Saturday, March 4, 2017 First Saturday
Deuteronomy, Chapter 11, Verse 25
What have you to fear with
God at your back?
We as the heirs of God’s
promises to the Hebrews must have the courage to support and defend Israel at
each threshold of change that God brings about. Yes, there will be suffering
and we must be up to the challenge; to carry our cross, as God wills it.
Preparing for Battle[1]
Know
Your Commander and Comrades
Our
Commander, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Conqueror of hell and death, calls us to
battle alongside Him against the Enemy so that we can have a share in His
victory. To fight the good fight, however, we must know not only our adversary and
his strategies; we must also know the comrades that our great Commander has
given to us. Our comrades in arms are our Lady and the Saints. Just as Eve’s
yes to the Enemy’s temptation brought death and the Devil’s domination into the
world, so Mary’s yes to God opened the door for the ultimate victory of her Son
over Satan. Whenever the Enemy’s assaults on us seem to multiply, we should
call on Mary not just as our Blessed Mother, but as a mighty warrior before
whom the demons tremble. St. Bonaventure once put it: “Men do not fear a
powerful, hostile army as much as the powers of hell fear the name and protection
of Mary.”
As today is a first
Saturday completing the requirements of the devotion will move the victory
closer to our camp!
We
also have the aid of St. Michael and the Angels. “The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Ps 34: 7). We also have our
fellow Christians- We
must not focus so much on heavenly warriors that we forget our earthly
comrades-in-arms. Our brother and sister soldiers in the battles of this life
need our support, and we need theirs. We should be praying daily with them and
for them, spiritual soldiers “vigilant in all perseverance and supplication for
all” our fellow combatants (Eph 6: 18). We should be offering them
encouragement and counsel when we find them weary or confused, tempted by the
Devil’s lies, accusations, doubts, enticements, and provocations. Roman
soldiers were taught to fight alongside comrades with their backs toward one
another. That way, as they battled the enemy, they were protecting one
another’s backs. One man’s sword was another man’s shield. If they didn’t fight
in this way, they were exposed to mortal danger. The same is true in spiritual
warfare. Wherever a fellow soldier is vulnerable to the Enemy’s onslaught, we
must make up the difference with the shield of our faith. This is one important
reason why Our Lord established the Church. His grace to conquer the Enemy
comes to us through her worship, her sacraments, and her teaching.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
[1]Thigpen,
Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare. TAN Books.
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