Vigilance, paranoia, charity
It goes without saying that we need to be vigilant all the time. Many reasons come to mind. We are in our life like having a trip, and we should try to avoid getting diverted from our path. Also, we are in our life somehow in a state of expectation, and we should be ready for the fulfillment of that expectation.
Besides, in our life there will always be dangers and mishaps that would require us to be watchful. These dangers, difficulties, challenges and all the possible consequences they can bring require us to be very discerning, prudent and at the same time prompt in taking the appropriate action. We should avoid getting complacent in this duty.
Given our human condition, we cannot help but get tense, be held in suspense, and somehow be haunted by fear, doubts, uncertainties. To some extent, this is all normal. We just have to make sure that this understandable fretting does not go overboard, leading us to a state of paranoia when we become suspicious of everything and of everyone.
The duty to be watchful and vigilant is no excuse for us to get paranoid. That duty is and should be compatible with joy and peace that should characterize our life all the time. The secret is to anchor this duty on the most stable foundation, and that can only be God.
When this duty to be vigilant is inspired only by some human criteria alone, like our biases and preferences, our cultural, sociological and ideological leanings, etc., then we have reason to fear that it will degenerate into paranoia.
In that situation, we would be prone to get distrustful, to make many rash judgments, and other wild, disproportionate reactions. We would even generate a lot of unnecessary heat in the environment around us. We can get into a freefall of all offenses against charity.
We need to bank on God always, on his ever wise, omnipotent and merciful providence. That way, we would be guided by firm but flexible, clear but highly nuanced criteria. We most likely would get a proper, or at least fair understanding of people, things and events, and would behave accordingly.
For this to be effective, we need to pray, study the word of God, the doctrine of our faith, the history of the Church that can give us a good idea of how God intervenes in the twists and turns of the way we use our freedom individually and collectively.
The insights and lessons we can get from these exercises would calm us down, would reassure us that everything would just be all right even if we have to experience momentary pains and defeats. They can readily motivate us to move on, to get along. They help us avoid getting too scandalized by things as to get stuck with the problems.
Again, for us to be both vigilant and calm, we need to develop the relevant virtues like prudence, discretion, temperance, tact, patience, optimism, and I would say, also humor. Yes, humor!
While we have to be serious in life, we should neither fall into getting too serious. Humor, as they say, is the best medicine for worries. It puts us in a better condition to face problems as they are. It serves to control and dress up the primitive impulses of our instincts, emotions and passions. It gives us space and distance so we can view things in a better perspective. It's a good foil to our tendency to rub it in.
In that controversy emanating from the recently concluded Synod of Bishops on the family, this kind of vigilance is most relevant. In the midst of the debate, let's hold our horses. No need to be talking about Antichrist or that so and so is a bad person. or that his views are rotten.
In a sense, we can and should expect sharp discussion and disagreements in any church gathering. Past church councils were neither freed from such conflicts. But there's always a way to resolve all this.
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