“A voice cries out:

In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!

Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!

Every valley shall be filled in,

every mountain and hill shall be made low;

the rugged land shall be made a plain,

the rough country, a broad valley.

Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all people shall see it together;

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

In a 1942 short story, the prolific science fiction author Jack Williamson coined the term “terraforming” to describe the process of changing a planet to make it habitable for Earth-like life. Whether scientifically possible or economically feasible, terraforming seeks to transform the atmosphere, temperature, topography, or ecology of a planet. The most common theories of how to do this are aimed at making Mars a suitable place for human colonization. Although NASA has released a study finding that there doesn’t remain enough carbon dioxide on Mars to make terraforming possible using current technology, others have proposed doing so using large orbital mirrors or nuclear weapons to melt the polar ice caps. Elon Musk, intent on creating a human colony on Mars within the next 30 years, has promoted the nuclear option, which has given rise to the “Nuke Mars” slogan. In any case, transforming a planet is a huge challenge involving a massive allocation of resources and staggering timelines. It is a formidable undertaking. 

Preparing the way for the Lord isn’t about terraforming Earth to make it habitable for the divine. To change the highs, lows, rough, and rugged cannot be done with a massive Tennessee Valley Authority project, orbital mirrors, or nuclear weapons. No, it is about preparing the human heart, changing the topography of our souls, and transforming our lives. It is, however, no less formidable. It takes time, effort, commitment, and, most of all, surrender. We’re also never really finished in this life. It is a process, an ongoing endeavor to become more and more the people we were made to be, more and more like Jesus. Our true selves emerge. Preparing the way for the Lord is welcoming God’s presence within us. All of the false aspects of ourselves, our selfishness and sinfulness, get pulled down and smoothed over. In a sense, God’s arrival in our hearts and lives is a homecoming. He makes his home with us and his presence brings out the truth within. His voice, through which all things came to be, the Word made flesh, speaks within the depths of our consciences and calls us to our true and eternal home. As we welcome him, God’s presence changes us. As we receive him, we become what we receive.

In the liturgical season of Advent, we prepare for the celebration of the coming of Jesus born in a manger, for his coming at the consummation of history, and for his coming into our lives today, through the gift of the Holy Spirit and the sacrament of his body and blood. We prepare our hearts to welcome God home. He has made his dwelling with his people. But it’s not just about us. Jesus was a man for others in every way. He gave his life for the good of all. As we become what we receive, we act and live for the good of others, too. Our true selves are meant for sacrifice. That is, we are meant for love. May this Advent become a time to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord (cardioforming?). May the glory of the Lord shine through our lives lived in love for others. And may all people see it together.