“Take the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Eph 6:16).
These words can only apply to the true and unadulterated faith that our Father has entrusted to His Church. It is the faith in the Blessed Trinity and in all that the Holy Church authentically teaches. As soon as we no longer keep this faith intact and open ourselves to any false doctrine, no matter how insignificant it may seem, the shield of faith becomes fragile and is no longer able to protect us from the fiery darts of the enemy. Let us suppose, for example, that one ceases to believe in the bodily Resurrection of Christ, or in His real presence in the Blessed Sacrament; or that one thinks that hell does not exist, or other similar deviations from the faith. How then can we continue to defend ourselves against attacks?
On the other hand, if we cling to the true faith and thus remain intimately united with the Lord, the demons will not be able to penetrate the interior of the person with the darts of their lies. Simple faith will unmask them, just as it will unmask the false teachers who spread the poison of false doctrines and practices and thus mislead souls. Thanks to faith, the darts fired against us lose their power and their fiery poison is extinguished.
Our Father has provided us with everything we need to fight the forces of evil. We only have to cling to Him and His Word and reject what is not true. Our faith is clear and does not tolerate vagueness or ambiguity. Anything that pretends to be above faith comes from evil and not from our Father, for in Him there is no deception.
Let us preserve and deepen our holy faith, and let us not lend an ear when it is questioned or relativized. Let us use faith as a shield!