20241031 CHRISTIAN WARFARE MUST BE FOUGHT WITH THE ARMOUR OF GOD
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!’
31 October 2024, Thursday, 30th Week in Ordinary Time
CHRISTIAN WARFARE MUST BE FOUGHT WITH THE ARMOUR OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EPH 6:10-20; LK 13:31-35]
Every Christian by virtue of their baptism is called to spread the Good News by extending the reign of Christ’s love in the hearts of all men and women. Yet this mission is fraught with challenges.
The gospel recounts the growing hostility against Jesus in His ministry. He had to contend with both religious and political foes, the religious leaders on the one hand, Herod, and the Romans on the other. When the Pharisees came to warn Jesus about Herod’s intention to kill him, it was not done out of concern for His safety but as a pretext to discourage Jesus from going up to Jerusalem to fulfil His mission.
However, if our mission is simply to deal with earthly powers and challenges, then the works of charity, social services, technological progress, advancement in science and domination in politics can solve all problems. But as St Paul reiterates “for it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness of this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens.” Indeed, Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God was also set against the kingdom of darkness whose leader is Satan. Truly, the mission of the Church primarily is a spiritual mission. Our enemies are not human beings but the forces of evil manifested in the current trends of society that are atheistic, secularist, materialistic and even anti-Christian.
We have witnessed for ourselves how daunting this battle is for us all. The work of Satan in seeking to destroy the credibility of Church leaders, clerical, or laity and the unity of marriage and family is obvious. How many of us have fallen under the temptations of the Evil One when it comes to living a life of holiness, integrity, faithfulness and justice in our vocation! In various degrees we have fallen into the snares of the Evil One, wittingly by unwittingly embracing the sensual, materialistic and individualistic values of the world.
Hence, it is important to ask ourselves, how prepared are we in combating unseen forces that seek to wreak havoc in society and in our Church? Are we able to hold our ground, as St Paul exhorted us to, “stand your ground”? We need to be alert and intuitive like Jesus. We also need to be courageous like Jesus who continued in His mission in spite of the threats against Him, resolute in His mission without turning back. How do we prepare ourselves for the ministry and engage in the mission of the Church without losing our ground to the Devil?
The Good News is that this battle is not fought by us alone. On the contrary, this battle is fought by Christ Himself. He is our Chief Commander of the Army. Just as Yahweh fought the battles for Israel in days of old, Jesus will fight for us. The responsorial psalm affirms the mighty power of God when it says, “Blessed be the Lord my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war. My mercy and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield, in whom I trust, who subdues my people under me.”
Secondly, the outcome of the battle is a foregone conclusion. Jesus will win. God’s plan cannot be destroyed. Jesus knows that the Father will see Him through for “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.” There is no question about God’s final victory. He has already won it in principal when He died to sin in His death and raised to a new life in the Resurrection, and now, seated at the right hand of the Father, continues to exert His influence on humanity through us.
If the outcome is a decisive win, why then bother to fight at all? The truth is that God who created us without us will not save us without us. He ascended on high to give gifts to us all so that He could fight the battle in and through us. Although the outcome of the battle is clear, the form and shape it will take is not yet pre-determined. The Kingdom that is to come, although brought about by God, does not exclude the distinctive flavour that we contribute to the eventual realization of this Kingdom.
This leaves us with the most important question for today’s reflection. How should we conduct this spiritual warfare? St Paul, aware of the incapacity of men to fight against Satan, advises us to “put God’s armour on so as to be able to resist the devil’s tactics.” Without vesting the right armour, we will surely be wounded on the battlefield if not killed. Without divine protection, we will not be able to put up any resistance when the worst happens, or have enough resources to hold our ground.
So what kind of Divine Armour is St Paul speaking about? Firstly, we must strengthen our spiritual life. Let us not over-estimate ourselves. If we are not spiritually strong, we will be defeated easily by the Evil One. To strengthen our spiritual life, we must first grow in faith, in personal and doctrinal faith, in trust and in understanding. St Paul says, “Carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one.” This faith is ours if we “accept salvation from God to be your helmet.” That is to say, we must surrender our lives to Him and our whole being to Him so that He can take control over us. For faith to grow and nurture, one cannot be naïve to think that it happens without our active cooperation. A strong faith requires that we “receive the Word of God from the Spirit to use as a sword.” We must be like Jeremiah who wrote, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.” (Jer 15:16) Finally, we must, as St Paul says, “Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion.” Without a persistent, persevering, faithful, devout and fervent prayer life, how we can ever expect to defend ourselves against every trial and challenge that comes our way when we seek to be faithful to Christ and His gospel values?
Secondly, to put on the Divine Armour necessarily demands that we live out what we believe in our Christian life. St Paul urges us to live a life of holiness “with truth buckled round your waist, and integrity for a breastplate.” This is a great challenge for us all, for we all know how difficult it is be faithful to the values we hold so dearly. Because of human weakness, we succumb so easily to the temptation of the flesh and our pride. Yet we must be realistic that integrity is not something to be achieved in one day but a life long struggle.
Finally, to put on the Divine Armour is to put on the heart of Jesus our Good Shepherd. We cannot but be inspired by Jesus’ compassion for His people and His enemies when He prayed for Jerusalem crying out, “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!” It was with regret and sorrow that He said this, knowing what was going to befall His people because of their pride and unrepentant heart. Don’t we feel the same for our loved ones when they remain unrepentant and continue with their sinful and unenlightened lifestyle? But let our hearts not only feel for those we love but for everyone who is destroying his life and those who are related to him.
That is why we must engage in the work of evangelization in spreading the Good News of the Kingdom. St Paul exhorts us to “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.” Only by changing the world, can evil be thwarted. As it is said, instead of cursing the darkness, we can offer to light the candle. By destroying evil with goodness, hatred with love, cruelty with kindness, revenge with forgiveness, falsehood with truth, then the kingdom of God will prevail over the kingdom of darkness.
In order to have such an evangelical zeal, a passion like Jesus for the world, a visionary mind and courage from start to end, St Paul’s word of wisdom is simply to pray. Prayer is the only way to sustain our zeal, inspire us in our discouragement, hope in failure and fortitude in the face of persecution. Most of all, praying takes us from the influence of the Evil One and puts us under the divine protection of God.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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