“If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.” // Mark 5:29
I was in my twenties when I decided to live without television. I was single at the time and had it on way too much, and usually turned on to something fairly banal. After a few weeks of withdrawal—yes, actual withdrawal, I’m ashamed to say—I knew I never wanted the thing back in my house. A new peace had descended upon my spirit. I cannot believe it was a coincidence that not too long after I gave the television the boot, I started to publish and my prayer life became much more vivid, much more grace-filled.
While I heard someone say this on a retreat, I have never been able to document its source—but it was said that a Saint once called television “the devil’s monstrance.” That resonated with me.
These days, with streaming and laptops and fancy phones and all the rest, it has become much more difficult to guard my eyes and my time from too much “watching.” Screens are everywhere and as helpful as they can sometimes be, they are still a temptation for me to fritter away my time, energy, and creativity—and frankly, they often hinder my growth in holiness. So much of what comes flowing through the screens in front of me is simply not worthy of a daughter of God.
At first reading, Jesus’s warning in today’s Gospel (see Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48) seems too harsh: He says “if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.” Really? When Jesus speaks with such emphasis, I want to pay attention. Sin is dangerous and He paid the highest price possible to redeem us from it. He will go to any length to protect us from its corrosive effect.
I hope I don’t ever need to pluck my eye out. I hope I have the sense to guard my eyes carefully first—so that I can guard my heart and soul.
Take an inventory of your viewing time and content. Are there places you might need to be a bit more guarded as a daughter of the King?
Liz Kelly Stanchina is a jazz singer who met Jesus in late-night adoration. She is the community leader for women’s formation at the Word on Fire Institute and the author of more than a dozen award-winning books, including Jesus Approaches, Love Like a Saint, and the Blessed is She Advent devotional A Thrill of Hope. She holds advanced degrees in creative writing and Catholic studies. She is trained as a spiritual director, leading retreats and speaking around the world with a particular focus on helping women to flourish in their faith. Visit her website at LizK.org or follow her on Instagram at LizKToday.
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