A Climbing Up Spectrum

The road to spiritual perfection is akin to a climber on a mountain ascent. The climbing begins at an early age when the child starts learning from parents, truths about God and the purpose of living, when following Jesus becomes the priority in living. Like the trekker, the climber must also follow the correct path, especially if there are crooked lanes to follow. Inconveniences become stepping stones to success as the sacrifice unveils the top of the route.

The cry of St. John the Baptist at the River Jordan to repent was an invitation to continue the spiritual climbing up. I recall hearing somebody recount that at a costume contest, the biblical figure of the Baptist shouted “Repaint!” The pronunciation evoked laughter but on second thought, to repent may also mean a “repainting” of one’s being to appear as a newly baptized Christian, or as one who undergoes a “metanoia.” One can experience the excitement of “coloring” one’s life through virtues gained during trying circumstances. The fear or shame to reveal one’s identity or accept faults becomes a challenge to become one’s real self. The man or woman of God needs to ponder His Word and imitate the example of the God-made-man in order to bring creation back to its original purpose of Love and Justice.

Nothing is impossible with God and He will furnish us with the needed grace to continue to bring “glad tidings to the lowly and to heal the brokenhearted” (cf. Is 61:1). May our up-climb exude waves of joy as Pope Francis encourages us in our ventures on the new evangelization. The Spirit works in amazing ways to re-create the divine in the day-to-day human encounters and efforts to “repaint” the world according to the Creator’s plan. Let us enjoy the climb this Advent together with the Baptist’s cry to repent and be renewed in the Spirit. “As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord God make justice and praise spring up before all the nations” (Is 61:11).