However, the really stunning thing about Alex’s achievement was that he climbed the face of El Capitan in a style known as “free soloing,” that is, without any ropes or safety equipment. It’s simple and yet terrifying: the only thing keeping you on the mountain is your own strength. One slip of the foot, one loose fingerhold means instant death. The documentary that I saw, Free Solo, described how Alex trained for his climb for months, even years beforehand. Physically, he had to practice the route over and over, so that there were no absolutely no surprises once he was up there without ropes. But even more rigorous was his mental and emotional preparation – imagining every foothold and handhold in his mind, and then visualizing himself climbing the route without any gear.
The movie is gripping and nerve-wracking because even though you know Alex survives the climb, it’s hard not to envision him slipping and falling to his death. What fascinated me the most about Alex’s preparation was that the psychological element was much more intense than the physical. He trained so completely that he says he felt no fear and no anxiety during the climb at all. That may seem hard to believe, but for him, everything that could have possibly happened on the mountain had already been worked out before in his mind. He knew that handling his emotions would probably mean the difference between life and death, and so he prepared by processing all of the possible scenarios and eventualities in advance. For four hours, Alex climbed a perfect route up the mountain face, but even more impressive was how he maintained his composure and calm while doing it.
Alex Honnold climbs the "Freerider" route on Yosemite's El Capitan, from the movie Free Solo.
In the Gospel today, John the Baptist promotes just this kind of interior preparation. This obscure prophet in the desert proclaims news of great importance that the other men mentioned, tetrarchs and high priests, knew nothing about. The coming of the Messiah, the arrival of the long-awaited Heir to the throne of David, was something that the Jewish people had dreamed of for centuries. Now, John tells them that he is at long last at hand, and that they must make ready to welcome him. The Church gives us this story from the Gospels every year on the Second Sunday of Advent as a kind of reminder that we too must make ready in this season. Our hearts should be just as joyous and anxious to receive Christ into our lives in a new way as were the people of Israel two millennia ago.
In what way does John say that we, like they, should make ready? Through repentance. In Greek, the word is “metanoia.” “Repentance” in English has a connotation of guilt, sorrow, and regret, but that isn’t the meaning in Greek. Instead, “metanoia” simply means “a change of mind,” a turning of the heart away from something trivial or unsuitable and toward something true and lasting. Just like a rock climber might prepare himself for his climb by retracing his route in his mind, repentance is a kind of spiritual training that allows us to see the paths our souls are taking and what kind of course correction might be needed. Repentance is a method of preparation, but a preparation by which we signal that we need to make a fundamental change.
It is important to realize that we don’t make this change all by ourselves. The Lord calls us to make our hearts ready for his coming, but it is he who will primarily do the work. Nonetheless, he won’t force change upon us – we have to make the interior turn toward him, showing our willingness to allow him to prepare us in the ways we need.
Sometimes, what the Lord asks can be challenging. It might mean that we allow him space to “make low” the “mountain and hills” of our lives: perhaps by helping us to detach from material things or unhealthy relationships; or by ridding us of sinful habits of mind and heart; or by removing excesses of pride, anger, lust, and selfishness. But for every place where the Lord may humble us, he also “fills in a valley,” lifting us up through the hope of eternal life, gifting us with friendships that bring us closer to him, consoling us with peace and a sense of his presence in our own quiet prayer and meditation. In the end, if we let the Lord do his work, we will find that the Lord has created within us a straight path, a highway for deeper communion with him. The coming of the Savior doesn’t mean that all of our problems will vanish instantly, or that we will no longer face suffering or discontent. But it does mean that we have an assurance of God’s love and presence in the flesh – in the human life of his Son Jesus.
Friends, the kind of Advent preparation we face is nothing nearly as difficult, nor as dangerous, as the preparation Alex Honnold needed for his climb. But it is just as important, since it requires our interior conversion, allowing the Lord to straighten the paths of our hearts and correct the course of our souls. His work might require some change on our part, but there’s no cause for fear or anxiety because God is in complete control. As we continue our ascent through the Advent season, let us ready ourselves through repentance, signifying our willingness to be remade in such a way that like the people of Israel we can welcome the Lord into every part of our lives.
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