Watchfulness

By Scott Ferrier, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life.” Proverbs 4.23

Last month we heard how the Israelites were led by God in their journeys through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land by the cloud and the glory of the Lord in the tabernacle. This required their obedience and watchfulness. But, with the new law of grace in Jesus Christ, God has given us a “new heart of flesh, not of stone— and a new spirit within us” (Ezekiel 36:24-29). In the “new Exodus”, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that “a highway shall be there and it shall be called the Holy Way” (Isa. 35:8). But how do we know when we are being led by the Spirit? 

Both the Eastern and Western forms of Christianity have handed down traditions in spirituality which emphasize the importance of ‘custody of the heart.’ Similar terms are ‘discernment of spirits,’ ‘watchfulness’ (Gk. nepsis), and ‘discretion’ (Cassian). In other words, we are talking about the spiritual struggle which takes place in our innermost heart, not those surface feelings that come and go and are readily noticed by us every day. Being sober, vigilant, and watchful to avoid consenting to sin and rejecting bad or evil thoughts was thought to be a reliable guide on the path to holiness.

St. Ignatius of Loyola discovered by his frequent practice of a five-point, ‘general examination of conscience’ (SpEx 43) that he could first perceive and then understand the spirits affecting his soul. He learned to distinguish between the good spirit (God or angel), the evil spirit (the devil), and the human spirit (ourselves). He was not only able to account for sins committed but he became aware of movements of the heart either leading to sin or prompting him to do good. 

This method brought Ignatius to a state of “unceasing prayer” and he began to “find God in all things.” Advancing in holiness, he developed his Spiritual Exercises for his Jesuit companions. They are a supernaturally-aided means “to overcome oneself, and to order one’s life, without reaching a decision through some disordered affection” (SpEx, 21).

Besides a yearly eight-day Ignatian retreat, some of our members have adopted this method of the ‘Examen’ prayer for daily use. If you have the desire and are thirsting for God, it may be this prayer is for you.