THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’”
Unlike most of the world, this year has been the best year of my life. How could 2020 with constant turmoil and anxiety be good, yet alone the best? As hard as it has been, I continue to learn a lot this year which makes way for deeper gratitude and joy of the Lord.
Although this year did not look the way I expected, a pandemic, virtual work, serious illness, consistently canceled or changed wedding plans, and deaths have all, in their own way, made way for something greater – hope, trust, gratitude, joy, and deeper faith. I spent more time with my loved ones and learned how to slow down and care more about my health, soul, and the simple moments that brought about gratitude and joy.
At the beginning of this year, I got engaged and three weeks ago I was married to my best friend. As I reflect on our small wedding, surrounded physically by our immediate family only, yet in communion with so many loved ones virtually from across the country, I revel in the gratitude that arises within me for all those that shared a part in our vocational journey. All those that played the role of John the Baptist to help point us toward becoming Mr. and Mrs. Guerrero. Those who listened as I gushed about a new relationship 6 years ago, those who advised us when we were discerning if marriage was where God called us, those who prayed for us on our tough days, those who laughed with us on our good ones, and those who continue to walk beside us on this journey of life. Each person reflects God’s face and points to God’s infinite love and mercy. Each person or moment, like John, were voices crying out of this 2020 barren desert to “testify to the light” and help “my soul rejoice in my God”.
On this Gaudete Sunday, a day to mark the joy that flows from the nearness of Christ’s coming, I sit in awe of all the ways in which people and moments in my life, both easy and difficult, have made a straighter way for the Lord to enter my heart.
As we prepare for the Lord’s coming this Advent, consider reflecting on: Who or what might be the “John the Baptists” in your life pointing to and revealing God’s goodness? Who/What have helped prepare the way for the Lord to enter into your heart?
Jaclyn Guerrero