Prepare His Way

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

In today's gospel reading Zechariah is talking to his son, John the Baptist.  It's a message that rings true for me and all of us.  We are saved.  Our sins have been forgiven.  God is compassionate.  He guides us to peace.  And during this time of Advent we are called, just as John was called in his day, to prepare the way of the Lord.  What are we saved from?  We are saved from our self-destructive habits, our self-sabotaging thoughts, our egos, our prejudices, our arrogance.  The list goes on and on.  We are forgiven for all of it.  God has never held any of my shortcomings against me.  I am at my best when I forgive myself and forgive others.