Keep Watch

This has been a difficult year for many. Trying times lie ahead, and many of us, confined within the same four walls for many months, have experienced firsthand the truth of Milton’s observation that “the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” But there is also hope. 

We mustn’t fall asleep during this time of waiting. Before I joined the magazine as a junior fellow, I read First Things to keep my mind alert, and to engage in the most important conversations of our time. Though our ability to engage in face-to-face discourse is now limited, the pages of First Things provide a place for great minds to meet. As the First Things editorial statement declares, “the key word is conversation. A real conversation, as distinct from intellectual chatter, is marked by discipline and continuity.” While the world around us seems to be at a standstill, we must continue to keep the conversation going, and ensure that our hearts remain set on the highest good. Matthew declares: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Throughout these months, I’ve been heartened and humbled by the support of our readers. We remain committed to first principles, to voicing the truth in the midst of an increasingly relativistic and nihilistic public square. But we cannot do this without your help. Please help us with a gift to First Things today. Thank you for your generosity.

Veronica Clarke is Assistant Editor at First Things.