“You my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. “(Luke 1: 73)
This portion of the canticle lays out the job description for John the Baptist to prepare the way for the Messiah. By our baptism, we are also called to prepare the way of the Lord. We too can be evangelists! How do we do that? The book of the prophet Ezekiel lays out our marching orders: “When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. “ (Ezekial 26-28)
Sometimes, we have to bold and speak out when someone close to us is heading off the right path. We can win souls to Christ, by caring enough to speak one on one with the person. With a gentle tone and a compassionate heart, we can lead the person back to Christ. In so doing, we remind ourselves to walk the walk.
If we are looking for specific ways of correction, we can look to St. Paul. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul states, “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out for his own interests, but also for those of others. “ ( Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians 2:2-3)
“Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior” (Psalm 25:4-5)