“Watch!” by Leonidas Aliaga, Fiat Ventures
First Sunday of Advent
“Watch!” That’s the bottom line from the Gospel for this First Sunday of Advent. Jesus uses that word 4 times in a few sentences. And He ain’t talking about a Fitbit or an Apple Watch either.
I wear a watch. Got it about two months ago from Amazon for $12. What a steal! It’s not fancy, and I think I’ve gotten more wise cracks about it than compliments. My baby nephew likes to play with it though. It may have only been $12, but I think it’s great! It tells me the time, reminds me of the date, and lets me set a backup alarm for the morning when I try to hit snooze on my phone and accidentally put it on stealth ninja mode.
When I’m not wearing my watch, I feel like something is missing. So I keep it on, and if my phone dies or I put it down in another room, I’ll never have to wonder what time it is.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to watch. You’d think now that it’s Advent, we’d get into some of the story of Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem for the census. But we kick off Advent with a different focus – being alert to meet Christ when he comes, whether at the end of time, at our own death, or in all the little ways he comes to us each day. It’s all about being prepared. Being ready.
Jesus tells us to watch, because we won’t know the day or the hour that we’ll encounter Him. Yikes, that’s not the most calming thing to hear! But the Lord always tells it like it is. So how do we do this? It’s not about looking over our shoulder or gazing out the window waiting for something to happen. The best way to “watch” is to pray; Jesus even says later on in the Gospels to “watch and pray,” the night he is betrayed in the garden.
If we pray every day (and all throughout the day), then when Jesus comes, we’ll be ready. Whether it is in the morning, before a meal, or at the end of night, our prayer can never be absent. Prayer is something that no one can ever take away from us. It is a free gift from God… a gift that can be used at any time. As we start this time in Advent and go into the Christmas season, I challenge you to make a commitment to God to watch and pray. Maybe for Advent you can pray for 10 minutes before you go to bed every night. Maybe you can make a commitment to praying before meals. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve gone to Mass regularly and you can commit to getting in all 4 Sundays of Advent before Christmas. Let’s all develop some great new habits this Advent season, so prayer will become just as natural as looking at the time!
