“May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.” (Mk. 13:36)

Follow the verbs and learn thereby the first lessons of Advent: “be watchful,” “be alert,” “you do not know,” “the Lord of the house is coming.” The point is that believers should yearn and strain to see the appearing of the Lord, that they must look for him.

In context, he’s speaking to unbelievers and disciples just before his crucifixion; he’s asking them to look and see what is indeed true, but also hidden: God in a crucified man, victory in death. And to us, the same applies—how can we “watch” for the Lord, not just at the end of time, but now? Are we alert? This is the question, and only you can answer it. Some couldn’t recognize Jesus, some could, but all Jesus says to them is “watch.” If you think about it, it’s a stark spiritual invitation, almost a warning.

The drama and the challenge of the passage from Mark is born of the fact that Christ is present, standing right in front of us. But can we see him? Are we even looking? Watch! It’s the haunting first lesson of Advent.