I was once invited to teach a class at the Institute for Pastoral and Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The classes were held in several sessions throughout the day, starting at 8 AM and ending at 3 PM.
This particular class was on a Saturday in November, during the weeks when the change of seasons becomes more noticeable. The weather gets colder, and warm days become increasingly rare.
The Friday before the class, I was feeling quite stressed because not only did I have to finish preparing my lesson, but I also had to deal with the unexpected news that I couldn’t find anyone to watch my daughters. So, I wanted to finish preparing my class, but I also needed to prepare to take them with me and pack everything they would need to be comfortable and entertained while I was busy.
Since they were still very young, and the place where I was going was quite far away, we even brought the dog along. It was a somewhat complicated decision, but leaving the dog alone all day wasn’t an option at that time because of his young age.
The city I had to go to was about a two-hour drive away, and I had to be there by eight o’clock in the morning. For me, that meant I had to leave before 6 AM with my daughters and the dog in the car. Anyone who has traveled with young children knows that leaving “on time” is a huge challenge. For that reason, I started preparing as soon as I knew they would be coming with me.
Just thinking about everything I had to prepare for, was already stressing me out. Anyway… I did the best I could.
The next morning, I had another surprise: the day dawned with dense fog and rain. I tried to leave “on time,” and even so, I left 15 minutes later than I wanted.
The further I drove, the more intense the rain and fog became, along with the pressure I was feeling. I intended to arrive on time, but that possibility seemed to be slipping away.
My preparations did help. But I couldn’t have predicted how things would turn out. And you, have you ever needed to prepare for a journey?
How did that go for you?
In Scripture, we are told that we are called to prepare the way of the Lord.
And you, how do you prepare that way?
In my case, I tried to prepare as best I could for the journey to the class location. And I had to navigate last-minute changes. Would I have liked it to be different? Of course! But it wasn’t…
What has been your experience when you’ve needed to prepare for a journey? Do you plan everything in detail, or do you do it at the last minute?
If the Spirit leads you, share with Jesus the Carpenter your approach to preparing for a journey. And perhaps you’ll discover that you could do something differently.
Marisol
P.S.: We can hear about preparing the way in the readings for the second Sunday of Advent, Year/Cycle A.
