MANY CHRISTIANS BEGIN the Advent season this weekend as we mark the time leading to the celebration of Christmas, the birth of our savior. Advent is not just about, or even primarily about, Christmas. It is really a celebration, or reminder, that we are preparing for the return of our savior, Jesus, at the end of time.

This weekend’s gospel offers a hint of the coming of Christmas but an obvious reminder to be watchful for the coming of the Lord. Three times in just four verses Jesus uses the word “watch.” We are to be on the lookout for God in our lives in a variety of ways.

In the memorial acclamation during the Eucharistic prayer we often sing, “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” That antiphon is a reminder to us that we live in the expectation of Christ’s return. We live in the third, and last, stage of time.

Early Christians were convinced Jesus was going to return during their lifetime so they had a heightened sense of expectation for his coming. When he did not return immediately, and then not in the nearly 2,000 years that followed, people became complacent. Jesus’ gospel message this weekend of watching and the whole Advent season is a reminder to us of the importance of preparation for the coming of the Lord.

While we wait, God still speaks and acts in the world, and that brings us to our second understanding of “watching.”

None of us can know when Christ will come again, but all of us should know God is active and involved in his world, and we ought to pay attention so we don’t miss out on the ways he communicates with us.

Young people often ask me how I knew God wanted me to be a priest. My answer is always the same: I listened. God is always speaking to us, but we must watch and pay attention, or we will surely miss the message.

We just celebrated Thanksgiving, and one of the key elements of giving thanks is to be aware of what you are thankful for.

How would we ever know what we’re grateful for if we never stopped to consider it? We all live such busy lives that unless we consciously stop and reflect upon our blessings we might gloss over them and fail to appreciate them.

A large part of discipleship is developing a watchful heart. By watching God we learn from him, but it takes time. Watching God is more like running a marathon than racing a sprint. We watch God, especially in our prayers, and learn more about him and what we’re called to be as human beings.

You might notice a person get sick and have a difficult time physically. As the illness continues, you also might see people rally around the person and their family. The good will generated and blessings that flow in those people’s lives are a part of God’s blessings. That’s one example of hundreds.

God’s love for us is so overwhelming it’s hard to imagine people can miss it. Yet we do, mostly because we’re not being watchful. Advent is the perfect time for us to change that.

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