ORLANDO | As the solemnities of All Souls and All Saints approach, inevitably the question of spiritual warfare arises. Even the saints battled spiritual warfare. As Pope Francis once said, “There is no path of holiness without some sacrifice and without a spiritual battle.”
So what is spiritual warfare? In his Angelus address of Sept. 27, 2020, Pope Francis described it as, “Battling for good; battling so as not to fall into temptation; doing for our part what we can, to arrive at living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes.” The battle is real and it is a battle for our soul, but God provides weapons to succeed. Canon lawyers Father Fernando Gil and Missionary of Mercy, Father Anthony Aarons shed light on the subject.
Father Gil refers to St. John Paul II’s explanation on the nature of the battle between good and evil forces in his general audience of August 13, 1986. He said, “With the highly evocative phrase: ‘I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning’ (Lk 10:18), the Lord affirms that the proclamation of the Kingdom of God is always a victory over the devil, but at the same time…a condition of struggle…since we are exposed to the attacks of the spirit of evil.” The struggle, as revealed by the Word of God, “is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Noting the devil and his hosts are mentioned 511 times in the New Testament, Father Gil explained they have come to derail our path to salvation, “gained for us by our Lord, Jesus.” He points to a world filled with cultural desolation, disintegration of our families, the rampant divisions of our modern societies, the proliferation of unjust wars, the collapse of the norms of decency, the pervasive cycles of violence and hedonism, addictions of all type, sexual degradation and abuse, murder and other awful sins,” as the most fertile ground one could possibly imagine for the causes of demonic interference to take root and flourish in almost absolute freedom. But he is also quick to note God has equipped us to be victorious in Jesus Christ.
“The great news is that Jesus has come to defeat the kingdom of darkness,” he assured.
God provides an arsenal at our disposal.
“We have been sealed twice by the Holy Spirit: sealed in Baptism as sons and daughters of God and consecrated to God as Temples of the Holy Spirit; sealed in Confirmation as witnesses of Christ,” Father Gil said, adding we live in an atmosphere infused and guided by a Spirit of Holiness. “As if that were not enough, we are nourished by the Word of God and fed by the Body and Blood of Christ during the Holy Eucharist.”
This is not symbolic; it is the real presence of Jesus, our strength and shield.
In the Sacrament of Penance, the Lord Jesus forgives our sins and reconciles us to the Church, renewing Baptism and bestowing grace on us to fight evil and grow in holiness. Even Anointing of the Sick provides healing and comfort in times of affliction.
He urges us not to forget Mary, Our Mother, a powerful warrior as the Ark of the Covenant in the battles of Israel against its enemies. Father Gil says, “Mary, the New Ark of the Covenant is, after the Holy Eucharist, the most powerful weapon against the attacks of a more powerful enemy, the devil. She is the woman who crushed the head of the serpent, and we have access to her through the Holy Rosary.”
He also shared the power of fasting. “As the scholastic philosophers express it, fasting quiets the flesh, fortifies the soul, humbles the heart, and increases hunger for God,” he says.
Father Aarons said “The first tool is Jesus himself” recalling, “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh in the person of Jesus.”
The Catechism reminds us Jesus is the one who instituted the Church, and in the Church and through the Church He instituted the Sacraments. “The Sacraments are the living presence of Jesus in our midst. And therefore, when we participate in the Sacraments, we are participating in the life of Jesus. And that is where we get our strength to face what lies ahead,” says Father Aarons.
Being rooted in Scripture is yet another powerful tool at hand. Father Aarons reminds us of Jesus’ encounter with Satan in the desert. Satan quoted Scripture deceptively, but Jesus countered with the truth. “He was actually quoting words from Scripture, and therefore He knew the power that He had was based on the Scripture,” says Father Aarons.
“Jesus has the power to protect us from evil,” Father Aarons reminds us – because “Jesus is the true Word.”
Both priests remind us we are not called to fear, but to stand firm in faith. Every Sacrament, every prayer, every act of trust in Jesus is a blow against the enemy and an encounter with Christ.
Father Aarons emphasized the Sacraments and Scripture are not just spiritual maintenance. They are our lifeline in the battle against evil. They are how we remain rooted in Christ, who has already won the war. For, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31)