In the second and third week of Advent, we encounter the figure St. John Baptist. And every year, he barges into the peace and serenity of Advent with his all important message to prepare the way of the Lord. And it’s interesting that in this season of adding things, we add trees to our homes and decorations to our lawn and we add those things into our lives to remind us of the festiveness of this holiday season. Advent called us to remove things from our hearts. What are those things in my life that are becoming a roadblock? An obstacle for me truly preparing the way of the Lord. Maybe it’s a sin. Maybe it’s a grudge. Maybe it’s a bad habit. Maybe it’s a selfish attitude. There can be a lot of things that I need to remove from my own heart to make more room for Christ. John the Baptist message is so important, because it’s what Advent is all about, to prepare the way of the Lord. And in this season when we’re doing things to prepare our homes, our work places, our hearts. Let’s make sure we’re not missing the preparation that needs to take place on the inside. We’re also doing that house cleaning on the inside by getting rid of whatever it is that might be blocking Christ.