The Battle Rages Daily

“There is no neutral ground in the universe.  Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.”              —C. S. Lewis

If you are starting to see somewhat of a pattern in quotes being used by C. S. Lewis, here is the reason.  On my last retreat at Manresa (2018), I purchased A Grief Observed and The Problem With Pain, both written by Lewis.  I was already a big fan of his from reading The Chronicles of Narnia (all 7 books) which I also had the pleasure and delight in sharing them with Evan when he was in 7th Grade.  They are wonderful stories for kids as well as adults.  The message of Good vs. Evil, repentance, 2nd chances, and faith all parallel with the Word of God in the Bible.  For those who don’t know, he has also written a few Catholic/Christian books for adults.  Since the retreat, I have read more of his works and found many quotes that have sparked my inspiration to write and share, hence, the reason for using his quotes thus far.  

(Back to the quote itself)

There is a constant battle being waged between God and the forces of evil led by Satan.  That battleground is comprised of the human souls, not only here, but those who have perished and currently remain in Purgatory.  Satan will o all that he can within his power to temp and persuade you to turn away from God and a life of Christ.  He is constantly trying to use all means necessary to defeat the goodness within us.  He plants those seeds of doubt and fear in our lives, playing on our emotions, looking to expose the tiniest crack in our faith and use it to his advantage.  He wants to get to us and ruin our lives, not necessarily in this world, but for the world that awaits us to come.  That is why we must take action now.  A call to arms to all soldiers of Christ.  

The time is now, for we do not know the time of His return, but from the direction the world appears to be heading, it may be sooner than we think.  There are weapons available to us to help withstand this onslaught of evil.  There are things that can be done in preparation, tools that have been within our grasp the majority of our lives.  It is up to us, by way of our free will, to choose whether or not we want to use these instruments to fight for God, or just give in to the evil plans of Darkness.

First and foremost, the ultimate weapon for our offensive against evil is prayer, the strongest of that being the Holy Rosary of Our Blessed Mother Mary.  A daily Rosary, 15 to 20 minutes out of our 24 hour day is a perfect way to battle.  “I will put enmity between you and the woman…”— God to the Serpent (Genesis 3:15)   We can always turn to Mother Mary for protection from evil.  Throw in some morning and evening prayers, prayers before sleep, whenever you can fit them in.  Just find time to pray. 

Secondly, take some time to open up the Bible and read the Word of God.  Psalms. Proverbs. The Gospels.  To use a quote inscribed by Evan to his cousin in the Bible he brought home for her from Rome, “If you make the choice to read the Scripture, I recommend  that you read the four Gospels first.  The Gospels are where you will find the truth, and the truth makes the world a better place.”  Skip around and find what ever may catch your interest.  Close your eyes and open it up.  See what message the Lord may be sending you.

Third, try to attend Mass regularly, not just Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation, but Daily Mass.  I know it may be hard for most to do so with work.  I have the advantage of working shift work so I am able to attend Daily Mass fairly often.   It is rewarding to start the day off with mass before having to dive into the duties of adulthood.

Those were the means of offense.  There are also defensive tactics as well.  These include our Faith as believers in the Holy Trinity and Our Mother Mary.  Righteousness, in the form of living a Christian life to the best of our ability, through humbleness, acts of kindness and mercy, and fairness to others.  Salvation in the form of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by His death and Resurrection.  The Truth of the Word of God.  Our trust in Jesus.  Our daily prayer regimen.  All of the above help in the defense of our souls against evil.

I do plan to expand on these weapons and defenses in future posts.  I wanted to get them out there now.  It is time to make changes in our lives.  Small changes or large ones, the choice is up to you as to which you choose.  It is our free will, our daily choices that will determine the outcome of these battles. 

This is the challenge before us.  There is no better time than Advent to start making these changes.  Just as we celebrate the upcoming birth of Christ, we must also welcome Him into our hearts and our lives.  I will end this post with a quote from another favorite author of mine. 

“The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.  Today and Tomorrow are yet to be said.  The chances, the changes are all yours to make.  The mold of your life is in your hands to break.”—J. R. R. Tolkien

Take that chance.  Make that change.  Break that mold.

God Protect You Brothers and Sisters,

You are in my Prayers,

Scott