More and more, it seems, fewer people are willing to heed the advice of the Roman playwright Plautus, who said, "Patience is the best remedy for every trouble." And if the words of Shakespeare, "How poor are they that have not patience," are true, then many of us are very poor indeed!

As the Church begins a new liturgical year, the season of Advent appears before us as a time of patient waiting, of preparation, of that wakefulness which Jesus speaks of in this Sunday’s Gospel. The Advent season has a twofold character: it looks forward to the moment of Christ’s return at the end of time, and it looks backward to His first historical coming among us at Christmas. Lest we jump too quickly to Christmas, though, the early weeks of Advent counsel us to be patient and to be attentive to the Lord’s return.

This is the point of the story Jesus tells in this week’s Gospel. Even though we do "know when the time will come," namely Dec. 25, our knowledge of the historical occurrence of the Incarnation in no way dispenses us from the kind of watchfulness and vigilance Jesus insists on today. As we profess in the Creed, the Lord "will come again to judge the living and the dead." And this moment we do not know when that will be. So what meaning should this Advent season hold for us? What should we be watchful about?

First of all, we should be attentive to the presence of the Lord, praying in His company, willing even to suffer with Him. We might make a special effort in these weeks of Advent to attend Mass more than just on Saturday night or Sunday. Families might take a moment to pray together, as the candles of the Advent wreath at home are lit. We might be more conscious in patiently offering our disappointments, frustrations or sufferings to the Lord this season, knowing that the grace of His coming strengthens us to bear our crosses in union with Him.

We should also be vigilant and on guard against all personal laxity, laziness, sinfulness and apathy in our spiritual lives. Advent is a wonderful opportunity to begin, if we are not doing so already, the practice of a daily examination of conscience so that we can remain awake to the imperfections and faults that are apt to creep into our lives if we let them. Advent is also a time to resolve to make the practice of the sacrament of penance a regular, habitual part of our spiritual lives so that we will not be unprepared for the Master’s return. We might consider, too, how we could best help others in need through some material or financial sacrifice this season.

To be on guard, and to be watchful, means that we are not to surrender to disorderly pleasures or to anxiety for the things of this world. Such things can render us insensitive to a life of faith and transcendent goals. Excessive preoccupation with our lives in this world can make us forget that we are on a pilgrimage whose end lies beyond the confines of time and space.