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 Vigilance:
A Counter-Revolutionary Virtue
By
Michael Whitcraft Modern
man has a certain understanding of the virtues. When asked about them, meekness
and kindness, even justice and fortitude immediately come to mind. However, there
is one virtue which is almost entirely unknown. This virtue, which "…comprehends
the rest, or supplies for all that may be wanting in them,"1
is vigilance. The word vigilance means
a close and alert watchfulness against danger. When applied to the spiritual life,
it signifies the virtue whereby man directs this watchfulness against the three
fetters pulling him towards damnation: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Like
an army with no sentry, the man who lacks vigilance is defenseless against the
continual assaults unleashed by the devil. In the Garden of Olives, Our Lord warned
the apostles to this end, "Watch ye: and pray that ye enter not into temptation."
(St. Matthew 26:41) Three steps to Vigilance To
better understand vigilance, and therefore simplify its practice, the great Catholic
thinker, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira divided it into three main steps: suspicion,
watchfulness and pugnacity. Suspicion Attempting
to destroy the notions of good and evil in man, the Revolution2
denies the existence of Original Sin. As a result, modern man is not concerned
about falling into sin and immerses himself in a world of immodest fashions, pornography
and many other occasions of sin. On the other
hand, the Church teaches that after Original Sin man's inclinations are so corrupt
and his passions so disordered that he is incapable of maintaining a friendship
with God without the continual help of grace. St. Paul calls men "bodies
of sin" (Rom. 6:6) and speaking of the soul, St. Louis de Montfort wrote:
We are naturally prouder than peacocks, more groveling
than toads, more vile than unclean animals, more envious than serpents, more gluttonous
than hogs, more furious than tigers, lazier than tortoises, weaker than reeds,
and more capricious than weathercocks. We have within ourselves nothing but nothingness
and sin, and we deserve nothing but the anger of God and everlasting Hell.3 St.
Louis also notes that man's "best actions are ordinarily stained and corrupted
by…[his] corrupt nature."4 Understanding
this corruption leads one to see all one's ideas, thoughts and tendencies with
the utmost suspicion. This is the first step to vigilance. Watchfulness Suspicion
gives rise to watchfulness. The vigilant soul, mindful of his corrupt nature and
the lengths to which the devil will go in his unholy struggle, is constantly on
the look-out. "Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour." (1 St. Peter 5:8) Pointing
out the addictive nature of vice, the Catholic Encyclopedia classifies
it as "a habit inclining one to sin."5
Through watchfulness, the vigilant soul identifies his defects before they become
habits and is therefore much more likely to overcome them. Pugnacity In
a generic sense, pugnacity is the practice of utterly destroying one's enemies
whenever, wherever and however they exist. Pugnacity applies to vigilance when
it is interiorly exercised against one's defects. Defects,
like weeds left unchecked, will grow out of control and take over the garden of
the soul. Also like weeds, once uprooted, any part left in the soil will soon
grow back stronger than before. The pugnacious soul, like a good gardener, spares
no effort in uprooting and completely overcoming defects as soon as they appear.
History is full of examples of pugnacious saints doing violence to themselves
to conquer their defects. St. Francis of Assisi, for example, while plagued with
impure thoughts, reportedly threw himself out of a window to take his mind off
them. Our Lord Himself preached this same pugnacity,
And if thy right eye scandalize
thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is expedient for thee that one
of thy members should perish, rather than thy whole body be cast into hell. And
if thy right hand scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is
expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy
whole body go into hell. (St. Matthew 5:29-30) Vigilance
and Confidence Realizing that his neighbor has the
same bad inclinations that he has, the vigilant soul regards him with the same
suspicion he regards himself. This is not to say that he is overly critical and
unfriendly, but rather that he puts none of his confidence in mere creatures which
St. Theresa called, "dry branches that break under the first pressure."6 Like
the wise man who built his house on rock (St. Matthew 7:24-27), the vigilant man
possesses that special confidence which is anchored only in the firm rock of God,
His Divine Church and His Holy Mother. Satan may unleash tempests and floods of
fury, and his secure house will not succumb. Vigilance,
the Key to Counter-Revolutionary Living In his book,
Revolution
and Counter-Revolution, Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira insightfully
pointed out how the Revolution makes use of the tendencies of man to reach its
insidious goals.7 It introduces temptations and
obstacles inside culture contrary to the practice of Christian virtue. Because
of this all-encompassing influence, vigilance is essential to identify and destroy
these evils. For this reason, anyone aspiring
to a Counter-revolutionary life must especially consider this virtue in developing
his spiritual life. Through this virtue, the ever-present assistance of Our Lady
will give him the eyes to see and the power to overcome all adversity and attain
sanctity to which all men are called. Our
Lady of Vigilance, pray for us.
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