“Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Be watchful! Be alert!

You do not know when the time will come.

It is like a man traveling abroad.

He leaves home and places his servants in charge,

each with his own work,

and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

Watch, therefore;

you do not know when the lord of the house is coming,

whether in the evening, or at midnight,

or at cockcrow, or in the morning.

May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.

What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’’”

This is the shortest possible Advent we can have. Christmas, the day we are watching for, the commemoration of the coming of Jesus into the world as a baby born of a virgin, happens on Monday, December 25. It follows the fourth Sunday of Advent on December 24. Advent is only 22 days long! With that brevity comes a certain urgency. Be watchful! Be alert! The day is coming sooner than you can imagine! Through the millennia, the urgency becomes dissipated over time. We become complacent, both with the expectation of the second coming of Jesus and in each of our own lives as we push off the thought of our own death. We have time, we think. Yet, the brevity of Advent this year can remind us of the admonition to be watchful. We do not know the day of the hour. Even today, in a myriad of ways, the Lord can come. Even today, the Lord will come!

As a Watch Officer in Seoul serving as a critical part of the Defense Indication and Warning System focused with vigilance on the actions of North Korea in real time, I was constantly diligent while I was on duty. We were the first indication of any real time and real world trouble. When the rest of the military on peninsula ran training exercises, we did not, because our mission was the same whether at peace or at war: watching the actions of North Korea 24/7. Yet, as a watch officer, I had time off. I, personally, could not keep a 24/7 watch on North Korea. It would be impossible. Likewise, it is impossible for us, in our day and age, with our cares and concerns, to keep constantly vigilant watching for the coming of Jesus, whether at Christmas, in his second coming, or in each day of our brief lives. We can try, but we will fail. It is impossible.

That doesn’t mean, however, it isn’t worth the effort. In fact, knowing our inability to keep constant vigil, the Season of Advent is like an alarm clock to remind us each year of our expectation and diligence in watching for the coming of the Lord. It rings us awake to the coming of the Christ. Likewise, into our daily lives, we can incorporate alarms to remind us of our need to watch. In this season, it may be beneficial to set these alarms more intentionally. A daily prayer in the morning, perhaps with meditating on the liturgical readings for the day, orients our day toward God. Praying before meals calls to mind our gratitude and God’s providence. Reviewing our day with God before sleep grows our awareness of God’s presence and our constant need for his mercy. Devotions, the rosary, a daily mass, going to confession, using an Advent Calendar, blessing children before bed or before they leave the house, and a myriad of other possibilities are little alarms to wake us up in the midst of our busy daily lives to Christ’s presence, his incarnation. Christ comes. May we set our alarms and wake up to his coming. This year, the time is short. Let’s make the most of the time we have.