During last Sunday’s Angelus, the Holy Father explained the importance of vigilance and prayer and warned against the dangers of spiritual laziness
Newsroom (29/11/2021 20:15, Gaudium Press) On the occasion of the first Angelus of Advent last Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about the importance of prayer.
The Pope evoked the Gospel of the Day, in which Our Lord speaks about the end of time, a period of great tribulation. But Our Lord asks us not to be afraid (Lk 21:28).
“Arise and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near” it is important to hear this encouragement, for it is precisely in the difficult and final moments that the Lord comes to save us, the Pope stated.
And so that we do not allow ourselves to succumb to tribulations the Lord invites us to stay awake: “Stay awake and pray. Stay awake and watch is the main part of Our Lord’s message.
The importance of being vigilant
The Pontiff then spoke about vigilance, an essential virtue for the Christian and explained the relationship between vigilance and assedia (the laziness of the spiritual).
“Vigilance means this: not to allow the heart to become lazy and the spiritual life to languish in mediocrity,” he explained.
The danger of laziness
Pope Francis further warned of the risk of being a “sleeping Christian”. The sleeping Christian is only interested in what suits him or her and has no enthusiasm for mission or prayer. This type of person becomes heavy and drags on in routine.
The Pontiff further proposed questions by way of examination of conscience to protect the heart from laziness that “takes away our zest for life and the desire to do.”
“It is a negative, evil spirit that traps the soul in torpor, robbing it of joy. The Book of Proverbs says: “Guard your heart, for out of it flows life” (Pr 4,23). Guard your heart: this means to be vigilant,” Francis said.
Prayer and vigilance
And as a final piece of advice for keeping awake and vigilant, the Holy Father explained the importance of prayer: “the secret of being vigilant is prayer”.
It is prayer that puts God at the centre of attention and keeps the heart alight. “Prayer wakes the soul from sleep,” the Pope said.
To conclude his message during the Angelus, the Pontiff suggested reciting an aspiration during the season of Advent: “‘Come, Lord Jesus’. Let us repeat this prayer throughout the day: the soul will remain vigilant!” (FM)
With information from VaticanNews.