Put on the Armor of God

Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. // Ephesians 6:13

Last year I bought my husband a tee shirt that says “Everyone makes fun of Catholics . . . until they need an exorcism.” It’s funny because it’s true. Yet priests are not the only ones called to fight evil.

As baptized Catholics, we, too, are called to spiritual battle. While the majority of us won’t experience demonic possession, we will definitely experience a fight for our souls. Mostly this fight comes in the form of various temptations to turn away from God.

In one of his General Audiences, Pope Francis spoke about fighting evil and temptation. He said, “We know from experience that Christian life is always subject to temptation, especially to the temptation to separate oneself from God, from his will, from communion with him, to fall again into the snares of worldly seductions. . . . [Baptism] gives us strength for this daily struggle, even for the battle against the devil who, as Saint Peter says, tries to devour us, to destroy us like a lion” (Pope Francis, St. Peter's Square, April 25, 2018).

Baptism was our initiation into the battle, but Saint Paul lays out the continuous battle plan: “[F]or our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

At first glance, we may think it’s overly dramatic, but the news headlines point to evil in our world. It is time for us to stop being indifferent bystanders. We are called to not only fight for our own souls, but for the souls God has placed in our care, whether family, friends, or strangers.

But first we need to fortify our own soul with prayer, the Sacraments, and Scripture. God knows that we live in evil times, therefore He provides an abundance of grace and opportunities for us to strengthen our souls and help us to lead others to the mercy of Christ. Who can you encourage today?

He provides an abundance of grace. // Bobbi Rol Click to tweet

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