“A voice of one crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

When I hear the word ‘paths,’ I cannot help but think of the first day of deer hunting.  A number of my relatives went deer hunting this week.  I went Monday and Tuesday morning.  And the same thing happens every year.  We get to my great uncle’s house early in the morning and we ask ourselves: “Where are we going?”  “Where do you want to go hunting?”  There are a number of options in Wayne National Forest in southern Ohio.  You can walk the Covered Bridge Trail or a certain section of government land.  But it seems like it takes forever for us to decide on where to go.  Almost every time, someone answers jokingly: “In the woods.”

As I was walking through the woods Tuesday morning, I started thinking, maybe it doesn’t matter so much what trail we are on, but rather, who we are walking with?  You can choose so many paths, but who you walk it with will make all the difference.  If you have the assurance that the one you are with knows where he or she is going, then you can walk in peace.  The same is true in life.  In life, you can choose so many paths.  But if you go it alone, you will get into trouble.  You might even get lost.  St. John the Baptist is calling us to open our lives up to Jesus, the savior, THE WAY.  Jesus declares to us that he is THE WAY.  This Advent, you may be praying about which path to take in life.  Whatever you choose, walk that path with Jesus.  In the next week, I challenge you to make a conscious effort to walk every moment of your day with Jesus.  Invite him into your car, your home, your office, your shopping, your cooking, your homework, etc.  Jesus will lead you if you let Him.  Walk with him and you will never get lost.

Happy walking with Jesus this Advent,

Fr. Jeremy