Fr. Michael Williams
"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice."
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C, Variant 3)
We probably don’t think of ourselves as soldiers. But that is what we are: Soldiers for Christ. You are like a battalion in God’s army. Okay looking around we’re probably not what General Petraeus would want for the war in Afghanistan! We’re more like Dad’s Army!
But the Lord has chosen us and sent us to battle for His Kingdom in this world, just like He chose those seventy-two whom He sent out. Now he’s sending us out.
Jesus speaks of the spiritual battle today’s gospel. In any war there is an enemy, and Jesus reveals the enemy as Satan, whom He ‘watched fall like lightening from Heaven’. Theologians and Saints have speculated that Lucifer was the greatest and brightest of God’s angels, but then he chose to rebel and so fell from his exalted place in Heaven. Satan has been causing chaos ever since, but at the Last Judgment he and the other angels who followed him will be condemned eternally.
Some people don’t think we have this spiritual enemy! Believe me we do.
Once we realise that Satan and his minions exist we need to go to war under the leadership of Christ who says to His followers, ‘I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy’.
The weapons in this war against the enemy are Christ, the Sacraments, the Scriptures, Our Lady, the Saints, prayer, and uniting our sufferings with those of Christ- like we heard St Paul did- ‘the marks on my body are those of Jesus’, because the Cross is our most potent weapon.
Of course Jesus reminds us of the need for humility. Satan is the proud spirit. Jesus says, ‘do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, rejoice rather that your names are written in Heaven’. Humility and service are two of the great weapons at our disposal.
The Sacraments especially are the Presence of Christ manifested for us.
In a few moments I will anoint the sick and the frail here today. This Sacrament of the Sick enables the sick to unite their sufferings to Christ for the salvation of souls, and also give them the grace to endure their sufferings, and also if God so wills to grant healing.