The Way of Love Demands Constant Vigilance

Elder Porphyrios tells us that vigilance is passionate love, an intense yearning for Christ.


When we are vigilant we are careful about everything we do. We avoid laziness, we make efficient use of our efforts, and seek to do all things in ways that lead to more harmony. We pay attention to the details of things, even the way we may open the latch on a gate (This is an example the Elder uses).

This effort must be constant and careful. You need to pay attention to your soul. The more you seek God the more vigilant you become.

It is with constant vigilance that we enter the spiritual world.


He says, 

You will acquire remembrance of God though prayer “Lord Jesus Christ…” through the prayers of the church, through the hymns and though bringing to mind the acts of God and recalling passages from Holy scripture and from other spiritual books….

We experience Christ and we take off! We feel great joy and have wondrous spiritual experiences. Then we gradually become captives of good, captives of Christ. And when you become captive of good, you cannot speak evil, you cannot hate and you cannot tell lies… They cannot enter when your room is full of your aether-borne spiritual friends––I mean the angels, the saints, the martyrs and above all Christ.

Reference: Wounded By Love, p 141