“Pay attention to every step. You must always be vigilant” (Inner Word).
Vigilance is a key concept in our spiritual life.
When we have awakened to the love of our Father, the Holy Spirit will constantly teach us to be vigilant. In fact, vigilance is closely related to love. We know what the gifts of the Holy Spirit do in us: the gift of the fear of God, which moves us to avoid anything that might offend Him; the gift of piety, which strives to do whatever pleases Him; the gift of counsel, which instructs us as to what is right in God’s eyes in a given situation, and so on.
Vigilance accompanies us throughout the day and does not allow us to fall asleep spiritually, that is, to put God second and earthly things first. Too much preoccupation with the latter makes the soul sluggish and lethargic. And a sluggish and lethargic soul is much more susceptible to temptation and becomes weaker and weaker.
According to today’s word, we must be very vigilant about our every step, making sure that it goes in the right direction, towards our Father, and that it does not go astray. This vigilance should begin as soon as we wake up, immediately offering the day before us to God in prayer. It continues by diligently setting aside time for prayer, even if it can only be brief because of our circumstances. Then we are to be mindful of our thoughts so that they are not scattered or given over to unnecessary preoccupations. If we begin the day in this way, watching over our first steps, we will be in a good position to pay attention to our Father’s loving guidance and to make the day fruitful in the watchfulness of love.