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.
The concept of ‘discretion’, understood as discernment of the spirits, has led us, first of all, to look carefully at the present situation of the Church and the world, and to assume with great vigilance our responsibility as Catholics, particularly in times of existential crisis. Let us now take a closer look at some aspects of spiritual warfare.
I place these aspects in the context of everything I have said in the previous meditations. People who have been following my reflections for some time and are familiar with my publications in the framework of Balta-Lelija will notice that I am now saying certain things more publicly and openly. Some may be surprised by the blunt language and may not be able or willing to see things in the same way. Others, however, will be glad that someone is saying it and that guidance is being given on how to act in this situation. In my view, there is no more time to lose in telling the faithful what they need to know. They are hardly going to listen to anyone telling them so from the pulpit. With a few rare exceptions, the bishops are silent and follow the course set from above. So I hope my voice will help in discerning the spirits, and thank God I am not the only one.
“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Eph 6:10).
With these words St Paul begins his instructions for spiritual warfare. The battle to which we are called does not only apply to our personal sphere, but goes much further when we take responsibility for the Church and the world as a whole. Our human weakness, which we encounter again and again, must not be an obstacle in this struggle. Indeed, we are not called to fight as angels, but as fragile human beings. Therefore, no one can say that this call does not count for him because he is too weak. Whatever his state of life and circumstances, the Lord will give him his place in His army. What is important is that he lives in a state of grace – or at least makes a sincere effort to do so – that he recognises the seriousness of the crisis and is ready to serve the Church and humanity in this struggle. Weakness does not excuse anyone! St Paul goes so far as to say: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10).
With these words he points out exactly what he tells us in his first instruction of spiritual formation: that we should be strengthened in the Lord and act in the strength of His power. Everything is to be ascribed to Him. From Him comes wisdom, clarity and everything we need for the battle. In this way we do not rely primarily on our limited abilities, which are often fragile – even if the Lord uses them after He has purified them – but on God Himself.
This is an important process for our spiritual life in general. We often tend to rely too much on our own strength, or to be impressed by the abilities of others to the point of idealising them. However, relying first and foremost on the Lord’s strength helps us to let go of ourselves, and realising our own weaknesses can lead us to greater self-knowledge, which is extremely important for a serious spiritual journey.
In these words, therefore, resounds the sound of the trumpet that announces readiness for a good fight: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might”.
This exhortation becomes particularly necessary when we listen to the following words of St Paul:
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:11-12).
But how can we fight the evil spirits – that is, the fallen angels who have become demons – if we cannot even see them, and moreover, it is to be feared that by virtue of their angelic nature they have powers that surpass human powers? Only in the strength of the Lord will we be able to deal with these powers that attack people in various ways. Therefore, we must study carefully the armour that St Paul describes for us, with the spiritual weapons that are indispensable to be victorious in this battle. Let us remember that, as I said in the previous meditations, the present confusion in the Church, which even reaches the danger of apostasy, is the work of these spirits. It is they who deceive people in order to make them collaborators in their evil plans.
Therefore, we must follow the following instructions very carefully in order to resist and protect the great treasure of our holy Church.