Years ago, I had a discussion with a friend of mine in England. In fact, it was in January of 2012 when we talked about how we were both waking up between 2-5, and sometimes exactly at 4:00 a.m.
For awhile, I got up and prayed, especially if God was bringing someone or something to my mind.
Moving around so much in the past four years has interfered with me responding to this call "to keep vigil with Christ" as Father Xavier called it.
Now, I have met several other people, both men and women, who tell me that are waking up at 4 or so. We all agree, but one who still is not sure, that God is calling us to pray at that time.
One of this group found out that people who are going to commit suicide do so at these times, 2-5.
Another person thought of being in the Garden of Gethsemane. Maybe Christ just wants us to be with Him, as if we were in the Garden, but not falling asleep like the apostles.
I must admit this is very, very hard for me, as I only get about six to seven hours of sleep a night as it is owing to doing so many things. Interrupted sleep can only be called "difficult".
But, if God is waking one up, one must get up and pray.
I cannot do a rosary at that hour, usually, unless I am well-rested, but I can turn my mind towards Christ and pray for those people who do come to my mind at those wee hours of the morning....
To do vigil with Christ means that He is begging us to join Him in His Passion, to do what St. Paul indicates here:
Colossians 1:24Douay-Rheims
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church:
Notice how in this translation, St. Paul refers to mortification of the flesh, of the body. There is no doubt that keeping vigil with Christ in the night falls under this category of us suffering for the needs of souls in the present time.
For some, this waking up in the middle of the night could be the "thorn in the flesh", as the interrupting of sleep is painful and makes a day of work much more difficult. The Church finishes the suffering of Christ throughout all time.
But, one always has a choice to respond to given mortifications or not....and as I have said before on this blog, do not waste suffering.
... I write this for C, J, D, E, J, and M.
P.S. If you wake up at three, say the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
P.S. If you wake up at three, say the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
