be visible to others but never get around to the spiritual discipline we need to live a life on God’s terms. If I rarely “straighten up” my house except before guests arrive, how will I find motivation for a regular self-examination so necessary to grow in the spiritual life. Yes, we need Advent to remind us to prepare our souls for the kingdom that will have no end.
Ray Kroc, President of McDonald’s from 1955-1968, often said, “As long as you're green, you're growing. As soon as you're ripe, you start to rot.” Looking to grow and improve is not only a good business model but an even more important undertaking for our spiritual life. Thus St. John the Baptist went throughout the wilderness of Judea calling people to repentance and conversion. This will, without question, require letting go of some things, some activities, some relationships and some priorities, so that even better ones can be undertaken and adopted.
Look around your house tonight and notice what observable signs there are of both a well-ordered life but also a life that needs some “straightening up.” Then, take a few moments to pause and consider what spiritual preparation is needed for you to welcome the return of the Lord in glory. Truly the more our spiritual lives are in order the better ordered our material lives can be. Let’s work on the spiritual first and the rest will follow. May we find in these days of Advent a new desire to put our spiritual lives in order, that with eager longing for salvation we can pray enthusiastically, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
