Philly 2024 Step 20: Alertness/ Step 21: Fear

Why is alertness a virtue?

It is a virtue because it is a state of being in which we are always prepared to meet our maker. This principle of vigilance is made explicit in Holy Week.

If the purpose of alertness, or vigilance, is always to be prepared to meet the Lord and not waste the time we have been given for repentance, then prayer or spiritual study, especially the reading of the Scriptures, should be the activities that fill those waking hours otherwise wasted on sleep. But for most people time is not wasted on sleep. Families, babies, and jobs do not allow for excessive sleeping.

Why is the remembrance of death so important in spiritual life?

This brings us back to the issue of priorities. Do we see it as a necessity to wake up on a Saturday or Sunday morning when in some cases we do not need to go to work to go to church and say our prayers? Of course we should be careful not to push ourselves too far. We all get tired. But why do we not have the same sense of urgency and alertness when it comes to the spiritual life. We feel there is no practical consequence to skipping morning prayer or not going to church. There is no penalty. We are not going to lose our job or be reprimanded. But what if this day is your last? What if tomorrow morning is your last chance to pray and repent and prepare your soul for death? When we perceive our sins and remember our coming judgment, when we become sensitive to the presence of God, we ares napped out of our slumber and we become alert. Remembrance of death leads to alertness, alertness fosters prayer, and prayer prepares us to meet God.

What does it mean that we should never put fear on the throne?

A wise priest once said to not put fear on the throne. He always spoke in riddles, and it often took me years to realize what he meant by one thing or another. In this case he was exhorting me not to let fear be the motivation for my actions or, more importantly, for my inaction. When we live in fear, we never take risks; we live in a timid fashion, refusing to leave our comfort zone, never able to fully trust in God’s care for us.

Fear is natural, but it must be controlled. To be dominated by fear is a sign of lack of faith and trust in God. Of course, there are irrational fears (phobias) of specific things. I cannot say whether such phobias are related to lack of faith, or whether they can be overcome by faith alone. but fear in general can be a very destructive and oppressive force in one’s life.

Is the fear of God a timid fear? Should we fear the devil?

Some people think Christianity is about living a life of fear, but on the contrary, Christians are called to live a fearless life. There is one exception; Christians fear God. The servant of the Lord will be afraid only of his Master.

But it is not a paralyzing or timid fear. On the contrary, fear of God pushes us to do good, to repent and become more like Christ.

There are many Orthodox Christians who live in fear of the devil, demon, magic, and curses. This displays a terrible lack of faith. Such fear is contrary to God’s providence…contrary to spiritual knowledge. The teaching of Hermas is echoed by many other Fathers: the demons have no power! They can only tempt and frighten, and have no power other than what God permits. This is made abundantly clear in many accounts of exorcism in the Gospels. The demons fear Christ. They also fear the saints. They should fear us, rather than us fearing them. There is no dualism in Christianity; God and the devil are not two equal powers playing with humanity like pawns in a chess game. Fear God, and the devil will fear you!

What is the remedy for fear?

Like all passions, the passion of fear cannot be overcome suddenly. The Ladder prescribes mourning as the remedy for fear.

When we cease to mourn for our sins, we forget our salvation. We compensate for this loss of purpose by attaching undue significance to temporal things — things that are fragile and easily taken from us — and so we end up living with a deep-rooted insecurity. The greater our repentance, the less attached to things we become; and the less attached to things we become, the more fearless we shall be.

By keeping in mind the Last Judgement, we overcome fear with fear.