Br Alex Swain

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.”
—Luke 21: 34-35a

Siblings in Christ,

What are you worried about today? There is much, it seems, to be increasingly worried about these days.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells us to be on guard that our hearts are not weighed down excessively with the worries of life. Importantly, He does not tell us, “don’t worry! Just be happy!”

Rather, He tells us to be on guard. To watch. To be mindful of our internal states and reactions.

Jesus sees a connection between the way we think and the way we operate. Excessive worry and fretting leads to dissipation of the self, a reduction of our capacity to handle the normal and abnormal stressors of life, and a deadening to listening and responding to where God is calling each of us.

The Eastern Orthodox ascetical tradition has a practice called nepsis, which means “watching the mind.” “This is a practice of paying close attention to the kind of gripping thoughts that arise involuntarily during the silence, naming them for what they are, and thereby taking away their power.” It is a “practice of intense, attentive self-awareness, combined with an open heart towards God.”*

Within the Benedictine tradition, there is a close connection between how we think and our actions.

St. Benedict writes, “Be on guard against evil desires because death lurks near the gateway of pleasure.”** In her commentary, Sr. Judith Sutera notes that every action leads either towards or away from God, and that there are “no insignificant actions, no thoughts that don’t have consequences.”***

Jesus calls us to be on guard of our thoughts and actions so that we are not overwhelmed by the stress of life. Holy tradition takes our Lord’s words very seriously, and I think we ought to, too.

In the coming days, I encourage us to take some time in open silence to God, and to ask the Holy Spirit to make us aware of our thoughts, and to offer them to Christ. Be on guard and release our thoughts to God.

Yours in Christ,

—Br Alex

*Brian C. Taylor, Becoming Christ: Transformation Through Contemplation (Cowey Publications, Cambridge, 1989), 24-25.

** Rule of St. Benedict 7:24.

*** Judith Sutera, St. Benedict’s Rule: An Inclusive Translation and Daily Commentary (Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 2021) 73.