The human body needs rest: indeed, God gave us a commandment to rest, to keep holy the Sabbath day, the day of rest. Yet it has long been our human experience that sleep can make us vulnerable, and so human beings throughout the ages have taken precaution to safeguard themselves while sleeping. This need for vigilance has then penetrated into other areas of human life, so that we realise that we should at times forego rest, even well-deserved rest, if we are to attain to certain goals. The notion of watchfulness became the Church's practice of keeping vigil. The First Reading for today's celebration suggests that the attainment of wisdom is a worthy objective for which we might keep vigil. In Jesus' parable, entry into the Messianic banquet requires vigilance on our part. The first reading and the Gospel come together in the person of Jesus, for Jesus is both the incarnate wisdom of God and the Bridegroom.

The Psalmist also keeps vigil, meditating through the night watches on the mystery of God. His vigilance and meditation are marked by desire and longing, for these are necessary to turn mere wakefulness into a religious vigilance.