Watchfulness & Guarding the Heart
Day 16 of 40 in 'The Art of Dying Well' by St. Robert Bellarmine
St. Macarius, a desert father from the 4th century, writes: “Is there anything more unworthy than when we abandon prayer and give ourselves over to weakness and lack of watchfulness in trampling down the fruits of the Spirit that have been sent down for our great endeavors and tears? Let us then repent while there is still time for repentance. This hour is not long and we should learn how to pass it profitably before we are called upon to abandon this infirm body.” St. Macarius is also famously quoted: “The heart itself is but a small vessel, yet dragons are there, and there are also lions; there are poisonous beasts and all the treasures of evil. But there too is God, the angels, the life and the kingdom, the light and the apostles, the heavenly cities and the treasuries of grace—all things are there.”
The desert fathers and desert mothers were simple men and women who left the cities in order to regain a sense of watchfulness and vigilance for the Kingdom of God during time when Christians were becoming more and more spiritually lazy. St. Anthony the Great is the most famous of them all, but there were many others whose writings we have to this day such as St. Marcarius the Great.
Many historians point to the fact that the desert fathers replaced the role of the martyrs in the ancient church. The martyrs were the heroes and role models, but what do you do when the martyrs go away? For the first 300 years of Christianity, it was easy to have a sense of ‘watchfulness’ because you could actually be killed for being a Christian. You literally had to watch your back and guard against the temptation of apostasy. Once persecution ended, many bishops, priests, and lay people began to struggle with luxury and political prominence. During this period, many of the saints spoke against this type of lukewarmness and cultural comprise such as St. John Chrysostom. The Roman Empress did not like this nor some of the bishops, and so John was exiled where he eventually died due to failing health. Like the desert fathers, Chrysostom was always encouraging his congregation to be watchful with their actions and to constantly guard their hearts from their own fallen desires (passions).
In chapter 4 of ‘The Art of Dying Well,’ Bellarmine summarizes the whole teaching of the Bible and the Fathers’ on this topic of ‘watchfulness’ and why it is an essential discipline to the Christian life. He begins with a parable from our Lord:
“Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds watching’ (Luke 12:35-36).
This parable may be understood in two ways: of preparation for the coming of our Lord at the last day, and for His coming at the particular death of each one… Many signs will precede the last day, that will terrify men, according to the words of our Lord: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world."
But no certain signs will precede the particular death of each one (i.e. our own deaths)… We will, therefore, briefly explain this parable, understanding by it that preparation for death, which above all things is so absolutely necessary for us. Our Lord commands us all to observe three things:
1) that we have "our loins girded"
2) that we have "lamps burning in our hands;"
3), that we "watch " in expectation of the coming of our Judge, being no less ignorant when He will come, than we are of the coming of thieves.
"Let your loins be girded" The literal meaning of these words is, that we should be ready prepared to go forth and meet the Lord, when death shall call us to our particular judgment. The comparison of the garments being girt, is taken from the custom of Eastern nations that use long garments; and when they are about to go on a journey or to walk, they gather up their garments and gird their loins, lest their garments should be in their way.
Hence it is said of the angel Raphael, who had come as a guide to the younger Tobias: "Then going forth, found a beautiful young man, standing girded, and as it were ready to walk." (Tobias v. 5.) And according to the same custom of the Orientals, St. Peter writes: "Wherefore, having the loins of your mind girt up, being sober, trust perfectly in the grace which is offered you, &c." (1 Epist. i. 13.) And St. Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians says: "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth." (i. 14.)
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