In prayer, I heard one day these words: “Do not lose heart when evil seems to triumph. These are Pyrrhic victories, fictitious victories, after which comes defeat and the definitive separation between good and evil.”
When we notice how evil seems to triumph in the world and around us, the temptation is great that we become despondent, lose heart and thus indirectly give evil even more influence. But it should not be so!
The above-mentioned phrase wants to make it clear to us that the victories of evil are nothing but a deception. After all, God knows how to include even the powers of darkness in His plan of salvation, and they can never go beyond what God allows them to do.
If, with our Father’s help, we take courage in the midst of the apparent victories of evil and call upon Him with confidence, holding fast to the certainty that He uses all things for the good of those who love Him (cf. Rom 8:28), then we are robbing the powers of darkness of their supposed triumph.
Let us think of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan thought he had triumphed over Him, as did the blinded religious leaders of that time. However, his apparent victory became his greatest defeat, and the separation between light and darkness took its course.
It is our Father who holds our destiny in His hand (Ps 31:16), and He invites us not to let ourselves be carried away by every thought and feeling that wants to discourage or even depress us.
When we have no more strength, we cry out to our Father.
When we lose heart, He is our hope.
When we see that evil seems to triumph, we remember that these are only Pyrrhic victories, fictitious victories, in which its defeat is already in sight.
The powers of darkness never achieve noble victories. They always carry the germ of evil within them.
When we have to endure them, we unite our suffering with that of Our Lord Jesus Christ, thus making it fruitful for His Kingdom and turning it into indestructible gold in our Father’s treasure chamber.
Let us not lose heart, the Father is always with us!