Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Ezekiel,
Chapter 12, Verse 18-19
18 Son of man eat your bread trembling and drink your
water shaking with FEAR. 19 And say to the people of
the land: Thus says the
Lord GOD about the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: they shall
eat their bread in FEAR and drink their
water in horror, because the land will be emptied of what fills it—the
lawlessness of all its inhabitants.
2) Strong
biblical identity
3) Growing
intimacy with Him
4) Consistent
personal disciplines
5) Pure motives
and ambitions
6) Biblical
values and priorities
7) Humble
servant’s heart
8) Healthy
community relationships
9)
Principle-centered decisions
10)
Compassionate love for people.
·
Who is the prince of darkness? Does America really
have a “Dark State”? Does our leadership have any of these characteristics?
Spiritual Warfare: 25 Secrets[2]
In Cracow-Pradnik, June 2, 1938, the Lord Jesus directed a young Polish Sister of Mercy on a three-day retreat. Faustina Kowalska painstakingly recorded Christ’s instruction in her diary that is a mystical manual on prayer and Divine Mercy. Having read the Diary a few times in the past 20 years, I had forgotten about the unique retreat that Christ gave on the subject of spiritual warfare. Then, recently, I was invited to lead a retreat in Trinidad based on Christ’s “Conference on Spiritual Warfare” as presented in the Diary. The Sanctuary of the Holy Family, an amazing group of lay leaders in service to the Archbishop and priests, sponsored the retreat in the Archdiocese of Trinidad and we filled the Seminary of St. John Vianney to ponder this teaching.
Here
are the secret whispers of Jesus to his little bride Faustina on how to protect
herself from the attacks of the devil. These instructions became Faustina’s weapon in
fighting the good fight.
Jesus
began, “My
daughter, I want to teach you about spiritual warfare” (1760).
1.
Never trust in yourself but abandon
yourself totally to My will. Trust is a
spiritual weapon. Trust is part of the shield of faith that St. Paul mentions
in chapter six of Ephesians: the armor of God. Abandonment to God’s will is an act of
trust; faith in action dispels evil spirits.
2.
In desolation, darkness and various
doubts, have recourse to Me and to your spiritual director. He will always
answer you in my name.
In times of spiritual warfare, immediately pray to
Jesus. Invoke His Holy Name that is feared in the netherworld. Bring darkness
into the light by telling a spiritual director or confessor and follow his
instruction.
3.
Do not bargain with any temptation;
lock yourself immediately in My Heart.
In the Garden of Eden, Eve bargained with the devil
and lost. We have recourse to the refuge of the Sacred Heart. In running to
Christ, we turn our backs on the demonic.
4.
At the first opportunity, reveal
the temptation to the confessor.
A good confession, a good confessor, and a good
penitent are a recipe for victory over temptation and demonic oppression—without fail.
5.
Put your self-love in the last
place, so that it does not taint your deeds. Self-love
is natural but it should be ordered, free of pride. Humility defeats the devil
that is perfect pride. Satan tempts us to disordered self-love to lead us into
his pool of pride.
6.
Bear with yourself with great
patience. Patience is a secret weapon that
helps us to keep our peace of soul even in the great storms of life. Bearing
with oneself is part of humility and trust. The devil tempts us to impatience,
to turn against our selves so we become angry. See yourself from God’s view. He is
infinitely patient.
7.
Do not neglect interior
mortifications. Scripture teaches that some demons
can only be evicted by prayer and fasting. Interior mortifications are weapons
of warfare. They can be small sacrifices offered with great love. The power of
sacrificial love evicts the enemy.
8.
Always justify to yourself the
opinions of your superiors and of your confessor. Christ
is speaking to St. Faustina who lives in a convent. But we all have people in
authority over us. The devil aims to divide and conquer so humble obedience to authentic
authority is a spiritual weapon.
9.
Shun murmurs like a plague. The
tongue is a powerful vessel that can-do great harm. Murmuring, gossiping, is
never of God. The devil is a liar who stirs up false accusations and gossip
that can kill a person’s
reputation. Shun murmurs!
10. Let
all act as they like; you are to act, as I want you to. To
mind one’s
own business is key in spiritual warfare. The devil is a busybody attempting to
drag everyone down. Please God and let the opinions of others go by the
wayside.
11. Observe
the rule as faithfully as you can. Jesus is referring
to the rule of a Religious Order here. Most of us have made some vow before God
and Church and we should be faithful our promises—i.e. Marriage vows
and baptismal vows. Satan tempts to infidelity, lawlessness and disobedience.
Fidelity is a weapon for victory.
12. If
someone causes you trouble, think what good you can do for the person who
caused you to suffer. Being a vessel of divine mercy is a
weapon for good and for defeating evil. The devil is about hatred, rage,
revenge, and unforgiveness. Others have hurt us all at some time. What good can
we do in return? Returning a blessing breaks curses.
13. Do
not pour out your feelings. A talkative soul will more easily
be attacked by the devil. Pour out your feelings to the Lord only. Remember,
the good and evil spirits hear what you say aloud. Feelings are fleeting. Truth
is the compass. Interior recollection is a spiritual armor.
14. Be
silent when you are rebuked. Most of us have been rebuked at
some time. We have no control over that, but we can control our response. The
need to be right all the time can lead into demonic traps. God knows the truth.
Let it go. Silence is a protection. The devil can use self-righteousness to
trip us up also.
15. Do
not ask everyone’s
opinion, but only the opinion of your confessor; be as frank and simple as a
child with him. Simplicity of life can drive out
demons. Honesty is a weapon to defeat Satan, the Liar. When we lie, we put a
foot in his camp and he will try to seduce us all the more.
16. Do
not become discouraged by ingratitude. No
one likes to be taken for granted. But when we are met with ingratitude or
insensitivity, the spirit of discouragement can weigh us down. Resist all
discouragement for it is never of God. It is one of the devil’s most effective
temptations. Gratitude in all things wins the day.
17. Do
not examine with curiosity the roads down which I lead you. The
need to know, and curiosity about the future is a temptation that has led too
many people into the backrooms of psychics, witches, etc. Choose to walk in
faith. Decide to trust in God who leads you on the path to heaven. Resist the
spirit of curiosity always.
18. When
boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and
hide in My heart. Jesus delivers the same message a
second time. Now He refers to boredom. Earlier in the Diary he told St.
Faustina that the devil most easily tempts idle souls. Beware of
boredom, a spirit of lethargy, or acedia—the noonday devil. Idle souls are
easy prey for demons. Be about the business of God.
19. Do
not fear struggle; courage itself often intimidates temptations, and they dare
not attack us. Fear is the second most common
tactic of the devil (pride is the first). Courage intimidates the devil—he will flee in the
face of persevering courage that stands on Jesus, the rock. All people
struggle, God is our provision.
20. Always
fight with the deep conviction that I am with you. Jesus
instructs a Sister in a convent to “fight” with conviction.
She can do so because Christ accompanies her. Christians are called to fight with
conviction against all demonic tactics. The devil tries to terrorize souls,
demonic terrorism—resist!
Invoke the Holy Sprit throughout the day.
21. Do
not be guided by feeling, because it is not always under your control; but all
merit lies in the will. All merit lies in the will because
love is an act of the will. We are completely free in Christ. We must make a
choice, a decision for good or evil. What camp do we live in?
22. Always
depend upon your superiors, even in the smallest things. Christ
is instructing a Religious here. But, we all have the Lord as our Superior.
Dependence upon God is a weapon of spiritual warfare because we cannot win on
our own. Proclaiming Christ’s
victory over evil is part of intentional discipleship. Christ came to defeat
death & evil. Proclaim Him!
23. I
will not delude you with prospects of peace and consolations; on the contrary,
prepare for great battles. St. Faustina suffered physically
and spiritually. She was prepared for great battles by the grace of God who
upheld her. Christ clearly instructs us in scripture to be prepared for great
battles, to put on God’s
armor and resist the devil. Be vigilant and discerning always.
24. Know
that you are on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you. What
message is our life giving? What radiates from us—shades of light,
darkness or grey? The way we live attracts more light or more darkness. If the
devil does not succeed in pulling us into darkness, he tries to keep us in the
category of the lukewarm, which is not pleasing to God.
25. Fight
like a knight, so I can reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are
not alone. The Lord’s words to St.
Faustina can become our mantra: Fight like a knight! A knight for Christ knows
well the cause that he fights for, the nobility of his mission, the King who he
serves, and with blessed assuredness of the victory, he fights to the end, even
at the cost of his life. If a young, uneducated, simple Polish nun, united to
Christ, can fight like a knight, every Christian can do the same. Trust is victorious.
On
those who waver, have mercy; save others by snatching them out of the fire; on
others have mercy with fear, abhorring even the outer garment stained by the
flesh.
Whit Tuesday[3]
Introit of the Mass is again a song of joy: “Receive
the joy of your glory, alleluia; giving thanks to God, alleluia; Who hath
called you to a heavenly kingdom. Attend, O My people, to My law, incline your
ears to the words of My mouth.”
Prayer. May the
power of the Holy Ghost be with us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, which may
mercifully purify our hearts and de fend them from all adversities.
EPISTLE. Acts viii. 14-17.
In those days: When the apostles who were in
Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria had received the word of God; they sent unto
them Peter and John. Who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might
receive the Holy Ghost. For He was not as yet come upon any of them: but they
were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands
upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Explanation.
The Samaritans had been converted and baptized by
Philip the Deacon. Peter and John administered to them, by the imposition of
hands and prayer, the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Is Confirmation a sacrament?
Yes, for Jesus Christ has promised the Holy Ghost not only to the
apostles, but also to all the faithful, to confirm them fully in faith and
charity.
What is the outward sign of
this sacrament? The imposition of the bishop’s hands, the anointing
with the chrism, and the words of the bishop.
What grace is conveyed
through this sacrament? Through holy Confirmation, God confirms and
completes in the Christian the grace of Baptism, and strengthens him for the
combat with his spiritual enemies. Confirmation, like Baptism, cannot be
received more than once, because the grace received in these sacraments is
always efficacious if we only cooperate with it; and because in these
sacraments we receive also an indelible character, which forever distinguishes
the souls of those who have been baptized and confirmed from those who have
not.
GOSPEL. John x. 1-10.
At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees: Amen, amen, I say to you: he
that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up another way,
the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the
shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice:
and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he hath
let out his own sheep, he goeth before them: and the sheep follow him, because
they know his voice. But a stranger they follow not, but fly from him, because
they know not the voice of strangers. This proverb Jesus spoke to them. But
they understood not what He spoke to them. Jesus there fore said to them again:
Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All others, as many as
have come, are thieves and robbers: and the sheep heard them not. I am the
door. By Me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved: and he shall go in, and go
out, and shall find pastures. The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to
kill and to destroy. I am come that they may have life, and may have it more
abundantly.
How is this parable to be understood? The sheepfold is the
Church, or congregation of the faithful; the door for the flock is Baptism; for
the pastors, lawful vocation and mission from God, through their spiritual
superiors; the chief pastor is Christ; the sheep are the faithful; the
invisible door-keeper is the Holy Ghost, inasmuch as He prepares hearts for
Jesus; the visible door-keeper is the bishop or his representatives. The
thieves and robbers are the Pharisees and heretics of all ages, who lead astray
the sheep of Christ, and destroy their spiritual life by false doctrines. If we
would not become the prey of thieves and murderers, we must follow the
doctrines of the teachers and pastors whom Christ has appointed for His Church.
Daily
Devotions/Practices
·
Never trust in yourself
but abandon yourself totally to My will.
·
Make reparations
to the Holy Face-Tuesday Devotion
·
Pray Day 7 of the
Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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