“Fight the noble battle, trusting infinitely in me” (Inner Word).
Our Father does not exempt us from the battle that we inevitably have to fight during our earthly life. It is part of our fallen condition as human beings. While we must strive for what is good, we must also defend ourselves against enemies, both within and without, who seek to lead us away from the path of following Christ.
St Paul writes to Timothy, his spiritual son: “Aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Tim 6:11). And he continues: “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (v. 12).
Today’s interior word tells us that we must fight this battle with infinite trust in our Father. This is true when we find ourselves falling short of what we have set out to do, when we notice our weaknesses in various areas, and also in the face of the many enemies that threaten us, as well as the critical state in which the world and the Church find themselves.
Infinite trust in our Father keeps us from falling into discouragement, gives us the profound certainty of His gracious presence in all of life’s situations, and lifts us up again to fight on, knowing that the Lord is fighting on our side.
It is a good fight that ennobles us. It is the struggle of the children of light to drive out the darkness. It is the fight to defend the honour of our Father and to bear witness to His goodness. It is a battle in which heaven is on our side and the angels are at our service. It is the noble battle of faith, which our Father will richly reward.
And when it is over and we have fought to the end, with infinite trust in our Father, we will be able to exclaim with St Paul:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7).