[Greek] ἐκνήφω (eknēphō), [Latin] evigilare, [German] erwachen, [French] veiller, [French] reveiller: to return to one’s senses, to become sober-minded, to wake up; 1Cor.15:34
Background information:
Greek Hellenism: This term means to become sober, to sleep off a drunken fit, and to recover from.
Plutarch’s Demosthenes 20: “But when he got sober and realized the magnitude of the struggle in which he had been involved, he shuddered at the power and the ability of the orator who had forced him to hazard his empire.”
Old Testament: This term means to come out, to bring forth, to awake, and to become active. Noah, the first man to plant a vineyard, becomes drunk with wine and falls asleep while naked. Noah’s son Ham shames his father by looking at his nakedness, then tells the other sons. When Noah wakes up, he learns what Ham had done to him. (Gen.9:24)
New Testament: This term means to become sober (to return to one’s right senses). Paul is very concerned that some Corinthians are denying the resurrection of the dead. They apparently cannot imagine how any kind of bodily existence could be possible after death. If there is no hope of resurrection, the Corinthians can just live a life of pleasure, foolishness, and sin.
Scripture:
1Cor.15:30: Why are we endangering ourselves (incurring perils) if the resurrection is not true?
Paul asks the Corinthians: “What is the point for all our efforts and struggles if there is no promise of the resurrection? The Corinthians are foolish in not realizing that a life of sacrifice is necessary to seek the promise of the resurrection.
1Cor.15:32: If there is no resurrection, then let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die, (but I [Paul] fought with beasts!)
On the other hand, if there is no resurrection, then let us all indulge ourselves.
1Cor.15:33: Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals
Do not be deceived. Others will corrupt you, leading to sin.
1Cor.15:34: Be sober and stop sinning
One must wake up from this sleep of indulgence and sin. It is also shameful that there are also Christians who have an ignorance regarding God.
Etymology: The Greek verb eknepho means to rouse out (ek-) of stupor (-nepho). The Greek noun nephos means cloud. The Latin verb evigilare means to be wakeful, to watch out, to elaborate, and to awaken.
Conclusion:
Vigilant, vigil, reveal, nephology (study of clouds)
Essentially, this term means to wake up out of sinful behavior.
Noah, not understanding the intoxicating effect of wine, does not sin but only shows faulty judgment. Ham sins by looking at Noah’s nakedness.
Paul was addressing the Corinthians’ faithlessness and ignorance which lead to their indulgence, foolishness and license to sin. (Unfortunately, we see this occurring again in our post-Christian secular world.)
Update: Many have left the Church or have lost their faith, unwilling to uphold traditional moral values.
Prevalent attitude in this post-Christian secular world: “If it is legal and if it is my right to do it, then I am going to do it!”
Disordered homosexual relationships (and gay marriage), although legal in a worldly sense, exist in opposition to God’s traditional design for marriage between a man and a woman.
We are now living in a culture of death, where many have discarded life for the sake of convenience and rights.
The Pride (LGBTQ) community espouses a lifestyle defined by behavior (sin, offensive behavior, lewdness, and indecency) in ignorance or in rebellion to God’s moral laws. This rebellion and ignorance can be either intentional or unintentional. (Yet the devil call us by our sins. The Father in heaven calls us by name.)
These Pride parades just continue with their lewdness, indecency, nakedness, and offensive behavior. (Are you really surprised?)
During Pride month the LGBTQ community, as a protected class, seems to get a pass for their behavior, by the Church, culture, and the media.
Churches, under the guise of tolerance and inclusion, are tacitly supporting the LGBTQ pride movement. These churches have even actually ignored, downplayed, or even changed their church teachings to accommodate the LGBT community lifestyle. Numerous cardinals, bishops, and priests have been instrumental in this movement (even to modify Church teachings. (This is an example of false compassion).
A wake-up call about the devil: One does not need to be fully possessed or be a satanist to be influenced by the devil. The devil can influence us by pride, busyness, unbelief, and rebellion (against God’s creation and moral laws). This rebellious (demonic) efforts can be intentional, unintentional, or unknowing.
A wake-up call about our secular post-Christian society: abortion, gender ideology, transgenderism, gay marriage, “LGBTQ Catholicism” seek to undermine, upend, and destroy God’s creation and moral laws.
We can only imagine that the devil would be very happy about what is going on in our culture in saying, “Keep up the good work!”
Father James Martin, part of Pope Francis’s inner circle, states that the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Pride Month go hand in hand. The compassion of Jesus means that one can support waving the Gay Pride flag and affirm the LGBTQ lifestyle. (This is an example of showing false compassion). Fr. James Martin is in fact calling others to affirm, accept and tolerate their sinful behavior.
False Compassion: “A person in authority who deprives his subject of the truth when he says, even with the best intention of helping them, ‘You may ignore the teachings of the Magisterium: God’s laws are too hard for you.’ By that he says in effect, ‘You are not and never will be strong and good enough to adhere to these laws.” Catholic psychiatrist Conrad Baars
The Christian satire site Babylon Bee, lampooning current events, perhaps says it best about our culture during Pride Month in one of its “funny” headlines: (But not really funny!)
“Satan asks the LGBT community to please tone it down a bit.”
Next posts:
June 28: change (for the better or for the worse)
July 2: change of mind
July 4: freedom