On Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014, in the Chapel of St. Martha, Pope Francis gave a homily covering Ephesians 6, which is a passage of Scripture focused on spiritual warfare. He clearly labels in his speech that the greatest threat we, as Christians, face is the literal Devil. Below are a few important excerpts from his homily and my commentary on them.
From the Homily of Pope Francis
"From whom do I have to defend myself? What must I do? Paul tells us to put on God's full armor, meaning that God acts as a defense, helping us to resist Satan's temptations. Is this clear? No spiritual life, no Christian life is possible without resisting temptations, without putting on God's armor which gives us strength and protects us."
Pope Francis points out that our greatest defense is God. When we wear God's armor, when we put on Christ, we are strengthened and protected in the battle raging around us.
The Pope continues: "Saint Paul underlines that our battle is not against little things but against the principalities and the ruling forces, in other words against the devil and his followers. But in this generation, like so many others, people have been led to believe that the devil is a myth, a figure, an idea, the idea of evil."
Here the Holy Father slaps in the face any notion that the Devil isn't real. And he directly identifies that we, as Catholics, are struggling against the demonic kingdom.
"But the devil exists and we must fight against him," the Pope goes on to say. "Paul tells us this, it's not me saying it! The Word of God is telling us this. But we're not all convinced of this. And then Paul describes God's armor and which are the different types that make up this great armor of God. And he says: 'So stand your ground, with truth a belt around your waist.' The truth is God's armor."
Again, we see how Christ is our Eternal Argument. He is Truth. And if we wear Him around us, like a belt, He protects us against the Devil's wiles. The Holy Father also admonishes us to not be afraid and stand our ground. While it isn't our job to actively seek out a fight with the Devil, we are to stand and resist him when he approaches us, and we defeat him, not by our own power, but by Christ who defends us.
"Life is a military endeavor. Christian life is a battle, a beautiful battle, because when God emerges victorious in every step of our life, this gives us joy, a great happiness: the joy that the Lord is the victor within us, with his free gift of salvation. But we're all a bit lazy, aren't we, in this battle and we allow ourselves to get carried away by our passions, by various temptations. That's because we're sinners, all of us! But don't get discouraged. Have courage and strength because the Lord is with us."
Notice how the Pope describes our spiritual life. It's a "military endeavor," and we are its soldiers. He even uses the word "beautiful" when referring to the battle we each face. Why is it beautiful? Because we are not alone in the trenches. Christ is right there with us! And He uses the tribulations of the battle to shape us into His likeness, to prune away our defects so that we can become all that God wants us to be.
"There are some priests who, when they read this Gospel passage, this and others say: 'But, Jesus healed a person with a mental illness'. They do not read this, no? It is true that at that time, they could confuse epilepsy with demonic possession; but it is also true that there was the devil! And we do not have the right to simplify the matter, as if to say: 'All of these [people] were not possessed; they were mentally ill'. No! The presence of the devil is on the first page of the Bible, and the Bible ends as well with the presence of the devil, with the victory of God over the devil."
The scourges of modernism and the elevation of reason and science above theology, as the Pope tells us here, have even infected the priesthood, especially among the younger seminarians. We as faithful Catholics are to resist these patently false ideas, that the Devil isn't real, that demons are medieval. But this doesn't mean that science and reason are at odds with our faith. The Church is clear on this in the Catechism. They go hand in hand, and never contradict each other.
The Pope also makes clear that Christ defeating Satan and his demonic kingdom is a central theme of the Bible. It starts with it. It ends with it. We need to take it seriously.
"There is always the temptation to want to diminish the figure of Jesus, as if he were 'a healer at most' and so as not to take him 'so seriously'. Do not confuse the truth. Jesus fights the devil: first criterion. Second criterion: he who is not with Jesus is against Jesus. There are no attitudes in the middle. Third criterion: vigilance over our hearts because the devil is astute. He is never cast out forever. It will only be so on the last day. Vigilance, because his strategy is this: 'You became Christian. Advance in your faith. I will leave you. I will leave you tranquil. But then when you are used to not being so watchful and you feel secure, I will come back'. The Gospel today begins with the devil being cast out and ends with the devil coming back! St. Peter would say: 'It is like a fierce lion that circles us'. It is like that. 'But, Father, you a little ancient. You are frightening us with these things' No, not me! It is the Gospel! And these are not lies: it is the Word of the Lord! Let us ask the Lord for the grace to take these things seriously. He came to fight for our salvation. He won against the devil! Please, let us not do business with the devil! He seeks to return home, to take possession of us. Do not relativize; be vigilant! And always with Jesus!"
In the U.S. Army, there is something called a "stand-to" which is a term that means "to stand ready for an attack," because an enemy is very likely to attack at dusk or dawn. Similarly, Christians must be prepared for the coming attack from our spiritual enemies. We do this by putting on Christ as our argument. We do this by preparing for the battles which are sure to come. No believer is exempt. And he who does not prepare remains vulnerable to attack.