PREPARE A WAY FOR THE LORD

II SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Philippians 1:4-6,8-11

Due to his own experience, Paul was well aware that human beings are in a process of growing. Certainly, we grow old and as we grow old, we should grow wiser as well, with a deeper understanding and more profound commitment to God and the others. As Christians, we are called to look forward to a better future and, filled with the hope that comes from the Lord, we gain the strength to press forward on the road to salvation. However, time and again, we are forced to realise that we cannot do it alone.We can proceed forward only by the grace of God. It is Him who enable us to reach perfection and completion. That’s why Paul prays for the Philippians: “Every time I pray for all of you (…), certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes”. God will finished the work of salvation which was initiated in us. The work of salvation is being done in us by Jesus Christ. He is our role model, our teacher and our guide. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is our Redeemer and our Saviour. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has set us free, reconciling us with the Father and opening for us the gates of heaven. For  the fruits of salvation to be present in us, we must accept Jesus Christ and enter into a relationship of love with him. In our lives, salvation is a process, a journey that accompanies the journey of life. In this process, we must grow in love, and a love that is made manifest in  the way we live. And Paul prayed for that:

“My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognise what is best.”

And little by little, the Lord will guide us and lead us to perfection:

He, trough improving our knowledge and perception, “will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God.”