WITHSTAND IN THE EVIL DAY

A MESSAGE FOR THE 21st SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Words of encouragement, today, from St. Paul, which come at a very propitious time and are very welcome. First the stark reminder that we are at war with Satan and his powers of darkness, and that by ourselves, we are incapable of withstanding his attacks.  Then the exhortation that we are not alone in this battle, and that if we put on the whole armor of God we shall be able to “withstand in the evil day.”

Surely, we are all in a state of shock as to how fast the world is spiraling into hatred and violence.  Perhaps we should not be so surprised—after all there are many prophecies that, in the end days, right will be wrong and wrong will be right.  And yet the speed at which the unraveling of our civilization is taking place takes our breath away, and we gasp, dreading what might come next.

Let’s not waste our time dwelling on the Whys and Wherefores.  If you hear someone  breaking into your house, it’s not the time to consider which piece of furniture he’s come to steal, or check whether your insurance is up to date.  It’s time to grab your Glock and defend yourself.  So let’s take a brief look at the list of defences St. Paul prescribes for our battle against the devil.  They are truth, righteousness, peace, and above all, faith.

Truth is our answer to the lies we hear in so much abundance today.  Truth is a positive thing, lies are negative, the absence of truth. There is only one ultimate truth which is God himself, and for this reason, our devotion to the truth is a most powerful weapon against the Father of Lies.  You may have heard it said that there’s no defence against a liar, and yet it is also said that “Great is Truth, and It shall prevail!”  So let’s stick to the truth amid all the fake news and falsehoods being spread by our enemies.

Righteousness is the way we should lead our own lives.  No matter what evil is perpetrated by others, our own actions should be based on God’s nature, which is Love, and therefore on loving God and our neighbor.  This means keeping the commandments of God, and doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.  It means forgiving them their trespasses, because only be doing that can we ever hope that our own trespasses against God will be forgiven.  So we must fight evil with good.

The Peace that will follow our reliance on the Truth and our observance of a Righteous lifestyle is essential to winning our inner battle.  The opposite of peace is agitation, anger, fear, panic, hatred—all things that will eventually destroy us rather than leading us to victory over our enemies.  Let us fight with the words of Nathan Hale paraphrased on our lips, “I only regret that I have but one life to give for God.”

Above all, Faith. When the angry mobs of anarchists, feminists, Satanists and Democrats come pounding on our doors, it is our Faith which is our final shield against their fiery darts.  By it, we are strengthened against our fears.  By it, we know that Love conquers all, and that no matter what happens to our mortal body, our soul shall find its salvation and be the ultimate victor.