Being watchful

We can't help but be watchful in life. We are in a journey, needing to reach a certain destination. And there are just too many elements we have to contend with, and not all of them are good and proper to us. In fact, many of them can be dangerous.

Just like when we are driving a car, when we need to have our eyes open all the time, looking not only at what is in front, but also at what is on the right and on the left, and from time to time also at the back, as well as to follow traffic rules and road signs, we need to have the eyes of our mind and heart open all the time.

Thus, in the gospel, we are told: "Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come." (Mt 24,42) That's the big difference between the vigilance on the road and that on our life's journey. The former has our destination quite known. The latter has it still hidden behind all kinds of mountains and clouds in our life.

The secret of this lifelong vigilance that has to contend with many mysteries is for us to be with God always. This is always possible and doable. That's because though he is the most mysterious being, he is also the most accessible. Though he is the remotest, he is also actually the nearest to us.

We have to learn how to handle this paradox. This is not an absurdity. It is simply a truth that is beyond the reach of our natural reasoning. It is attainable only when we make use of God's gifts of faith, hope and charity.

We therefore should never take these divine gifts for granted. They are our constant means, our indispensable weapons. We really cannot make any real progress in our life-journey when they are not used.

Thus, Saint Augustine once said: "The less a man has God in his thoughts, the less is his soul subject to God." Of course, the reverse is also true: The more one has God in his thoughts, the more he is subject to God who loves, cares, protects and guides him to reach his final destination.

 We should cultivate the proper attitude and skill of having God in our mind and heart all the time. This is actually a necessity that we have to freely attend to, an option that actually is not optional.

God never sleeps. His love and concern for us never wanes.

As long as we entrust ourselves to him, we somehow manage to be attentive and watchful even if we need to sleep and are always subject to our limitations and the consequences of our sins.