20201029 PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR OF GOD
29 October, 2020, Thursday, 30th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Ephesians 6:10-20 © |
Put on God's armour and resist the devil
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. 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 the heavens. 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.
So stand your ground, with truth buckled round your waist, and integrity for a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peaceand always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one. And then you must accept salvation from God to be your helmetand receive the word of God from the Spirit to use as a sword.
Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints; and pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and speak without fear and give out the mystery of the gospel of which I am an ambassador in chains; pray that in proclaiming it I may speak as boldly as I ought to.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 143(144):1-2,9-10 © |
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my arms for battle,
who prepares my hands for war.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
He is my love, my fortress;
he is my stronghold, my saviour
my shield, my place of refuge.
He brings peoples under my rule.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
To you, O God, will I sing a new song;
I will play on the ten-stringed lute
to you who give kings their victory,
who set David your servant free.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps147:12,15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
He sends out his word to the earth.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Lk19:38,2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on the King who comes,
in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest heavens!
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 13:31-35 © |
It would not be right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem
Some Pharisees came up to Jesus. ‘Go away’ they said. ‘Leave this place, because Herod means to kill you.’ He replied, ‘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, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! So be it! Your house will be left to you. Yes, I promise you, you shall not see me till the time comes when you say:
‘Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!’
PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EPHESIANS 6:10-20; LUKE 13:31-35 ]
In the gospel, we read of the growing opposition against Jesus, not just from the religious leaders but even from the political leaders. Jesus was warned by some Pharisees that Herod Antipas was plotting to kill Him just as he killed His cousin, John the Baptist earlier on. But Jesus was defiant. He was not afraid of those who opposed His mission. His reply was, “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.” Jesus was conscious that He would join the line of prophets before Him who were martyred for their cause. He would not be deterred by the threats that came from a king who was known to be shrewd and destructive.
However, Jesus was equally convinced His Father’s plan for the salvation of humanity could not be derailed by the enemies of the Kingdom of God. Jesus was confident that the Father would shield Him from harm so that He could fulfil His mission until the end. The Father protected Him when His townsfolk sought to throw Him down the cliff. (Lk 4:29f) His enemies tried to arrest Him “‘but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.” (Jn 7:30) When the Jews wanted to stone Him for blasphemy, “but he escaped from their hands.” (Jn 10:39) Nevertheless, He also knew that He would eventually be killed by His enemies. Yet, He was certain that God will triumph as He said on the third day, a veiled illusion to His resurrection.
In the first reading, St Paul was also facing opposition to his ministry and mission. He had gone through much. He wrote, “Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked.” (2 Cor 11:24-27) In today’s letter, he was writing from Rome, in chains, under home detention whilst waiting for trial. Again, we find Paul, like Jesus, indefatigable, never giving up hope or allowing himself to be discouraged by the circumstances he was facing. On the contrary, he never sought for any sympathy. He asked for prayers to be given “an opportunity to open my mouth and speak without fear and give out the mystery of the gospel of which I am an ambassador in chains; pray that in proclaiming it I may speak as boldly as I ought to.”
However, St Paul, like Jesus, knew that he was not fighting against human enemies alone. Rather, “we have to struggle against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness of this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens.” Jesus Himself was tempted by Satan at the beginning of His ministry. (Mt 4:1-11) Indeed, human enemies are not as insidious as the demons under the control of Satan. These malevolent spirits influence world leaders, whether political, spiritual, corporate, to implement policies that destroy the unity of humanity, the integral development of human beings and the destruction of ecology and the planets. “Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.”‘ (1 Pt 5:8) We see the evil and negative forces ruling society today in business, politics, entertainment and even in religions. This is why, no matter how much we can say or articulate against the materialistic and individualistic trends of the world, our voices fall on deaf ears and only invite greater opposition.
Indeed, if we are battling against principalities, powers and rulers of the unseen world, surely we cannot fight them with our human strength. St Paul urges us to “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. 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.” Indeed, we must fight the evil spirits with the Holy Spirit. We are facing a very powerful enemy that seeks to destroy the Church of Christ. Satan is very insidious and malicious. Evil spirits are not mere fantasies or myths as they want us all to believe so that we will not put up any defence against them. The greatest deception that the evil spirits is using today is to tell a scientific, technological and secularistic world that spirits do not exist and there are no evil spirits but just a figment of our imagination.
Hence, we must put on the armour of God. St Paul who was being guarded by a soldier day and night when he was in prison must have seen in the armor of the soldiers, a graphic representation of how God’s army must also put on to defend themselves from the onslaught of their enemies, to guard themselves from the dark forces of evil. This armor of God firstly is for defensive purpose. The images of the belt, breastplate, shield, helmet and proper footwear represent the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of readiness, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. In a nutshell, to put on the armor of God is to put on our Lord Jesus Christ. How can we do this?
Indeed, unless a Christian lives by the truth of the gospel, the devil who is the Father of lies will deceive us. Jesus said, “He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Jn 8:44) For the Christian, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (Jn 14:6) “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (Jn 8:31f)
A Christian must also live a righteous life of integrity. There is nothing that can truly vindicate us against our enemies except a life of honesty and integrity. Even if our enemies do not believe in our words, our lives will prove to them that what we believe is true. This was how our Lord lived His life. Even His enemies recognized the integrity of our Lord when they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.” (Mt 22:16) To keep ourselves from falling into complacency, which is another deceptive snare of the Evil One, is to keep ourselves busy in the mission. Wearing the shoes on our feet is a symbol of being always ready “to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one.”
Most of all, we need to wear the shield of faith because without faith, we will succumb to the temptations, opposition and discouragement from the Evil One. This faith can only grow through the reading of the Word of God and prayer. Hence, St Paul exhorts us, “you must accept salvation from God to be your helmet and receive the word of God from the Spirit to use as a sword.” The Word of God is the only sword that can defend us from the wiles of the enemy by helping us to know what is true and good. “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb 4:12) Reading the Word of God must be accompanied by fervent and expectant prayer. “Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints.” In the final analysis, the Word of God, the Eucharist, the Bread of Life and prayers will be the means by which we can defend ourselves from the Evil One. Of course, we cannot do it alone but with Christ and His Church. Together, under the headship of Christ, the Church conducts this spiritual warfare.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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