If we hear that pope Francis is coming to our parish, we will prepare very well our church and our corridors and even the roads to facilitate his entrance. The gospel for today is such an invitation to prepare the way for a great person who is greater than pope or president, that is Jesus Christ.

The gospel starts like this: "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar...". Luke is very precise of the history. So what Luke actually does is, not narrating a myth, but a real history. Then he continues citing some particular names: Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene and then Annas and Caiaphas the high priests.

Luke is giving us a snapshot of the political and religious leadership of the time in which John the Baptist arose. This was a time of evil leaders, of corrupt governors, of corrupt and even evil priests working in the Temple, leading the Jewish people. Having mentioned all of them, all the high and mighty political and religious leaders who had been oppressing the people Luke says that the word of God was spoken to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.

This is a tremendous word of judgment, isn’t it? The word of God came not to this hierarchy, but it came to John who was outside of the political and religious system. Not to someone living in an impressive palace, not to someone residing in the temple, but to a humble man in the desert. Yes, God is always with poor and humble.

And then John started to announce the good news that the Messiah is coming and the salvation is at hand.

He continues: “Make straight paths for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.”

He's speaking in the same language and cadence of Baruch who spoke to the people of Israel in the Babylonian exile long ago. we read it in the first reading. In short, although people are going through a time of oppression God is going to act. So, he exhorts the people to prepare themselves.

What's the manner of preparation? “Level the hills and valleys.”

Dear friends, at this time we are preparing for Christmas, to receive Jesus. Even in the Holy Masses Jesus comes to us. Therefore, the same preparation is required of us too. He comes to us in two modes, as word of God and then as person in the Holy Eucharist. We need to prepare a way and an easy entrance to Him. So, what is the hill and valley in my heart to be levelled? The rough ways and crocked road in my life to be made smooth and straighten?

Here I would like to concentrate on the hills in our lives, that is pride. Pride can be defined as a disordered self-love or irrational desire for self-exaltation. It involves a longing to be exalted above others more than we love our neighbour, and even more than we love God. Pride is the queen of sins and is the beginning of all sins. It is through the pride sin entered into the human history.

In the story of Adam and eve we see the sinful desire for self-exaltation. When the serpent says "they will be like God" it describes the temptation to be exalted to divine status by disobeying God’s command. In other words, the very first sin, the fall of Adam and eve, takes place because of an irrational desire to be like God- but apart from God and in place of God. Seen in this light the pride of Adam and eve is a kind of idolatry. The breaking of the first command.

It is also the reason for the fall of Satan. We read in the book of Isaiah. “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah14:12-14)

Proverbs says: “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” (Prov16:5). “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov 16:18)

Jesus himself during his public ministry repeatedly warns not to perform spiritual exercises “in order to be seen” by others. He gives us a parable of the two went for prayer. (Lk 18:11-14). The pharisee’s prayer was self-focused, he judges the other, he is blind to himself, and he is proud. Finally, the word of God says of him that his sins are not forgiven, and he is not justified. On the otherhand, the tax-collector’s prayer was God-focused, he judges himself, he is sorry for his sins, he is humble. So, he back home forgiven of his sins and justified.

So how can we cultivate humility? 

First and foremost, we need to make a conscious and concerted effort to cultivate humility toward God. As the letter of James says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (Jas 4:6-7,10)

2nd way is to get down on our knees in prayer on the ground (In Latin humus means ground from which we get the word humility) and recognise that God is God, and we are not. 

3rd way is to strive with all our might to avoid breaking the commandments of God. And then never place ourselves above others and deliberately looking for the good in every person we meet. I like the words of Thomas Kembis:

“Do not esteem yourself as better than others, for you may be accounted as worse in the sight of God who knows all human hearts. ... If you have anything good, believe that others have better; in this way, you remain humble. It will do you no harm to consider yourself the worst of all, but it will hurt you to prefer yourself to anyone else. The humble live in continual peace.” (Imitation of Christ 1.7.3)

Yes, humility is the path to peace. In the “beatitude” which literarily means “happy”, Jesus says “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:1-3). That means Jesus begins the sermon on the mount by teaching his disciples that the virtue of humility is not only necessary for entering the kingdom of heaven but is also the key to happiness. Although the prideful think they will be happy by exalting themselves over others and before God, they are sadly mistaken. In the end pride isolates us from God and others and makes us miserable as a mountain isolates us from the other side of the country.

So, this Christmas is an invitation to be happy. It is the celebration of the humbles. So let us demolish the hills in our hearts and prepare a straight way for Jesus and those around us to our lives and let us be happy. May God bless us.