If the Lord built a highway, what numbers would be used to set it apart?
Here in America, we are all familiar with certain highways known for their numbers and their destinations.
There is I-95, rolling up and down the East Coast, connecting the rough and tumble cities of New York with the paradise coves of Florida.
There is I-70, stretching like a belt across America – “from Atlantic to Pacific, gee the traffic is terrific.”
And there is Route 66, one of the original highways built in America, connecting Chicago (the hub of the Midwest) with all points West – a road where previous generations would “get their kicks.”
But what would the Lord’s “highway to heaven” be called?
In our first reading today, Isaiah speaks of the creation of this highway – the Lord’s highway – which would lead Israel to its deliverance; and for us today, lead us to our salvation.
It’s interesting the images used to describe the creation of this road from the barren, parched desert. There will be flowers, streams of water bursting forth out of the sand, burning sands becoming pools of blue, thick with reed and papyrus.
Makes me think of the barren and parched natures of our spiritual lives, sorely in need of some soothing water from heaven.
Advent is a great season to search the skies for God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness – pouring down like rain or snow on the frozen tundra of our souls. Planting within us the seeds of flowers that need to be fed and nurtured so that they may line the pathway to God. Without them, how will we see the path?
It is upon this new highway that the clean-of-heart will walk to our Zion, singing and crowned with everlasting joy.
Since this is the path to a new creation, perhaps this would be known as Highway 7 – after all, 7 is viewed as the number of perfection and completeness.
Or maybe Route 40 … a number that symbolizes a generation, a life’s span (at least at that time).
Could be Interstate 12 … the number of the tribes of Israel and the Apostles chosen by Christ to be with him on his journey.
We know it won’t be Route 666 … that old symbolic number of the devil.
Maybe it’s better not to assign this highway any sort of number. After all, the immensity of God’s love for us and the extreme abundance of warmth, grace, forgiveness and light that he has in store for us are simply too mind-boggling to ponder.
How can we wrap our heads around this? How can we imagine? And, truly, how could we assign it a single number?
It is a highway without need of a number.
And yet, worthy of all numbers, from 1 to 7; 12 to 144; to infinity.
I suppose choosing a number for the Lord’s highway is not as important as making sure we can actually find the road when we need it for our next journey.
In today’s gospel, the paralyzed man and his friends were seeking their own highway to where Jesus was teaching. Large crowds were already there, blocking access the way orange barrels mark a construction zone.
These travelers did not let that stop them. They found a way – going up and over, lowering the man and his stretcher to his meeting with Christ.
Therein lies another lesson.
While we are packing our bags and preparing for that final road trip on the “highway with no name,” don’t forget that our journey is never alone.
When we share the good news of our faith through evangelization, we are inviting our friends to “ride shotgun” with us in our vehicle; along with perhaps a few more to be our “backseat drivers” on the road to salvation.
Think of it like those “HOV” lanes in many major cities … the lanes that are reserved for vehicles that have at least 2 or more travelers. Those lanes are specifically designed to move traffic quickly around the obstacles of road work and congestion, getting us to our final destination more quickly – simply because we brought others with us.
So pack your bags, for sure. Check your maps and fill up the tank with good deeds. But don’t forget to pack your vehicle with friends for the journey.
God will certainly take note and guide you to the right road to salvation.
