(See the readings for the First Sunday of Advent)
Advent is the season of hope. It provides the Christian community a period of time to bolster our hope and to be strengthened by this virtue for our continued journey through life. The four Sundays of Advent provide us an opportunity to reflect on several aspects of our faith that help bolster our hope: vigilance, repentance, transformation and reliance. Today we consider vigilance.
Research into mental processes that mark elite athletes have identified one of these as the “quiet eye.” David Robson in his report for the BBC titled “Why athletes need a ‘quiet eye’” (June 24, 2020) describes this concept as “a kind of enhanced visual perception that allows the athlete to eliminate any distractions as they plan their next move.
“Intriguingly, ‘quiet eye’ appears to be particularly important at times of stress, preventing the athlete from ‘choking’ at moments of high pressure. It may even lead to the mysterious ‘flow state.’ The same laser-sharp focus can help doctors maintain their focus as they perform surgery.”
One sport Robson uses as an example is golf. The old adage “keep your eye on the ball” is more than a helpful hint. Robson, referring to a professional study by Dr. Joan Vickers, notes: “She found an intriguing correlation: the better the player, the longer and steadier their gaze on the ball just before, and then during, their strike. Novices, by contrast, tended to shift their focus between different areas of the scene for shorter periods of time.”
So an athlete, if they truly want to become the best they can be, in any sport, needs to develop that quiet eye.
The quiet eye of a golf game can be applied to multiple sports and activities. The ability to focus is to allow the purpose at hand to take our full attention. Perhaps this quiet-eye image might help us reflect on the importance of vigilance in our journey through life.
Jesus, in this Sunday’s Gospel passage, emphasizes the value and need for vigilance. He begins by using the story of Noah as a warning. He mentions the people of that day going about their normal routines completely unprepared for when the rains came. His point is that those people were caught totally off guard. They were not focused.
At other times Jesus gives similar examples emphasizing the necessity and value of vigilance; for example, servants awaiting the return of the master (Luke 12:35-37) or the parable of the 10 virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). In Sunday’s passage He uses this example: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.” So he urges us to vigilance: “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Vigilance might be seen in regards to death. When persons who are alert and aware that they are dying, they keep vigilant as they prepare. The expression “keeping vigil” is also applied to family and friends who pray for the beloved dying person.
We might think back to the days before St. John Paul II’s death. People all around the world were keeping vigil as the time approached. Prayers were offered to God for him in different languages from all over the world. The news media was a constant flow of updates and coverage waiting for the moment. The longing for eternal life, reliance on God’s mercy and faith in Christ’s victory fill the hearts of the dying, family members and friends. The vigilance is immediate and observable.
Vigilance might also be seen in times of trouble or difficulty. When a country is at war, take Ukraine for example, people are hyper alert to attack. People go about their day keenly aware that at any moment sirens or warning systems may go off that an attack is imminent or underway.
When a person lives in a crime-ridden neighborhood, they remember to lock the doors to their homes and they remove anything of value, even coins, from their cars. They are keeping vigil.
Vigilance can also be seen in times of expectation, in times of hope. Perhaps think of a family gathered in a hospital as they await the birth of a child. Pacing the waiting room or having the phone nearby are ways people keep vigil. They wait in joy-filled and hopeful expectation that the baby will be delivered safely and both mother and child will be in good health.
Another example may be the welcoming home of a son or daughter, mother or father. If they have been away for a while, the vigil is filled with preparations for their arrival. Preparing their favorite foods, getting the house ready, cleaning up their rooms, organizing gatherings with family and friends is pretty common. All is done in joyful vigilance for their arrival.
The vigilance of which Jesus speaks is mostly akin to the last example but elements of the first two are certainly present. In the Gospel passage for Sunday’s liturgy, Jesus speaks of vigilance for his return as the Son of Man, the divine judge. He is speaking about the end times. The end will come “at an hour you do not expect,” hence the need for keeping vigil.
In another place He speaks similarly: “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Matthew 24:44). The end will be a great day for those who are prepared so vigilance is always needed.
St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans gives advice on how to keep vigil. He writes: “Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.”
Living good and upright lives, keeping our focus on Christ Jesus and the Way are how we keep vigil. The light of His presence shines forth from within us and becomes visible in the manner of our lives, our speech, our interactions and our care for the needy. All these heighten our vigilance and provide hope not only for ourselves but for our world.
The quiet eye of elite athletes keeps them focused on their performance. It helps move them toward excellence. The quiet eye for Christians is vigilance. The awareness that this life has an end to which it is moving, of the abiding “advent” of Christ in our hearts, that we are never alone, and that we are always loved fills us with hope as we continue our pilgrim journey. Vigilance bolsters that hope.
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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Read more reflections by Msgr. Joseph Prior here.
The post Advent Teaches Vigilance for Hope in Jesus, Who Remains With Us appeared first on CatholicPhilly.
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