Deuteronomy, Chapter 10, Verse 20
The LORD, your God, shall you fear,
and him shall you serve; to him hold fast and by his name shall you swear.
Have
you fallen? Get up! Be resolute!
Have
your dreams been crushed? Have your expectations been dulled? Have the five
fears overtaken your mind? Has the fear of isolation, demons, darkness,
suffering and death kept you from holding fast to our Lord?
Rejoice
for today is your salvation!
Just
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted
up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
Preparing for Battle[1]
Know
Your Battle
Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor
of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. For we
are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities,
against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against
the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand. EPHESIANS 6: 10– 13
The
ordinary activity of demons is subtle and occurs within our thought life. They
plant ideas within our minds seeking to influence our reason, memory, and
imagination— and ultimately, our will. They use various methods to tempt us.
- First,
the demons tempt through deception.
(The Devil is the father of lies)
- Second,
demons tempt through accusation.
- Third,
the Devil tempts us through doubt
as he seeks to diminish our faith. (Don’t hesitate in faith)
- Fourth,
demons tempt us through enticement.
(Don’t take the bait)
- Finally,
demons can tempt us through provocation.
(Don’t give into vexations)
We should
always remember that not all temptations come directly from Satan and his
minions. Many of them arise simply from our own weakness and the habits of sin
we have developed.
Mary
Alacoque, a nun of the Order of the Visitation, at Parayle-Monial, France; one day,
when, according to her custom during the octave of Corpus Christi, she was deeply
engaged in devotions before the Blessed Sacrament, the divine Savior appeared to
her, showed her His Heart burning with love, and said: “Behold this Heart, which
has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself,
in order to testify its love. In return I receive from the greater part only ingratitude,
by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for
Me in this sacrament of love. And what is most painful to Me is that they are
hearts consecrated to Me. It is for this reason I ask thee that the first Friday
after the octave of Corpus Christi be appropriated to a special feast to honor My
Heart by communicating on that day and making reparation for the indignity that
it has received. And I promise that My Heart shall dilate to pour out abundantly
the influences of its love on all that will render it this honor or procure its
being rendered.”
Daily Devotions/Prayers
· Drops of Christ’s Blood
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