Every once in a while you come across an idea that can enhance your life if you let it, once such idea is watchfulness. We find this idea in Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus charges His Disciples to, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (26.41). Again the idea comes up in psalm 141 verse 3 (140 LXX), “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.”
What does the Lord intend to teach us by asking us to become watchful? For a time a monastery flourished in the Orthodox world known as the monastery of the “Sleepless Ones.” Still today the practice of keeping vigil and watch in the middle of night is prevalent in monastic communities and even among lay people in parishes. The spiritual discipline of watchfulness is still with us and its ability to stimulate our faith is as strong as ever.
Watchfulness is the spiritual art of guarding one’s heart, one’s actions and one’s thoughts. It is a discipline that is essential to spiritual health and growth. It is also something that we can easily start practicing today but something that will take years to perfect.
How does one begin to become watchful? Well to begin one must first recognize that everything that surrounds them is not beneficial. Just like someone who wishes to improve their physical health someone who desires to improve their spiritual health must recognize that certain things help us accomplish our goal while other things restrict growth.
Next we need to begin the process of focusing our spiritual attention. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. We can utilize the Jesus Prayer, we can fast, read scripture or spiritual writings, serve the poor, and follow the commandments of Christ. Of course the constant reminders we receive to do these basic Christian activities is easily overlooked so it is necessary to stop and reconsider whether or not we are practicing these elementary Christian disciplines. We can also review how we live day to day. What do we listen to, watch and read? What are we interested in and are we careful consumers of what the world offers us? Do we intelligently filter what surrounds us ensuring that only what is good and what is beneficial enters our hearts and minds?
Each day we continue to respond to the call of illumination and salvation. Practicing watchfulness is another but essential step in this journey. It is part of a normal spiritual life and if we choose to work on this we may find a new world open up to us one we may have overlooked for years.