After reflecting on fasting, vigils, the desert and silence, let us continue to listen to the other suggestions of the Desert Fathers in order to protect ourselves from the wiles of the devil and to progress more quickly on the path of perfection. Another piece of advice they proposed was this: give priority to works of charity, for which the Lord has promised the Kingdom of God in return.
Thanks to our Catholic faith, we know the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which certainly correspond to the works of charity mentioned by the Desert Fathers. Let us recall what they are:
Corporal works of mercy:
- Visit the sick
- Feed the hungry
- Give drink to the thirsty
- Shelter the homeless
- Give alms to the poor
- Visit the prisoners
- Bury the dead
Spiritual works of mercy:
- To instruct the ignorant.
- To counsel the doubtful.
- To admonish the sinners.
- To bear patiently those who wrong oneself.
- To forgive offenses.
- To comfort the afflicted.
- To pray for the living and the dead.
We can only agree with the advice of the Fathers to practise these works of mercy, for they will increase charity in us, which is a powerful weapon against the attacks of evil and promises faster progress on the path of holiness.
Why will this be so? To answer this question, we must remember that God’s motive for creating, redeeming and sanctifying us is love. There never has been and never will be any other motive for Him. As Christians, we know that God’s love went all the way to the cross with His desire to save us and is visibly given to us in Holy Communion.
The fallen angel, on the other hand, refused to love. Consequently, he closed himself to God’s love and hardened himself in a destructive self-love. The latter does not even deserve the beautiful term ‘love’. It would be better to say that Satan enslaved himself in his self-aggrandisement and vainglory, from which derives all that is contrary to love: all forms of hatred and envy, all evil inclinations which, unfortunately, we also discover in our unconverted human heart. In the case of Lucifer, these vices are ingrained and conversion is no longer possible because the fallen angel committed the sin against the Holy Spirit.
So the devil cannot love. Therefore, when we practise true love of God and neighbour – as long as it is not confused with a disordered passion – the devil cannot stand it and is forced to flee. He may try to disturb us and discourage us from practising charity, but he cannot resist the deeds and words that spring from true love. At the same time, every work of mercy increases love in us and radiates it throughout our being.
In a certain sense, we can say that love kissed by truth (for only then will it be true love) is the invincible weapon against the spirits of evil. We see it in the Lord Himself, who, by the supreme act of love on the Cross and with His eyes fixed on the Father, broke the power of the devil over men and silenced “the accuser of our brethren (…), who accuses them day and night before our God” (Rev 12:10).
All those who have followed these Lenten meditations know that I place them in the context of the devastating situation in which our Holy Church finds herself. The enemy has invaded the Lord’s vineyard and is trying to destroy it completely. There is no doubt that the present leadership of the Church is under enormous Luciferian influence. The Catholic faithful should realise this and wake up, because it is no use closing our eyes and pretending that nothing has changed, or even thinking that the course of the current pontificate is for the good of the Church. Unfortunately, this is not the case. All the more reason for us to put on the armour of God.
We have listened to the advice of St Paul and the Desert Fathers on spiritual warfare. We have understood that the main battle is not “against flesh and blood” (Eph 6:12), but against the spirits of evil, which must be fought with spiritual weapons. Of course, it becomes difficult when, on a human level, there is cooperation with the evil plans of these spirits and people do not realise it because they have allowed themselves to be deceived. Perhaps they acted out of blind trust and false obedience, but it must be recognised that what is wrong, no matter who says it, is still wrong and in urgent need of correction. It is necessary to consciously renounce this ‘different spirit’ that has infiltrated the Church and is spreading its anti-Christian and therefore anti-ecclesial poison in the Church.
We have reflected today on the growth of love, which is also necessary in the inevitable confrontation of spiritual combat. We must not regard those Catholics who have been deceived as personal enemies. On the contrary, they need our prayers so that they may wake up, recognise and draw the right conclusions. At the same time, we cannot overlook the fact that they may have become spokesmen and multipliers of the errors of the present pontificate, and that we must therefore confront them.
The Holy Spirit will guide us in this situation, helping us to find the right weapons and to use them with the right attitude.
