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The following topic is also very important in preparing for spiritual warfare: Eucharistic adoration and inner healing. Indeed, if we have many inner wounds, blockages and barriers, which we may not even be aware of, it will be more difficult for us to fight the battle. Let us not forget that healing the sick was part of our Lord’s ministry, and continues to be so through Eucharistic adoration if we accept His offer. That is why I thought it fitting to include in our Lenten series this meditation from last year.

Also important is the relationship between Eucharistic adoration and spiritual growth, which we will discuss in the second part of this meditation. Let us remember that the more deeply we are united to the Lord, the more He can work and offer His love to people through us. And in the presence of Christ’s true love, the devil will have to flee.

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As we have often recalled, the aim of our Lenten meditations is to strive to be better disciples of the Lord. This call is addressed to us in difficult times, both in the Church and in the world, as we have noted at length in the light of the discernment of spirits. Therefore, spiritual warfare is inevitable. In this regard, we have reflected on the various elements of the spiritual armour described by the Apostle Paul with which we must clothe ourselves in order to go into battle. His advice ends with the exhortation to “pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Eph 6:18), and so in the last few meditations we have talked about prayer of the heart and the Holy Rosary. Today and tomorrow we want to go deeper into Eucharistic adoration: another effective weapon in the spiritual battle.

Remaining in silence before the Blessed Sacrament, whether the Blessed Sacrament is exposed or simply present in the Tabernacle, has a great effect on the deepening of prayer. Therefore, in the context of these meditations on the theme of prayer, it is fitting that we dedicate two days specifically to Eucharistic Adoration.

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In keeping with the Solemnity of the Annunciation that we celebrate today, I would like to speak about another ‘great prayer’ that should be included in our daily prayer routine. Certainly many already know and practise it. This prayer is a real treasure in the life of the faithful, whether it is prayed in community or alone. I would like to refer to a meditation from last year, so that, in the context of the spiritual combat, I can once again recall the value of this prayer and encourage everyone to pray it daily: it is the Holy Rosary.

In many of her authentic apparitions, the Virgin Mary tells us how important it is to her that we pray the Rosary. That is why it is worthwhile to meditate on this valuable prayer.

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“Pray always in the Spirit” (Eph 6:18).

We are coming to the end of St Paul’s advice for spiritual warfare. Surely all believers know how essential prayer is, without which there can be no spiritual life. If we neglect prayer, we are always in danger that temptations will overcome us more easily, that distractions will increase and that the temptations of the world will have a greater influence on us. We will also be weaker and more vulnerable when it comes to fighting the battle that has been entrusted to us with the appropriate weapons.

On the other hand, if we take advantage of the Lord’s opportunities to pray, our souls will be prepared and docile to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer we will be able to conquer strongholds with the Lord.

Yesterday I ended the meditation by quoting part of a Starez’s exhortation on the prayer of Jesus. He was clear that this prayer is a special weapon against the power of the devil. The full quote is:

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“Besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.” (Eph 6:16).

The Lord’s training of His faithful to be able to resist in battle continues today with the allusion to the shield of faith. It is important that we immediately and swiftly repel the darts of the Evil One, even when they want to penetrate us through our thoughts. The more vigilant we are, the less evil or wrong thoughts will be able to pierce and hurt us. The same applies to useless words, whether spoken or written. Read More

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Before entering into the theme, let us briefly review the Lenten meditations: the spirit of discernment (discretio) urges us to enter consciously into a spiritual battle. Those who follow Christ know this struggle well. There are, however, two particular circumstances that we must always keep in mind, so that we “do not box as one beating the air” (cf. 1 Cor 9:26):

1. The enemy is not only attacking from outside the Church, but also from within, and he has wide areas under his influence.
2. He has penetrated right into the hierarchy, and from the very top he is trying to impose his pernicious course on the whole Church.

With this in mind, let us continue to listen to St Paul’s instructions to be prepared for battle:

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Let us recall the central theme of our Lenten meditations: to become better disciples of the Lord.

In the light of the discernment of spirits (discretio), we have analysed the existential crisis of the Church and pointed out the serious aberrations of the world. Consequently, we have noted that in this “emergency situation” the faithful must assume in a special way their responsibility to follow the Lord and thus to serve the Bride of Christ and her mission. This inevitably leads us into a spiritual battle which does not only concern our personal sphere, but is our contribution to the “battle of the Lamb” in which we are called to take our place in His army under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

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The aim of our Lenten meditations is to become better disciples of the Lord, especially as we contemplate His infinite love, manifested in a unique way in His Passion and Death on the cross for our salvation.  May our hearts yearn ardently for each person to encounter the love of our heavenly Father and thus find the sure path to eternity, where he or she will live forever in union with God and His own, filled with inexpressible joys.

To be better disciples means to adhere more closely to the will of our Lord, to fulfil with fervour the task He has given us and to understand it more deeply in the light of God. Above all, it means growing in love, which is the supreme good and which, as we will come to understand more and more, is capable of conquering everything.

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‘Discretion’ has led us to recognise the present crisis in the Church as a danger to the faithful, to perceive how her witness to the world has been obscured, and to see, beyond the human realm, the “principalities and powers” who plot evil against “the Lord and His anointed”, and who often pull the strings of all that usurps glory from God and harms men.

To get a more comprehensive picture in the sense of discernment of spirits, it is also worthwhile to take a look at the present situation in the world. It is not difficult to see that whole nations are under the dominion of darkness. Even formerly Christian countries have opened the door to great evils by introducing abstruse policies such as abortion, gender ideology and others. As a result, the powers of evil have made these states, with a few exceptions, part of the kingdoms over which Satan rules. If we add to this the wars and the injustices associated with them, we are faced with a sea of horror, full of corruption and impurity.

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In the sense of ‘discretio’ it is inescapable to face the current crisis in the Church, for how else would we draw the right conclusions to face it as disciples of the Lord? If we ignore it, we will continue to behave as if nothing has changed, and we will end up becoming carriers of modernist errors ourselves. If we even agree with such errors, then, without realising it, we are working on the side of those who want to destroy the Church or transform it into a humanitarian institution, as the philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand so aptly described it. If we remain silent when we see errors, we should take to heart the words of Pope Felix III: “Not to oppose error is to approve it; and not to defend truth is to suppress it”.

On the other hand, the realisation that the ecclesiastical hierarchy has embarked on a wrong course should not shake us or confuse us to the point of leading us to resignation or to leave the Church and join another denomination. That would be the wrong conclusion. The Catholic Church remains the Church founded by Christ, even when attacked from within and without.

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