Reflection

In a time of upheaval and uncertainty, the words of the prophet Isaiah echo with a timeless urgency: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight’. But looking at the landscape of our world, we are confronted with a troubling reality: there are many ‘crooked’ paths and ‘rough places’ that obstruct the arrival of true peace.

Luke recalls Isaiah’s call to action against the backdrop of political turmoil. We hear the names of powerful rulers – Tiberius, Pontius Pilate, Herod – who were not so much righteous leaders, as men who too often used their positions to bully, oppress, and maintain their grip on power.

Into a climate of fear and oppression, God sent his prophet John the Baptist to remind the people – and their leaders – of their sacred duty to care for one another. John’s call to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’ is a summons to transform – both personally and as a society.

Of course, the ‘roads’ Isaiah speaks of are not paths of stone and earth, but rather the winding corridors of our own hearts and minds. Only when we have prepared our inner landscapes – the ‘valleys’ of our selfishness and the ‘mountains’ of our pride – can the light of God’s love illuminate the way, enabling us to go out and build the peace that is promised to all people.

The peace Christ came to bring is the profound harmony of human hearts aligned with God. Christ’s peace doesn’t shrink from the brokenness of the world but meets it head-on with an unflinching commitment to compassion, mercy, and reconciliation. We must be willing to examine the ‘crooked places’ within ourselves, smoothing the paths that lead to our hearts so that the light of Christ’s love can shine through.

Courageous missionaries like Fr Léon, a Mill Hill Missionary serving in the conflict-ridden region of north-west Cameroon are building peace for communities living through fear and despair. In the face of violent conflict, that has robbed countless children of their education and security, Fr Léon has responded not with resignation, but with hope-filled action.

Through initiatives like the Holy Angels Youth Choir and a young adults’ farming project, Fr Léon has carved out a haven of peace, where young people and children can learn another way of being; another possible future. Amidst the destruction of schools and the displacement of families, he has overseen the construction of new rural classrooms – safe havens where young minds can be nurtured, and imaginations can take flight.

Fr Léon’s work answers the call of John the Baptist: to be architects of peace in our own hearts and our own communities. It is a reminder that true peace does not come through the imposition of will, but through patience and courage.  

This Advent, we can come together, as one global family, to build peace in places of conflict. Let’s be inspired the young people of Fr Léon’s community, who dare to dream of a different world. Through prayers and donations, let’s join them to plant gardens in the wilderness, to raise our voices in defiant song, and to make straight the way of the Lord.