(Source from The Word Among Us)

Be watchful! Be alert! (Mark 13:33)

Today we begin our Advent journey and prepare for Jesus’ coming at Christmas. So you’d expect today’s Gospel to refer to his birth. But Jesus isn’t talking about Christmas when he says, “Be watchful! Be alert!” (Mark 13:33). He’s urging his disciples to be vigilant as they wait for his return. We might wonder, Why are we hearing about the Second Coming? Isn’t Advent about Jesus’ first coming? Well, yes. But as St. Bernard of Clairvaux once said, we can ponder three “comings” of the Lord during Advent.

First, there’s Jesus’ coming as a baby in Bethlehem. So we can enter into the Jewish people’s longing for the Messiah. Next, there’s his Second Coming in glory at the end of time. We can be watchful as we ready our hearts for Jesus’ return. Finally, we can experience a third coming of Jesus—his coming into our hearts right now. In fact, it is this coming of Christ that undergirds all that we do during this holy season.

Jesus comes to us every day. He isn’t passive; he doesn’t wait for us to climb some mountain to find him. He is the initiator. He actively pursues us and seeks us out. That’s why he became a man; that’s why he promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). And that’s why he seeks to come into our lives this Advent.

Jesus comes to remind us to pause in our busy lives. He comes to inspire us to pray or read his word. He reminds us that he is with us, even when we feel alone. He stirs our conscience so that we want to turn away from sin and toward his mercy. He comes to us in a friend or stranger in need of kindness. Jesus is constantly seeking ways to come to us. And the more alert we are to his coming now, the more ready we will be when he comes again. 

So be alert! The Lord who loves you is walking beside you. Will you notice him? 

“Jesus, help me to be aware of the ways that you come to me this Advent.”