Matthew 3:1-3 says,

“¹In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ²‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ³This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’’”

Sin builds a barrier between us and God. Sin is what killed the divine life within us when we acquired the knowledge of good and evil. It is how we choose to believe that we know what is right for us, even if it goes against the goodness of unconditional love, which is who God is. This sin paralyzes us and alienates us from God and each other. How can we hope to choose God and be images of God for others if we are caught in sin?

God made us to live life to its fullest. Jesus came to free us of our sin. Jesus said in John 10:10,

“¹⁰I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

To live life in abundance is to choose unconditional love, to choose the goodness in the world. It is how Bishop Barron relates God’s permission to Adam and Eve to eat of all the trees in the Garden of Eden to living life to its fullest.¹ For example, it is choosing to care for another person or ourselves, not for our own selfish desire but just for the good of that person. It is as Matthew 5:48 says,

“⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

We still fall but it is our decisions to get back up and try again that perfect us. It is through our repentance of our sins and returning to God that we are able to continue to grow. It is through preparing the way of the Lord by our repentance that God’s work in us is realized. So repent and return to God. Prepare the way of the Lord in your life.