In the Gospel, Jesus often advises his disciples to ‘stay awake’ (see Luke 21:34-36). The apostles also repeated this teaching. The Desert Fathers, like Jesus and the Apostles, also emphasized ‘wakefulness.’ They considered it very important for monks to remain awake everywhere. One brother took this so seriously that he would stop at every step and ask himself, “Now, brother, where are we?” when moving to a different place.
What does it mean to be awake? The primary meaning of wakefulness is not to sleep. However, not sleeping is not the true meaning of wakefulness. Wakefulness is having a clear mind. The Apostle Paul exhorts, “Let us be awake with a clear mind” (1 Thessalonians 5:6). Wakefulness is an internal attitude of the heart.
The early monks were constantly oriented toward God by keeping their minds awake. This inner watchfulness involves being conscious of everything, concentrating on the moment, and doing one's best when doing something. Strictly speaking, it is an attitude of always being awake to God and oneself, always on guard for evil thoughts, and ready to reject temptations as soon as they come. This defensive attitude is called ‘vigilance’ or ‘caution’ of the mind and heart.
Watchfulness is also a state of being always ready for something. Jesus says, “Watch, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). In other words, we must be ready to welcome the Lord, who may come at any time.
We remember the story of the ten virgins in the Gospel (Matthew 25:1-13) preparing to welcome the Bridegroom. All of them were awake and waiting for the bridegroom, but they fell asleep. When the bridegroom came, only the five virgins who had prepared oil for their lamps were able to welcome him. A monk is always awake, prepared to welcome the Lord.
Awakeness is connected to prayer. Jesus advised, “Be awake and pray always” (Luke 21:36). The Apostle Paul also said, “Be awake and pray with thanksgiving” (Col 4:2). The Psalmist sings, “My eyes are awake before dawn, that I may meditate on your word” (Psalm 119). And “At midnight I rise to praise you” (Psalm 119:62). In this way, staying awake at night without sleeping is for prayer.
The Desert Fathers also tried to stay awake and pray according to the admonition of the Lord and the Apostles. They especially got up in the middle of the night to pray. This is the midnight 'Vigil prayer' passed down through the monastic tradition. As anyone who has experienced it knows, staying awake and praying at night is difficult. It is not easy to even get up in the middle of the night to pray when everyone is asleep. Above all, there is a struggle with sleep. It is not easy to stay awake and pray even when you wake up because of the drowsiness. Nevertheless, the monks have stayed awake and prayed while the world was asleep and continue to do so.
Not only does sleep hinder prayer, but also an impure and unstable heart. Therefore, wakefulness is also about keeping the heart pure and calm. “If we stay awake, all these temptations disappear.” One Abba asked, “Which is better, physical abstinence or inner wakefulness?” he answered, “Man is like a tree. Physical abstinence are the leaves, the inner wakefulness is the fruit. As it is written, ‘Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire’ (Matthew 3:10), so all our attention should be directed toward the fruit.
The Desert Fathers are exhorting us, who live in these turbulent and confusing times, to “stay awake!” To be awake means to be conscious, to keep the heart pure, to be conscious of everything, and to live in the present. This is the state of “inner awakeness” that the Fathers spoke of. In this state, we will not succumb to the temptations of evil that constantly attack us. We must always be awake so that all vain human desires do not dominate us. No one can defend himself against this danger if we are not awake. And without inner depth, we remain at a superficial level. What is important is each of our inner attitudes. No matter where or how we live, we must stay awake internally without losing consciousness of the self. Otherwise, we will continue to wander in delusion.
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