Spiritual warfare
Jesus reveals that we:
- are at war
- have spiritual enemies
- have guardian angels
- can expel demons
- are under His care and protection
Catechism
[X] To do ...
[X] Cf "Re-evangelization" link below to snag some scripture and some catechism references.
The Weapons of War
- Repentance and amendment for our own sins.
- Natural virtues: prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude.
- Supernatural virtues: Faith, hope, and love.
- Gifts
- Fruits
- Creed, code, cult
- spiritual directors or regular confessors
- Exorcisms
- Blessings
- sacramentals: holy water, rosaries, medals, scapulars, images, etc.
- Pilgrimage sites
- Churches and chapels
- Forgiveness prayer.
- Works of Mercy.
- Intercessory prayer.
- Fortress Church:
- - "The gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."
- - "United we stand; divided we fall."
- - Seven sacraments — infallible means of grace.
- - Communion of saints.
- Nine choirs of angels.
- The Name of Jesus.
Understanding the Enemy
I hate demon-chasing.
Some awareness of the tactics of the enemy may prove useful.
We must not become hypnotized by focusing on what the enemy can and cannot do. Our focus should always be on God, Who has delivered us from evil by the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Fall of the Angels
The fall of the bad angels is told in the past tense, but it is happening now.
Their fall is not in our time, but it affects our time.
Satan is defeated by the blood of the Lamb, but the angels are still warring with Satan in us, in our hearts and minds.
Spiritual warfare is inside, not outside.
The one who reveals this to us is our Victor King. We don't have to be afraid. We do need to pick up our cross and follow Him faithfully.
Spiritual enemies never sleep
The forces arrayed against us are pure spirits.
They do not need to eat or sleep.
They cannot get sick.
Their full power of intelligence and will is always fully at their disposal.
If we were supposed to stand alone against them, we would certainly be defeated.
But "Behold, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps" (Ps 121:4).
He has appointed angels to watch over us in all of our affairs.
Each one of us has a Guardian Angel who is always in the presence of God on our behalf, and always present to us in every moment of our lives.
Our enemies are immensely stronger than we are. So are our defenders.
Psalm 91:1-13
1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shade of the Almighty,
2 Say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.”
3 He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare, from the destroying plague,
4 He will shelter you with his pinions, and under his wings you may take refuge; his faithfulness is a protecting shield.
5 You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, near you it shall not come.
8 You need simply watch; the punishment of the wicked you will see.
9 Because you have the LORD for your refuge and have made the Most High your stronghold,
10 No evil shall befall you, no affliction come near your tent.
11 For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go.
12 With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You can tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon.
Victory is ours for the asking
Each one of us is sovereign. No devil can steal us away from the Good Shepherd.
No one is in Heaven against their will.
No one is in Hell against their will.
Jesus does not tell us to become like X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Captain America and the Avengers, or any of the other imaginary superheroes of our day. Our King asks us to become like little children and to follow Him on the way of the Cross. We gain power over our enemies by letting God have power over us. Our models for imitation are the saints, the true heroes of Christianity.
The war is inside of us
We're born again. That's our personality transplant. By rebirth in Baptism, we have a new identity, a new Father, and a whole new family. Our new nature is at war with our old nature. We are sovereign, by God's grace. He gives us the power to choose. Jesus has won the war. We can join Him in victory — or not — as we choose.
"The patient are better than warriors, and those who [conquer themselves are] better than one who conquers a city" (Prv 16:32, revised).
The war is outside of us
- Leo Strauss of the University of Chicago, wrote his critical book, Natural Right and History, in 1953. That was mid-century and he was already standing against the currents of relativism. Already they were deeply at work. Here was a country established on the Declaration of Independence — on truths grounded in nature, objective moral truths, self-evident truths — and yet falling into the wave of relativism. Strauss spoke about the effect of German philosophy on America — and here I’m paraphrasing — that it would not be the first time that a country defeated on the battlefield imposed on the victor the yoke of its own thought. Here we defeated the Germans, and yet German philosophy in its worst forms was taking hold in this country.
References