Thursday, October 31(18), 2024
Philip. 1:20-27;  Lk.6:12-19

“…And He continued all night in prayer to God” [Lk.6:12].  Here is the foundation and the beginning of the Christian tradition of vigils. The warmth of prayers wards off your weariness, and while your spirit is lifted up, time is flowing much quicker than usual.  Men of serious prayer, indeed, hardly notice time: it might seem that the all-nigh vigil has just begun, while the day is already dawning.

It takes a lot of spiritual effort, however, before one can even approach such a level of perfection in prayer.  The effort of the vigil is common to Christians of all venues ─ in remote deserts and hermitages, in monasteries and convents, in pious homes and families.  Though this effort is strenuous, it always brings long-lasting, distinctive benefits: peaceful and contrite heart, relaxed and exhausted body.  Such conditions are of a great value for anyone concerned with the spiritual life!

That is why the tradition of all-night vigils is rooted so firmly in some places (like Mt. Athos in Greece): everyone realizes how hard it is to keep, but no one would think of dropping it for the sake of the benefits it brings to the soul.  While long sleep is great at pampering the body, vigils are equally great at chastising it.  Having had abundant sleep, one becomes lukewarm and slow to spiritual labor, while the vigil makes one swift as a fawn, flaming in spirit.

If we have to discipline our body, to make it turn away from evil towards good, there is no better means of doing that than frequent vigils.  Here the body is experiencing the power of spirit over it, while the spirit learns how to dominate the body.

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