“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son,
but only the Father. Beware, keep alert and pray, for you do not know when the time
will come” (Mark 13:32)
In the churches of the renowned monasteries of Mt. Athos, ostrich eggs are hung from ribbons. Some would think that they represent Paschal eggs at their largest size. Not at all. They dangle before the eyes of the monks as a reminder that the female ostrich guards her egg intensely, permitting nobody to come near and snatch it away. What the egg is to the ostrich the soul is to the monk. Like the precious treasure in the field [Matthew 13:44] or the priceless pearl [Matthew 13:45], so is the human soul to those who realize the value of the gift bestowed on each of us by a loving heavenly Father. It’s not for sale, it’s not for barter, and it’s not for exchanging for the good life in this world.
The monks bear in mind what every Orthodox Christian ought to be doing also; that is, keeping a watch over our souls. “Beware, keep alert and pray,” as the gospel words above caution us. The monastics even describe themselves as those who are ever vigilant [nepsis] and alert, lest they be found sleeping and unprepared to ward off the spirits of darkness.
And what is it that we achieve by keeping certain days of the week and the year as fast days, some intense and others less so, if not to set a guard over our eyes and our stomachs lest we indulge ourselves by eating and drinking, like the pagans in the Bible who lose all self-control. It’s also the reason for marking the day not only with numbers of the day and month, but by meditating on the saints of the day and why they were chosen by the Holy Church as our role models. Why also are we told to pray several times a day, to be careful about what we say, listen to and watch, so that we remain ever sober and alert.
The Orthodox Christian way of vigilance is quite different from the more well-known custom of expecting the Second Coming of Christ as taught by many Protestant sects in America and the world. They look with anticipation and expectation, but without the preparation that our faith prescribes. In a sense the stress on the future coming of the Lord excuses and ignores what one should be doing in the meanwhile. The foolish virgins were also waiting for the bridegroom, but they hadn’t the sense to bring along extra oil for their lamps [Matthew 25:1-13]. You who were anointed with the myrrh of the Holy Spirit cannot just stare in the sky and wonder when Christ will return. We are all living in a meanwhile situation: Yes, He has already conquered Satan by fulfilling the will of the Father and accepting the horrid death on the Cross, rising on the Third Day and abiding both next to the Father and among those gathered in His precious name—and yes, again “we look for the world to come,” while it, or rather He in all His glory has not yet arrived to bring about the end. “Maranatha! O Lord, come!” We also cry out with all who await Christ’s return. But we struggle with the sin within us, taking up our crosses daily, by prayer and fasting we strive to cleanse our souls of all defilement with the help of the Holy Trinity. Our monastic men and women are our advance guard as we move through this world onward towards God’s Kingdom.