In the early 80's, Becky, my wife, and I were 'Hill Street Blues' junkies.  We loved the interaction of the characters and the stories of which they were part.  In one episode, two patrol officers are driving in their cruiser having a conversation about personal matters.  What struck me as they were talking was that they did not look at each other.  Instead, their eyes were moving to and fro with a clear focused appearance.  I surmised that what they were doing was constantly panning the neighborhood as they drove, looking for the one thing that seemed out of place; that one thing that may have attempted to appear as one thing and yet was something entirely different.  It occurred to me that patrol officers have disciplined eyes; eyes trained to see that which might not be obvious to the casual looker.

    Advent calls for that kind of discipline.  The discipline of not settling for something's quick appearance; the discipline of 'seeing'; the discipline of watching something to see what is truly present.   'Watch' is the call of Advent.

    In the gospel for the third Sunday of Advent, Jesus asks those gathered a question about John the baptizer: "What did you go into the wilderness to see?"  Why did you go out?"  The evangelist records the question as one for us:  in this season, what are we looking for?  What are we going out of our way to find?  For what are we hungry?  What do we yearn to see?

    I find this season requiring visual discipline.  There are more than enough ads, flashing signs and well thought out phrases suggesting where we will find life, where we will find our future, what will make our loved ones love and appreciate us.  They proclaim that you can find it at Target or the Cadillac dealership, or through the plasma TV- there is your joy they suggest.  Jesus invites us to see that our searching for John the baptizer is the source of our joy.  He (John) is probably not on your or anyone else's shopping list; and looking for him, 'seeing' him, will be our joy.  What are you, what are we, going out to see?

Todd Donatelli