Many years ago, I taught my Grade 2 students the Christopher Walker song Prepare the Way and delighted in hearing the children sing in anticipation of Christ’s coming, “Crooked pathways, make them straight. All the rough land, make it smooth.”
I taught this song to my own children as well, and it became part of our Advent evening prayer routine when they were small. The song’s tune and rhythm are catchy, allowing these powerful words of Scripture to become embedded in one’s mind.
This year, my students are older. They are preparing for the sacrament of confirmation and know that Advent is not only about remembering Jesus’ birth, but also about readying our hearts for his return.
In our first few months together, we have devoted considerable time to talking about character, integrity, and doing the right thing regardless of what those around us are doing. Advent readings and discussions about our final judgment tie in perfectly with all that we have discussed so far.
On the first Sunday of Advent, the readings reflected on Noah and what happened to the people who did not heed the Lord’s warning. The students all knew this story and were quick to realize that we need to learn from the past, lest we be the ones left behind (Mt 24:40-41).
An analogy that many hadn’t given much thought to before was the idea of a thief coming in the night (Mt 24:43). At the Mass I attended that weekend, Father Camillus Temba reminded us that Advent passes quickly. This struck me in a new way, as I pondered the notion of being surprised by a thief, and how Christ’s second coming must not come as a surprise to me. The “advent” of our lives passes very quickly as well, and since Jesus’ return has been promised to us, we have no excuses and no time to waste in preparing our hearts and souls. As one of my students wrote, “We can’t get ready for Jesus tomorrow; we need to start today.”
Another student shared her reflections on the path to heaven. The priest at the Mass she attended that Sunday had stated that Jesus provides that path for us. Many children shared ways for staying on the path, as well as ways to return to this path when they stray. They suggested praying more, going to confession, apologizing to those they have offended or hurt, going to adoration, and helping at home without being asked, as ways to “be ready” for Christ’s second coming.
Following the right path also came to mind for me during my priest’s reflection on the light of Advent. He reminded us that, with the lighting of additional candles, the Advent wreath shines brighter each week. He then added that the light in each of us needs to shine brighter as well. In his words, “if you can see [others] as your brother and sister, the light has come to you” (Father Camillus Temba). Staying on the path requires following the Light.
My students and I also discussed the fact that each of us is accountable for our own actions. We cannot make excuses or blame others for the decisions we make. When we make mistakes, we must likewise make amends. When opportunities to stop negative behaviours present themselves, we cannot afford to remain silent.
We are all in the wilderness of our earthly journeys. Our paths are often crooked and jagged. They can be bumpy and rough, steep, and even slippery. Sometimes they are clouded by darkness and overgrown with weeds, and our children face greater challenges than we can even begin to imagine.
The prophet Isaiah foretold that the path to heaven would be made straight and smooth by a Saviour. We must seek the light of this Saviour, allowing it to grow within – not tomorrow, or in the new year, or when we graduate or retire, but right now.
We must ready our hearts for Christ’s second coming by trusting in the Lord, by treating one another as family members, and by atoning for our mistakes. If we strive each day to be alert and on the lookout for the “highway for our God,” we will not be caught off guard.
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