GROWING STRONG IN THE LORD


THURSDAY, THIRTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Eph 6:10-20; Ps 144:1-2,9-10; Lk 13:31-35

The Spiritual Armour for Daily Battle

Our spiritual warfare is deeper and more subtle than many of us realise. Because confusion abounds in our understanding of spiritual reality, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and what salvation entails, a thousand and one false spiritualities also exist. As long as we remain in the dark about the Gospel of our Lord, we remain prone to the most subtle spiritual attacks. The major and most destructive weapon of Satan is deception. Our Lord called him the father of lies, for that is where his greatest power lies. With the power of delusion, he rules the whole world and leads myriads of souls and angels into hellish fire. The core revelation of Jesus Christ about himself for our salvation is the statement in Jn 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In this revelation, Jesus sets himself up as the only weapon to overcome the devil, and as safety against the formidable weapon of Satan. To be with Jesus Christ is to be in the company of truth; It is to walk in the light of truth and divine life. Against the light of truth, darkness can never prevail. Hence, our Christian conversion is a vocation to follow Jesus Christ, not to follow rules or the Law. In other words, we should focus on the Person of Jesus Christ, and not on the Law or its observance. He is our greatest weapon against evil forces and darkness.

Christian conversion, therefore, is a personal and intimate walk with Jesus Christ. At our baptism, the Lord sends the Holy Spirit to begin this spiritual and intimate walk with him. Since before our baptism we were children of perdition and in league with the devil, we had no knowledge nor attachment to Christ. Baptism installs a brand-new life within us; the new spirit we receive instantiates Jesus Christ within us. Our spirit, Jesus in us, is the way, truth, and life personalised for us. Christian spiritual life is living in and through the spirit in union with the Holy Spirit. Awareness in the spirit is battle-readiness at all times. Our unfamiliarity with our spirit is our greatest weakness in the spiritual battle. So, Paul urges us to grow strong in the Lord. “Grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power. Put God’s armour on so as to be able to resist the devil’s tactics.” To grow strong in the Lord is to grow in our spirit, by eating more of the Lord Jesus Christ. We eat of the Lord by walking or imitating his life on earth, learning of his Gospel and teaching, and living by his daily inspirations. We cannot fight spiritual battle living outside our spirits. “For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness in this world, the spiritual army of evil in heavens.” The world’s darkness is not physical, but spiritual; it is specifically the ignorance of divine truth in Jesus Christ.

If we are ignorant of what is revealed in Jesus Christ, we will not last in the spiritual battle. Jesus Christ is the revealed truth; in him we come to know the Father. Knowledge of Jesus Christ is victory in spiritual warfare. “That is why you must rely on God’s armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance when the worst happens, or have enough resources to hold your ground.” Many of us are deceived about this issue. Shouting commands to evil spirits through the night is not spiritual warfare. It involves every activity that brings us to the presence of Jesus Christ. The most formidable means of warfare we can engage in on earth are: attentive participation in Eucharistic celebration, recitation of the Rosary with meditation on its mysteries, meditative study of Scripture, and living the fruits of these holy activities daily, as Paul listed in today’s the passage. When Paul instructed us to pray always, he meant us to live in the Lord’s presence. In his presence, no evil can ever befall us; only the Father’s will happens to us. Our Lord’s words to those who forewarned him of Herod’s intention to kill him are instructive. “You may go and give that fox this message: Learn that today and tomorrow I cast out devils and on the third day attain my end. But for today and tomorrow and the next day I must go on, since it would not be right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.” Jerusalem got it wrong and fell under the onslaught of the enemy due to her ignorance of Jesus Christ. Let us be with Jesus always.

Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. 

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