342nd Meditation
“As long as you remain in my heart, you will be under my divine protection. Even if the powers of darkness rise up, they will achieve nothing” (Inner Word).
Our Father offers us His Heart as a refuge, for against Him the powers of darkness can achieve nothing. They attack man in order to confuse him and, if possible, to seize his grace. But if we remain in the Heart of God, their efforts will be in vain.
To remain in His Heart means to centre our gaze on Him, to be sure of His love, to act according to and in this love, and to return immediately to Him if we have strayed.
The powers of darkness cannot stand this, because the divine fire drives them away and, consequently, they cannot carry out their sinister plans. They rage, they rebel; but they have to flee from the love of God and thus they can achieve nothing. Indeed, our Father is able to transform their evil plans into plans of salvation for His own. The Cross has taken away their power!
Our Father builds his throne in the heart of man, when he lives in a state of grace. Thus, in all situations – and especially when we feel threatened – we can enter into the innermost part of our heart, where our Father dwells. In this way, we withdraw from the influence of the powers hostile to God and remain entirely sheltered under His wings (cf. Ps 91:4). And when we enter into the Heart of God we can, in the Name of Jesus, drive away and weaken the powers of evil with our prayer (cf. Mk 16:17).
But we must remain attentive, so that this power of which God makes us sharers can become effective. The Lord attracts us with His love, so that we willingly open the doors of our hearts to Him and He can make His dwelling there. This intimate relationship with the Father must be cultivated, so that the many distractions and dispersions do not prevent us from the essential, which is to abide in this love. Only then will the powers of darkness be made impotent, in spite of all their efforts!