“Mad-eye” Moody, the paranoid ex-auror in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has a motto: “Constant vigilance”.He is ever-ready to do battle with the supporters of the Dark Lord, and further the cause of good in the world.
We would do well to adopt his motto for it is only too easy to be distracted and wander off the narrow path.
Following Christ is no walk in the park. First He challenges us to sell all our possessions before we follow him, as He advised the rich man in Mark’s gospel.
Then, not doing evil, keeping the commandments is not enough, no. In Matthew’s gospel, we will be judged for the omission of doing good: not helping our fellow beings in need is tantamount to rejecting Christ.
Neither can we be fearful and lazy like the servant who buried his one talent instead of making it work hard for him and multiplying it. Christianity is definitely not for the faint-hearted, those afraid of being losers.
In fact, we must be bold. Live out our faith daily. Be prepared to lay down our lives for the truth.
If you’re wondering at this point is all this worthwhile, the answer is yes. When Christ calls you by name, you will understand why saying yes is the only logical answer to issue forth from your lips.
Erh, now that I’ve gone off-tangent, let me get back to the point.
We cannot afford to be foolish like the five bridesmaids who due to their lack of planning and preparation were unable to greet the bridegroom as their lamps had extinguished.
Constant vigilance is required.
The following extract that comes from a reflection written by Fr. Steve Tynan, published in Sabbath 2007 says it all so beautifully:
“Vigilance is an essential and often forgotten aspect of our walk of faith. If we fail to be vigilant, Satan will find it very easy to infect our lives with his lies and lead us astray from the truth ...being fully grounded in the truths of our faith is the best defense against the lies of Satan.”
“It takes a lot of effort to develop a truly vigilant lifestyle that will protect us against the lies of sin. The best place is to begin with a committed prayer life. If we pray daily and truly allow God to form our hearts in His ways, we will have begun to develop a protection against temptation.
"If we further this with meditating on the Word of God in the Scriptures, we will reinforce all that the Spirit of God is teaching us in prayer.
"If we then add the Teachings of the Church to this, we will soon develop an impenetrable armor to the fiery darts and lies of Satan. The only way that the armor will be pierced is if we choose to let down our guard and allow him in.”
So stay awake. Be vigilant.
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