It’s not doubt that’s the problem, but distraction.

Whenever someone declares their agnosticism or even sometimes their atheism, that’s almost always what’s at issue—distraction. Their lack of belief is not borne of any reasoned conclusions, as far as I can tell, but are rather more the result of advertised suggestion, of screened influence. At least that’s my experience. There are almost no Nietzschean atheists anymore; most are, more pathetically, like Bill Maher—just morally and intellectually lazy comedians. That’s what so mind-numbing about today’s brand of atheism, that it’s the result of numbing minds. As I said, our problem is distraction, not God. It’s that we can’t turn our televisions and phones off long enough to see anything, neither God or neighbor. It’s like we’re blind but arrogantly declaring there is no sun. Not atheists, just simply fools.

Which is why one of the more urgent Christian tasks today is watchfulness. And it’s one of the first lessons of Advent. Be prepared, Jesus said. Stay awake. Applied today, the lesson is simple: in this world of distraction, of screens and noise, we Christians should be focused, quiet and steady. Not hooked like fish by the whims of society, we should have clear vision, focusing on Christ in word and sacrament, in faith in the Church.

And so, this Advent, quiet yourself. Turn your screens off, pray and read. Because in order to find truth, you must look for truth; in order to find God, you must seek God. Which means we must keep alert and our eyes in the right place. We must focus spiritually, otherwise we’ll miss it: the God looking for us.