You might have noticed that today’s first reading and Gospel contain similar prophetic utterances that have opposite meanings. 

In the first reading, the prophet Baruch wrote, “God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground.” (Bar 5:7)  The author borrowed material from the prophet Isaiah and reiterated it for Jews living in the diaspora after the Babylonian Exile.  

This prophecy describes the glorious return to Jerusalem of the Jews who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire as a result of war and social upheaval.  Baruch makes it very clear that God will gather the whole People together and even make it easy for them to journey to Jerusalem.  God will go so far as to level mountains and fill valleys in order to create a smooth road for the People to follow. 

The author of Luke’s Gospel quotes Isaiah, as well.  The Gospel’s perspective, however, is quite different from Baruch’s.  The Gospel author wrote, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Lk 3:4)  The Gospel author adapted Isaiah’s prophecy to the preaching of John the Baptist.  Here, the prophecy is intended to provide a Scriptural background to John the Baptist’s proclamation of a baptism of repentance. 

In the Gospel, this prophecy serves as a metaphor, calling all people to straighten the crooked and broken areas of their lives in order to be ready for the coming of God’s Chosen One.  It is a reinterpretation of Isaiah in the form of a call to personal repentance. 

What are we to think about two biblical authors who quote another biblical author, but for completely different purposes?  Although the two readings make opposing statements, both statements are true and valid.   

God does, in fact, take extreme measures to gather all God’s People together.  The ultimate example of God’s profligate mercy is the death of Jesus that makes salvation possible for all people.  In a very real sense, God removes the obstacles that might prevent us from hearing the call to repentance and returning to God with our whole hearts. 

It is equally true, however, that each person who hears the call to repentance is free to respond to or reject God’s offer of reconciliation.  Each person is responsible to listen attentively to God’s Word, take the Word to heart, and live by God’s commands.  In an equally real sense, then, each of us must make the effort to align our thinking to God’s will. 

The two equally true sides of this issue are reminiscent of the two distinct sides of a coin.  The “head” side of a coin is very unlike the “tail” side of a coin, but they are inseparable and necessary.  A coin without the two sides might be interesting, but it won’t be legal tender.  Just as a coin has and needs a head and a tail, the life of faith has and needs God’s initiative and our free response. 

The mutuality of distinct saving acts is also at work in the daily life of those who strive to know and follow God’s will.  You are familiar with Jesus’ commands to love God and neighbor.  These are very different acts that are, at once, inseparable. 

A friend of mine has a small plaque on his desk that carries the message, “My people skills are excellent.  It’s my tolerance for fools that needs work.”  The plaque is an expression of his quirky sense of humor.  There are church-goers, however, who make an unmistakable public display of their piety toward God and an equally unmistakable display of their animosity toward people.  In such a case, neither act is real, trustworthy, or redeeming. 

Love of God and love of neighbor ought to be inseparable, but they are not always so in human experience.  It can happen that one feels drawn toward devotion to God and away from people.  It can also happen that one feels drawn toward compassion for people but away from obedience to God.  While this happens, it never reaches fulfillment because love of God and love of neighbor are like the two sides of a coin; they cannot be separated without destroying the coin, and a coin without the two sides is counterfeit. 

There is a simple and effective remedy for the experience of feeling drawn in opposite directions by the demands of the life of faith.  The simple remedy is freely to accept and to give the reconciliation God offers freely to the world. 

Some of the crooked paths and insurmountable obstacles to a just and righteous life are problems only God can solve; others are our own responsibility to solve. Faith in God means trusting that God provides both divine mercy and divine strength to those who desire to walk the straight path.  Those who trust in God find forgiveness for their sins and the power to forgive others.  Those without trust are like a coin missing a side.