The Desert Fathers warn us that the time around sleep is a dangerous time for our life of virtue. As our minds are heading toward sleep, we aren’t thinking as clearly as we think we are—how often have you had a brilliant idea when you woke up on the middle of the night or right after you woke up in the morning, only to be puzzled later by how it could have possibly made sense at the time? When we are tired, sleepy and drowsy we are less attentive, more prone to overlook things, and not necessarily thinking with all cylinders firing.
As we begin Advent, our attention turns to those things that prevent us from seeing and recognizing God’s presence clearly. This may be in the form of blindness and an inability to sense His presence all together, or a distortion, like often happens to us in those first moments of waking up, bleary eyed and trying to regain focus on things.
In the Gospel for this Sunday, our Lord gives us this very warning:
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy, from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of life.”
Spiritual drowsiness blurs our vision and affects our judgment just the way that physical tiredness and exhaustion affects us. He gives us three ways that cause us spiritual tiredness, a way of lulling us to sleep spiritually.
The first is in carousing. In a broad sense, we may think of this as being constantly entertained, or seeking entertainment for the sake of entertainment: watching movies, playing video games, going to sporting events, etc. These things are not bad in themselves, but when the need for being entertained becomes the main purpose. Have you ever heard an otherwise calm or virtuous person yell things like “Destroy them; smash their teeth in” at a football game; or get pulled into a movie or tv series with more than questionable content? Carousing is a heart or mind that is seeking to be excited and escape the realities of life, and so is drawn away from attentiveness to God and virtue.
The second is Drunkenness. More than simply for those who drink to excess, or imbibe other substances, we could say that this is the heart that seeks to be comforted in the things of the world. Indulging in sweets and other junk food, or viewing lustful images fall into this category.
The final warning Christ gives us is against the anxieties of daily life. Worrying over the things of this world cloud our ability to think clearly, to see Divine things and recognize God’s presence. After all, the more our attention is
Like one who is getting drowsy, these things are not always grave sins, but they slow our wits and attentiveness, so He says: Stay Alert, avoid what dulls your ability to recognize God.
