Subtle Aggresion: The Burning Process

     We continue in our study on the activity of the demonic in our lives by bringing our attention to one of the most distributing facets of spiritual warfare. A method by which our enemy of the faith brings to bear that touches upon our vulnerabilities as being weakened finite individuals. We are referring to what we term, "The Burning Process." This is where we are slowly being tempered in division and restlessness; where what starts out seemingly harmless becomes a playground for the devil and his demons to dwell and to create torments unnecessary.

     A common mistake often made by faithful Christians is when they do not heed what St. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 and, "take every thought captive to obey Christ." To take a thought captive is significant. A thought has four different ways of entering our mind.

1. Through the influence of the world.This represents such things as the favor of others, friends, reputation, importance, wealth, delights, and comforts.

2. Through the impulses (or passions/concupiscence) of the flesh.The flesh is the most tenacious in this group and represents the sensory appetites (delight as brought forth by our senses) and natural affections that war against the spirit. 

3. Through the influence of the devil. Since the devil is a spiritual being his affects are more cunning and deceitful. He works hand-in-hand with the world and the flesh in order to bring about sin.

4. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This involves anything in union with divine truth as revealed to us by God through His Church. Inspiration of the Holy Spirit can take many different forms. Through natural or supernatural means, sensory or spiritual.

Since, therefore, as St. Paul tells us our everyday battles are fought against, "the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness and with the evil spirits in the heavens," (Ephesians 6:12) we must understand that all of our thoughts, large and small, stem from one of these areas; the world, the flesh and the devil. The world to use us to loose focus on hope, the flesh to lose focus on love and the devil to lose focus on faith. All three of these virtues are mandatory in our own spiritual development. If we lose one of them we essentially lose them all.

      What the devil does here is very tricky. Not only is he knowledgeable when it comes to our weaknesses but his intellect far surpasses ours that when he decides to engage us in seemingly reasonable dialog (usually without our even knowing it is him) we are easily led astray because we cannot differentiate between the will of God and our own inclinations; in which we may even be deceived into thinking is the very will of God. Allow us to give you an example. We know that it is the will of God that we receive the Holy Eucharist in a state of grace or else we will commit sacrilege. If Sunday comes along and we consciously know we've committed a mortal sin and a thought comes to mind such as, "Well, God understands my situation" or "God is merciful; He won't mind" we can rest assured that, even though these thoughts may appear reasonable and actual do represent a true characteristic of God (for He does understand our situation and He is merciful), we know that it really is not the particular will of God. Revealed truth shows us that this tenant of our faith is how Christ established it from the very beginning.

     If we do not take every thought captive, as St. Paul says, we are liable to be led away from Christ without our even knowing it. What Satan does is distract our attention away from the things of God in order to create situations where we end up having to rely on our own knowledge (our own will). These things Satan uses, at first, seem harmless or innocent. To the untrained mind they appear reasonable and perhaps just. However, little-by-little like a bucket with a small leak in it, the water (the grace we need from God) slowly trickles out. More times then not by the time we realize it the damage has been done and the means to repair it will cost us a great deal.Take, for example, the episode in the Holy Gospel where Pilates wife had a dream about not condemning Christ. (Matthew 27:19) This, at face value, seems right and reasonable. It seems like a just thing to do. And rightfully so, Christ actually was innocent. The problem, however, was that Satan was using something seemingly good to create an evil. What was the evil? To try to get Pilates wife to convince Pilate not to condemn Christ. It was God the Fathers will that His Son be condemned and put to death.  That's the way in which He saw fit to bring about the redemption of humanity. Satan knew this but Pilates wife did not. Satan is very creative and deceitful, make no mistake. Unless we are in tune with the will of the Father, as Christ was, we would be more apt to fall into his deceitful suggestions.

     The Burning Process begins with a suggestion or thought. We must always learn to bring these thoughts and suggestions captive to the will of God as St. Paul tells us to. He tells us not "some" thoughts or "bad" thoughts alone but every thought. Sometimes the "right" thing to do isn't really the right thing to do. As odd as that sounds it is true that God is specific when it comes to His holy will. Yes, sometimes we have to suffer because of it but at the same time God rewards us with an even greater gift if we patiently endure. This is where authentic freedom is found. It's liberating knowing that not only are you being pleasing to God but He paves the way for you and therefore we not worry. All we have to do is simply love Him in simplicity and keep our hearts in tune with His. The victory over Satan has already been won but the battle is still raging.

"Brethren, be sober, be watchful. For our adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, goers about seeking someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith!" (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Copyright 2012 A New Voice for Broken Souls

The Word Became Flesh

     During this most blessed time of Advent when we await the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we would like to take a much needed break from Armor of God to reflect on the this most sublime event in history.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:14)

Think about that passage for a bit. Allow the words of St. John the Divine to sink in deep and ponder how unspeakable this single event really was. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, I believe, says it the best:

"God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life."
(CCC 1)

To think that God would willingly take on the very flesh and bone of His own created creatures is mind boggling. Whenever one thinks of "God" or a "god" I would presume that they would perceive someone who is virtually untouchable or out of the grasp of the human intellect to fully comprehend; let alone to compare himself to. God, to the average person, is somebody who is on such a higher level in every way that to think the average person could even fathom God as a man is simply too much to wrap our head around. A "god" would need to have certain characteristics. He would need to be a super hero of sorts having the ability to do things no human could do. Perhaps things beyond what Christ did by defying the laws of physics and forgiving sins. Throughout human history many people, namely political leaders, have claimed to be "God" or at least a "god". However, in every case the effects of their own mortality eventually kicked in and clearly shown that this was obviously not the case. All people have a different idea of what God or a god is supposed to be and/or do according to their own presuppositions. Nevertheless, I think it's safe to say that the notion of God being (or becoming) a man seems too far fetched or something found only in ones own creative imagination.

But this is exactly what God did. The very Creator of everything we see walked and talked as we do. In an act of complete humility He came to us not in pomp and ceremony but in the raw confines of a hidden away cave on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Allow the reality of this truth to penetrate your heart. Think about how the all powerful Creator of everything that exists came to His own Creation in complete poverty. He could've had it all. He could've chosen to be born in the upper echelon of the time and been brought up as king that way. He could've chosen to be born in wealth and have respect from birth but He didn't. Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, freely chose to be born almost without notice. Hence, the words St. John speak volumes, "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not." (John 1:10) This passage only goes to show that the world back then, so much like today, didn't have their priorities straight.

God created us for Him; to love Him in return. Going to such great lengths to show us His love for us I marvel at the worlds ingratitude. Perhaps it's simply too difficult to comprehend for some. One might think that if God became human everyone would easily recognize Him. As we've seen above that is not the case, however, as Christ said, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that through Him it might be saved." Jesus gives us the perfect modal of how the human life is to be lived. Our world thrives on power and influence so when Christ came in the flesh the world didn't recognize Him as such because He didn't fit the world's description.

We see the beginnings of the full manifestation of God's love for us in the birth of Christ. Foretold centuries beforehand and fulfilled to a tee when the fullness of time had come. Imagine the stillness of that very night some two thousand years ago. The heavens were all in awe and amazement. The angels look on in wonder as for they have never even taken on flesh. Their very Creator and God stooped even lower than them. Everything was going as planned as the will of God the Father was taking shape.

This Christmas season we urge our readers to reflect on the humility of God. Take some time before Holy Mass or at home in silence and allow the Holy Spirit to infuse you with the magnitude of how great and incomprehensible the incarnation is and was. Place yourself in the secluded cave beside Our Lady and St. Joseph and ponder on what you might have said or thought. Imagine the stillness and calm over all of creatron at that moment. Imagine the Blessed Virgin picking up the Baby Jesus and handing Him to you to hold. Draw closer to our Lord Himself as you ever so gently hold your very own Creator and God in your arms. The very one who shall redeem you through His suffering and love unspeakable. Imagine all the angels present with you and around you bowing in complete submission to a baby. Watch as the shepherds and wise men approach and offer the newborn Messiah gifts. Look back on your own life and reflect on how you have treated God and if necessary repent and embrace His love like never before. Ask God to grant you the strength to submit to Him your life and love. Unto us a Savior is born, Christ the King!

LOREM NATIVITATIS!!!

~Merry Christmas!~

Copyright 2011 New Voice for Broken Souls

The Flames of Love and Hate: The Inner Struggle

   

     God seems to take us where He wills and leaves us questioning our very existence and life during the process. The things He uses, allows and permits, although unknown to us at the time, serve as His means to accomplishing this end. He desires our best and our souls, even while being conformed to His, still lack the substance needed to adapt to His method of transforming us. We are carnal, limited and finite; He is pure Spirit, unlimited and infinite. Hence, the struggle begins. We have looked at our own lives and recognized this unfamiliar process of death from within. We struggle and ask questions only to have the heavens seemingly shut to our cries for answers. But God is faithful and true. When He knows we're ready He will begin to show us what He's doing with us. We have no say in the matter except to trust Him in love. We are not our own. We have been bought with a price by the Redeemers Precious Blood and we need to be open to every possibility that may present itself as something coming from His hands. It is the will and not the circumstance where with we ought to remain focused. That is key and needs to constantly be in the forefront of our spiritual journey.
     With this being said our Lord will, at times, allow the powers of darkness to revel over us with such violence and determination in order to prove us. The devil's know that when you kill love you kill the value of anything done. Even good works are put to naught when not done in light of our love of God and neighbor. The demons know what our weaknesses are and they use them against us in order to fulfill their call to kill the love within us. In many and various ways they cleverly turn the tables against us having us see things as they really aren't. That's right, as they really aren't! At face value the things we perceive as happening really seem to be real and in accordance with the truth. But in reality (in light of revealed Truth, Jesus Christ) they are merely deceptions or illusions reinforced by the devil's attempt to squeeze the love out from within us. Satan's goal is to put a wedge between ourselves and God.
     Pure love brings vulnerability. As a result, this is how God tests our faith and trust in order to unite ourselves with Him. We know intellectually that God is all good and desires the best for us but at times when He's purifying us through fire we are, as it were, left as bate for Satan. We are left completely exposed and open to his schemes of division and foul play. He will feed on the very weaknesses which God the Father is trying to eliminate from within us. It is a battle of celestial titans waging war over our will and we're caught in the middle struggling to find out what is real and what is false. This is not a battle for the weak of faith but takes real fortitude and perseverance. It is a time when most Christians quit rather than fight and so lose the very hope they long for.
     Using the methods of humiliation and self loathing, Satan attaches himself to a person's vulnerabilities and convinces them there is no satisfaction (or hope) other than what he subscribes. Usually in convincing the victim in covering up the exposed darkness left within the heart and soul. This darkness, however, while being brought into the light of Truth and Life can only be dealt with by the will of the person. That is where the outcome of this spiritual struggle is decided. Will they sink into self or cling to God?
     In 1 Corinthians chapter 13 St. Paul shows us that love is the key in unlocking value in the advancement of the kingdom of God and in out own relationship with the Blessed Trinity. In anything we do the motivation needs to be rooted in love or else it is useless. Satan knows this and therefore he tries to take away our love by means of the above mentioned method and feeds us with hatred toward ourselves and eventually, if we allow it, God. This hatred is fueled by us defaming our very selves through being exposed in this spiritual growth process . It plays on the very dignity of the person involved to such an extent that borderlines insanity. God is the ultimate reality and so when He is taken out of the picture purpose and meaning fades away and we're left for dead by our own devises. Satan tries to convince us that God doesn't care and we are the only ones who can satisfy our deepest longings, which, oddly, is to love and be loved.
     Both hatred and love are like fire. They are kindled and when fanned grow larger and larger. Hatred, to our destruction and love to our betterment if properly utilized and understood. When it comes to the eternal destination of everyone of our souls God and the devil do not play games. We will not feel the full weight of this reality until we pass from time into eternity but by then it will be too late.

Let us turn to the saints in this dark struggle. Reflect upon their lives and see how they overcame such inner adversity even to the point of giving their lives over to death for the sake of love of Christ! God calls us all to be saints and He will fully equip us with every spiritual gift and grace we need to shine His light in this blackened world we live in!

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith."

(1 John 5:4)

Copyright 2011 New voice for Broken Souls