Justin Appel

“Blessed is the slave whom his master will find him at work when he arrives.”
Matthew 24:46

Dear Friends,

Today’s Gospel lesson from Matthew 24 includes the parable of the wise slave. This parable points directly to the idea of watchfulness or nepsis, a traditional teaching with a long lineage in the Church.

Following the parable’s language, even as the slave must do the will of the master, so we are asked to be occupied with the commandments of Christ, to live our lives according to his will, and to keep our minds directed to him, while exercising watchfulness over every thought that enters our minds.

St Sophrony of Essex, a 20th-century saint who recorded the sayings of his elder, St Silouan (who’s phrase “Keep your mind in hell and despair not” was the subject of a recent reflection), taught about prayerful mindfulness:

“When the work of a certain [sinful] thought manifests in us, then we cry out:

“Lord, heal my mind! Lord, heal my heart! Lord, heal me whole! You see how painful it is when the thought, which doesn’t even make sense, torments me like a slave. I pray You, protect me! You know that I have no other desire than to live according to Your commandments. Your commandment is the highest law of my whole being: both temporary and eternal. You inspired me to love Your commandments. You gave me Your light, in order to see the beauty of the divine life. And now, save me…“

Sophrany’s teaching illuminates how we may be present to Christ through prayer, in order to counteract every thought (which the elders collectively call logismoi) that arrives from outside, and which does not align with Christ’s commandments.

Lord, have mercy upon us! Help us to set our minds on you!

—Justin