We read today from the concluding chapter of St. Paul’s
letter to the Ephesians, which contains a rousing speech for Christians to arm
ourselves for battle against spiritual evil. “Put on the armor of God so that
you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil.”
Firstly, what does St. Paul mean by “the tactics of the
Devil”. St. Paul no doubt refers here to the schemes and cunning strategies the
Devil uses to draw us away from God. The devil tempts through deception, making
evil appear desirable, harmless, or even necessary. His purpose is to weaken
our faith, undermine our hope, and extinguish our charity. The devil can't make hell beautiful, so he makes enticing the roads that lead there. How so?
What are some common “tactics” the devil uses? One tactic is
rationalization. “Everyone does it.” “Nobody will know.” “After what they did,
I have a right to treat them this way.” We begin defending the very sins from
which Christ wants to free us. Paul therefore tells us to gird ourselves with
truth: to examine our choices honestly in the light of God’s word.
Another tactic is distraction. In our age, constant
entertainment, notifications, and scrolling can consume the attention we should
give to prayer, our families, and our responsibilities.
Another tactic is division. Paul reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Yet how easily we begin treating other people as enemies to despise. Online arguments can train us in contempt. The devil convinces us that relationships are too damaged to repair, people are too annoying to be around. He inflates our focus on peoples’ faults instead of our call to patience and gentleness.
Then there are the tactics of presumption and despair.
Before we sin, he tries to convince us: “It doesn’t matter; God will forgive
you.” Afterward, he keeps us contrition: “You have failed too often; God could
never forgive you.” Both distort God’s mercy.
The devil tricks us to follow our feelings instead of faith.
He wants us enslaved to following our feelings: feelings of anger, woundedness,
resentment, pleasure, impatience. But just because we want something, doesn’t
mean we should have it, especially when that thing is sinful. If our
feelings are leading us away from God, we must resist them. “Resist the devil,
and he will take flight” writes St. James.
To combat these tactics, Paul call us to draw our strength
from the Lord. We overcome deception by always seeking the Truth. Jesus
teaches, “The Truth will set you free”.
We are to arm ourselves with God’s grace in the Sacraments, knowledge
and understanding through serious study of God’s Word. We are to examine our
consciences, our motives and seek daily conversion from our vices.
St. Paul writes this instruction so that we might be
equipped for the inevitable hostility we will face when we seek to do the work
of God. Why does the devil oppose the Christian? Because the Christian belongs
to Christ and is called to participate in his work of salvation. The devil
opposes God, and therefore seeks to undermine what God loves: human beings
created in his image and called to eternal communion with him. He cannot
overthrow God, but he seeks to draw us away from God through sin. The enemy
seeks to discourage our efforts, corrupt our motives, and persuade us to
abandon the good we have begun.
So let us take up the weapons and armor God has given us, to
remain faithful to him in all things, for the glory of God and the salvation of
souls.
Drawing our strength from the Lord and his mighty power, let
us offer our prayers for the Church and for the whole world.
For the Church: that, clothed in the armor of God, we may
proclaim the Gospel courageously and persevere in truth, holiness, and charity
despite opposition. Let us pray to the Lord.
For leaders of nations: that they may resist deception,
corruption, and the abuse of power, and faithfully pursue justice and peace.
Let us pray to the Lord.
For those deceived by temptation or caught in sinful habits:
that God’s word may enlighten their consciences and strengthen them to choose
what is good. Let us pray to the Lord.
For our families and parish community: that we may resist
distractions that draw us away from prayer and our responsibilities, and give
our time generously to God and one another. Let us pray to the Lord.
For those who are sick, grieving, persecuted, or discouraged
in doing good: that the Lord may comfort and strengthen them in their trials.
Let us pray to the Lord.
For our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory: that,
their earthly struggles ended, they may share in Christ’s victory and the joy
of eternal life. Let us pray to the Lord.
Almighty God, you are our strength and our salvation. Hear
our prayers, protect us from the snares of the Evil One, and help us to
persevere faithfully in every good work. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment