We have begun the season of Lent, but likely much of our attention is on the news concerning Russia’s unjust invasion of Ukraine. We pray for peace and for all those who have died and suffered in the war, especially the innocent. We are reminded how broken our world is and of fallen human nature. Also, we should recall there is a bigger enemy and a bigger war occurring that we must fight in this Lent. As St. Paul said, "For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” (Ephesians 6:12) Can you imagine people walking around in war-torn Ukraine unaware of the danger? Yet, often we do that in our spiritual lives—walking around unaware of the spiritual war going on and the danger to our souls.
In our first Sunday of Lent’s Gospel, we see this spiritual war directly as Jesus battles the devil in the desert by overcoming his temptations. One possible bright spot, and I just speculate here, is that the devil is not very creative in his tactics. Creativity belongs to God our Creator. When we sin and turn away from God, it only makes sense that we lose true creativity and enter the realm of the truly boring and repetitive cycle of sin. It does seem the devil hits Jesus and us with pretty much the same attacks over and over without great variety or creativity. The main attack the devil uses seems to be on identity. Twice the devil starts his temptation with, “If you are the Son of God….” So too in our temptations, the devil always attacks our identity—trying to make us question or forget that we are God’s beloved children. Then the further temptations seem to be varieties of playing upon our desire for pleasure (stones to bread), power and money (all the kingdoms of the world) and honor (jump off the temple). Always, the usual temptations and false gods of this world are money, power, pleasure, and honor.
As such, is there any reason we don’t prepare and respond to these spiritual attacks? They really aren’t that creative, and they certainly are repetitive. Most of us fall to the same sins over and over—believe me I know both in myself and in those who confess to me. We rarely come up with new sins, but fall to the same attacks over and over. In war, that is utter stupidity. We know exactly how are enemy is going to approach yet often we don’t bother to try to build up defenses to that attack.
Lent is the time! We are encouraged to use the best spiritual tactics we have—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We are encouraged to look at our own sinfulness and need for God’s mercy. But we are also encouraged to look at the roots of our sins, the deepest temptations, the reasons why we sin, and then do something about it to change. Otherwise, if we leave Lent exactly the way we entered, then what was the point? So let us truly engage in spiritual battle knowing it is life or death to our souls. Even if we struggle with falling to temptation, we can grow in love and trust of the Lord and in seeking God’s mercy, in being more rooted in our identity as beloved children of God no matter what, no matter how far we fall. Let us fight the good fight, and in Christ we too can overcome our enemy, the devil. May the Lord help us in this spiritual war.
Peace,
Fr. Greg