Be Alert - the world needs more lerts!

Today I am thinking of the spiritual battle that rages in the world. The unseen battle between good and evil rages on as it has for eons, but is now taking on a new intensity. The battle used to be a bit more subtle and invisible, living primarily in pockets of evil throughout the world and in the hearts of evil people. Now there has been a shift, and I am not a prophet saying this.....if you read and watch, others have said the same things throughout the last century or so.....others who are much more holy and intelligent than I am. However, it doesn't take a prophet to see all of this, just a simple christian who is prayerful and alert.

Evil today is now "in your face". It is on TV, it is on radio, it is on the silver screen. It is in our computers and on our lips more than ever before. There has been such a massive errosion of attentiveness to God and in particularly of silence, that now the invisible curtain between the spiritual battle and the physical world is coming down. Now, we can see that each day we are walking in the midst of this battle, and if we are not careful, we can become its victims.

What is our recourse to all of this? How can we stay safe? How can we protect ourselves? We have to look at what Jesus offers us through His church. What are the "weapons" he provides for us? What are the means of protection He has put in place for us? I will tell you some of them. I say "some" because I am still discovering new ways. He has given us the Eucharist - His very self in Holy Communion. We "can do all things through Christ who strengthens us", as St. Paul says. The more we have Jesus in our lives, the better off we are, and the stronger we are to fight the battles we find ourselves in. Also, the rosary. Padre Pio used to use the terminology "get me my weapon", meaning the rosary. We must rely on Mary's intercession and our focus on meditating on Jesus' life to help us. We have adoration - spending time before the Blessed Sacrament. His graces will fill us and give us strength. We have the Word of God - ever before us in our homes ( hopefully ) and in our churches. Some people even keep their Bibles at work too.

These are just a few protections we have to aid us in this battle. We also have to add the sacrament of reconciliation to this mix too.

The other thing I want to say is that the evil one delights in harming God's children, so sometimes we will be his target. Therein lies suffering. Suffering is a mystery humanity has grappled with for eons too. What is its purpose ? Why does God allow it ? My thoughts on that are that God does not cause suffering, but does allow it, as He allowed Jesus to suffer and die for us. In that capacity, suffering is redemptive. There too, I believe that when we join our sufferings with Christ's, our suffering can also be redemptive. There is also the meaningless suffering that takes place and we have some control over that and we can stop a lot of suffering by using the gifts God gave us. Sometimes though, evil seems to be winning. I've experienced that in my own life so many times. There are times when I"ve been spiritually weak and have not been able to withstand some of his assaults. But even though I have come to the brink of extinction or exhaustion, I have not been totally destroyed. It may have felt like it, but God has sent His life giving breath on me once again and brought me back to life.

So, I am being way too winded this morning. But I want to encourage whoever reads this to dedicate yourselves to God every day, and continually throughout the day. Say a little prayer such as "Jesus, I give you everything." or "Jesus I surrender to you"....things like that. Or even "Jesus help me to trust". These short little prayers can be said as you go through your work day.

Try also to keep heavenly things on your mind. As you are walking in the mall you can also be pondering the reality of the angels being around you or you can try to see the face of Christ in everyone who walks by you.

Anyway, that is what I wanted to say today. Thank you for listening /reading. Always remember, BE ALERT because the world needs more LERTS.