16th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C
Genesis 18:1-10a
Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5
Colossians 1:24-28
Luke 10:38-42
Psalm 15 opens with a question. O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? (Ps 15:1). It is good to be reminded of it because the prayer becomes more personal!
I should come to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist prepared. As we prepare for a performance in the theater, as we prepare for a dinner we are invited to, as we prepare for any event, so we should come prepared to the church as well.
Part of the preparation is reading the Sunday Scripture passages in advance. Using my Bible, I would notice the first verse is missing, and this notion would stay with me. When we start praying the responsorial psalm, the missing verse pops up in my mind and it helps me focus on what I pray.
Who may abide in Your tent? — who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue; nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; who harms not his fellow; who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
We may notice there are two kinds of actions. One is the inner attitude, that of the heart – who thinks the truth in his heart. The second is the consequence of the first one – who slanders not; nor takes up reproach; who harms not; who lends not at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
The psalm helps us understand how important the heart is. It focuses our attention on the source of actions and their value. The kind of attitude I form in my heart, the same kind of actions I will accomplish. The psalm leads us indeed to the watchfulness of the heart.
How can we simply explain watchfulness? It is paying attention, on purpose, non-judgmentally, to our inner desires, thoughts and attitudes. Therefore, it means living in the present moment. In other words, watchfulness is to experience one’s immediate sensations and feelings, and to radically accept them in order to bring them to the Lord for transformation.
Saint Hesychios, a monk from Mount Sinai who lived in the eighth century, tells us why we should be watchful: Watchfulness, if practiced over a long period, completely frees us with God’s help from impassioned thoughts, impassioned words and evil actions.” Watchfulness is guarding one’s heart and filtering what is in there.
St. Hesychios explains the nature of watchfulness: “Watchfulness is a continual fixing and halting of thought at the entrance to the heart. In this way, predatory and murderous thoughts are chopped down as they approach and what they say to us noted. By this, we can see just how delusive and insidious the demons are in trying to deceive our minds.”
St. Hesychios recommends some steps in practicing watchfulness. His first recommendation is that we diligently scrutinize the nature of our thoughts. Are they good? Are they innocent? Are they reflecting the Word of God? Or do they hide selfishness, self-centeredness and self-pleasing without paying attention to the needs of others?
In this regard, Psalm 15 can serve as a guide for such scrutiny. Here are some other Scripture passages to be used: 1 Corinthians 13; Philippians 2: 3-11; Ephesians 5:1-11.
St. Hesychios goes on to remind us of our need of help and therefore he encourages us to continually and humbly calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ for help. We may practice such prayer by repeating the name of Jesus or a word/phrase from the Scripture we have read.
Practicing watchfulness allows us to enter into the presence of the Lord, to dwell in his tent. The beautiful Byzantine hymn prayed during the first three days of Holy Week sums up the benefit of watchfulness: “Behold, the Bridegroom is coming in the middle of the night: blessed is the servant He shall find awake. But the one He shall find neglectful will not be worthy of Him. Beware, therefore, O my soul! Do not fall into deep slumber, lest you be delivered to death and the door of the kingdom be closed on you. Watch instead, and cry out: “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God! Through the prayers of the holy angels, have mercy on us.”