The purpose of this post is to help increase our faith and confidence in Christ, the Blessed Mother, and the Church with our ongoing struggles against the world, the flesh, and the devil. It would seem we are on the spiritual menu for the fallen angels of the cosmos, but we do have a Good Shepherd in Jesus who has given His all to save us. Similarly, each of us have been entrusted with our own mission, given to us by God, to help ensure the salvation of our souls and the salvation of others.
What is your mission for the Church?
We all have our own mission in life to help build the kingdom of God here on earth.
“Ave, Regina Caelorum, Ave, Domina Angelorum.”
If you had to choose 5 spiritual warfare mysteries from the Gospels and present them before the Queen of Heaven, the angels and saints, which ones would you select?
After much thought, here are mine below. I have also included some spiritual warfare principles, topics, and tables relevant to spiritual warfare to consider with each one.
# 1 Spiritual Warfare Mystery
The Incarnation of the Word
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1: 1-5
The prologue of John’s Gospel reveals the Divinity of Jesus who is the eternal Word of God. God the Son was with God the Father before time and creation began.
“During the Rite, we witness how demons are tormented by God’s Word. The prologue of John’s Gospel is especially effective as a weapon and is often proclaimed during an exorcism.” – Kathleen Beckman, Source: A Family Guide to Spiritual Warfare
The Incarnation of the Word provides an overview of the contrast of light and darkness. The light of Christ is symbolic of life, truth, and righteousness, while darkness is symbolic of sin and “anything but God.” The world’s darkness has no power over Christ’s light. In spiritual warfare, we must stay in Christ’s Word and in His light.
- The Word (light) is directly identified with God’s wisdom (Wis 9:1-2)
- The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 1:7)
Spiritual Warfare Principles and Topics
- The Light of Christ is love, truth, wisdom, and life.
- The Light of Christ conquers the darkness of sin and death.
- Darkness is sin and separation from God and His Word.
# 2 Spiritual Warfare Mystery
The Temptation of Jesus
At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. Mark 1:12-13
Forty days is symbolic of testing in the Bible. Jesus faces the same ordeal that Adam and Israel endured in the OT (CCC538-540). While Adam failed in resisting the devil, Jesus succeeds in resisting the devil’s temptations and proving His love for the Father.
This is the first successful battle of Jesus against the devil, disease, and death in the Gospels. Jesus endured temptations to train his disciples how to overcome them.
Jesus’ victory in the desert wilderness sets an example for Christian obedience. God wills us to overcome all temptations from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
| Reference | Catechism | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| “Power of the evil one…man’s life a battle… | CCC 409 | 1 Jn 5:19, 1 Pet 5:8 |
| “The battle of prayer…spiritual battle… | CCC 2752 | Jn 17 |
We can overcome temptations through penance and obedience to God’s Word. Jesus successfully combats the devil with Sacred Scripture and quotes it with reverence.
God has entrusted to each of us a guardian angel to help us in our spiritual warfare.
“Christ came into the world to do battle against Satan, to do away with idolatry, and to turn the world to faith and piety and the worship of the true God.” – St. Lawrence of Brindisi
Spiritual Warfare Principles and Topics
- Lenten discipline of prayer and fasting
- Ministry of guardian angels
- Perseverance in faith
#3 Spiritual Warfare Mystery
Christ is Lord of Authority
Christ is Lord of Authority in the Gospels
- Over nature (Mk 4:35-41)
- Over demons (Mk 5:1-20)
- Over disease (Mk 5:21-34)
- Over death (Mk 5:35-43)
On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” Mark 4:35-41
We can take comfort in knowing that no matter what happens to us in life, good or bad, none of if happens without Christ’s permission. Christ controls all aspects of spiritual warfare in our lives and in the Church down to the finest details.
Christ has authority over all, and in our Christian discipleship we can choose to either reject it, or be obedient to Christ’s authority and precepts and stay protected by Him.
“On Easter Sunday, we renew our baptismal promises. We profess our faith. We are sprinkled with holy water. It is a minor exorcism. We have been delivered from the power of evil and saved by Jesus Christ. What a glorious day!” – Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, Source: Exorcist Diary #187
Learning Points
- The boat with the disciples and the sleeping Jesus is symbolic of the Church.
- Jesus asleep in the boat exemplifies His perfect trust in the Father.
- The raging seas is symbolic of chaos and the presence of evil in the world.
- The distressed disciples display our dependence on God to deliver us from evil.
- Jesus exercises His sovereign Divine Authority over the storm (CCC 1808).
- Jesus commands unclean spirits to be quiet and cast out of afflicted people.
- Jesus exercises his Divine Authority over disease and even death.
- Jesus teaches us that our faith in Him will always conquer fear.
- Awakening Christ in our lives will calm our storms and give us peace.
“Pay close attention to the Lord’s words; whenever He instructs us about the Father, He knows that by using terms of personal authority, such as “I will; be clean”; and “Peace! Be still!” and “But I say to you”; and “You deaf and dumb spirit, I command you”; and other similar expressions, we will be led to recognize His authority as master and creator.” – St. Basil the Great
Spiritual Warfare Principles and Topics
- All authority has been given to Christ by the Father.
- Christ controls all aspects of spiritual warfare.
- Christ and His infinite power delivers us from evil.
#4 Spiritual Warfare Mystery
The Family of God
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. John 19:25-27
In our discipleship as Catholics, we have a unique familial relationship with Jesus and His Mother. This relationship points to the Father, the Most High God, in heaven.
“Demons find images and statues of Our Lord, Our Lady, and the various saints to be abhorrent. The very sight of them invokes a loathing on their part.” – Fr. Chad Ripperger, Source: Dominion
Jesus
- The gathering around the cross exemplifies the unity of the Church as one.
- Jesus entrusts His beloved disciple John to care for the Blessed Mother.
- Jesus establishes Mary’s spiritual motherhood of the Church at the cross.
- “Behold, your Mother” applies to both Jesus on the cross and the disciple.
- Jesus reveals the spiritual relationship of us in the Church as “the family of God.”
- Jesus wants us to bring His Blessed Mother into close relationship in our lives.
The Blessed Virgin Mary
- The Blessed Mother is not specifically named as she is the Mother of the Church.
- We are invited to care for the Blessed Mother’s concerns in our discipleship.
- Blessed Mother is the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (Gen 3:15).
- Mary, the Mother of the Church, wants to show us she is our spiritual mother.
- Praying the rosary shows we want the Blessed Mother to be there for us at the hour of our death just as she was for her son Jesus at the Cross +
“Mary is our mother – the mother of our life, the mother of our Incarnation, the mother of our light.” – St. Aelred
Spiritual Warfare Principles and Topics
- Blessed Crucifix
- Blessed Virgin Mary’s Protection
- Our Lady of Sorrows devotion
- Our Blessed Mother’s rosary devotion
- “The family that prays together stays together.”
#5 Spiritual Warfare Mystery
Appearance of the Resurrected Jesus to His Disciples
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” John 20:19-23
The apostles received the Holy Spirit from Christ and were empowered to enact in His name. Jesus’ apostles have been given authority to forgive sins through the power of the Holy Spirit. This authority has been passed down to Catholic bishops and priests.
| Reference | Catechism | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| “I believe in the forgiveness of sins…” | CCC 976 | Jn 20:22-23 |
| “God has authority to forgives sins…” | CCC 1441 | Mk 2:5, Mk 2:7, Mk 2:10 |
| “Christ apostles…reconciliation…” | CCC 1461 | Jn 20:23, 2 Cor 5:18 |
Belief in the forgiveness of sins is an essential statement of the Apostle’s Creed and Nicene Creed, which are prayed in the Church’s liturgy. Forgiveness is also essential in Catholic spiritual warfare, and it is even mentioned twice in the Lord’s Prayer.
| Reference | Catechism | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| “The mission of Christ and the Spirit…” | CCC 730 | Jn 20:21, Mt 28:19 |
| “Apostles’ ministry…continuation…” | CCC 858 | Mt 10:40, Lk 10:16 |
| “Risen Christ conferred on them…” | CCC 976-980 | Jn 20:22-23 |
| “Fullness of the Spirit…” | CCC 1287 | Ezek 36:25-27, Joel 3:1-2 |
| “Forgive the sins of any…forgiven…” | CCC 1485-1488 | Jn 20:19, 22-23 |
| “Forgiveness…Christian prayer…” | CCC 2844 | 2 Cor 5:18-21 |
Learning Points
- The resurrected Jesus appears to his disciples on the evening of Easter Sunday.
- The resurrected Jesus appears in his crucified body.
- Christ’s resurrection is the ultimate sign of victory over sin and death.
- Jesus has become a sacrament of the Divine Spirit.
- Jesus’ ministry of mercy and reconciliation continue through the apostles.
- The power to “forgive and retain” sins in the name of Jesus is elsewhere described as the authority to “bind and loose” both on earth and in heaven.
- The words “forgiven” and retained” suggest God is acting through His Church.
- The Church Fathers recognized the power of the apostles to forgive sins.
- Forgiveness administered by the Church is acknowledged in heaven.
- The power to forgive sins was part of the Apostles’ role in sanctifying people.
| Reference | Catechism | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| “Risen Jesus appears…crucified body…” | CCC 645 | Jn 20:19-23, Rev 5:6 |
| “Jesus / sacrament of the Divine Spirit…” | CCC 1116 | Lk 5:17, Lk 6:19, Lk 8:46 |
| “Jesus entrusted…authority to St. Peter…” | CCC 553 | Mt 16:19, Is 22:22, Mt 18:18 |
“In learning and professing the faith, you must accept and retain only the Church’s present tradition, confirmed as it is by the Scriptures.” – St. Cyril
Spiritual Warfare Principles and Topics
- Christ gave His apostles the authority to forgive sins.
- The Church has been given authority to administer the sacraments.
- Forgiveness is essential in spiritual warfare.
RECAP
I hope you have enjoyed this spiritual warfare post. The most important thing I hope that was conveyed is that Christ is truly with us. We are all tempted, and sometimes we can succumb to temptations and step away from Christ’s authority. The archangel Raphael has words of wisdom here for us to consider from the Book of Tobit.
Those who commit sin and do evil are their own worst enemies. Tobit 12:10
Jesus says very simply in the Gospels for us to “Follow Him.” We do this in prayer and sacrament, in the reading of the Word, and in the spiritual and corporeal works of mercy. We do this by loving God faithfully, and in loving and forgiving others.
I should point out that when this post began, there were several spiritual warfare mysteries from the Gospels that I wanted to include, but they did not make the list. One of those was Jesus Cleansing the Temple. The above five selections received approval by one of the leading experts in Catholic spiritual warfare today:
“I like them all. The cleansing of the temple is also important because Jesus is being presented as the New Temple. We share in that through baptism, becoming living temples with the permanent seal and indwelling of the Trinity. Thus, the demon is attracted to any behavior inconstant with that permanent mark/seal – implying we too must cleanse the temple of any impurity or idolatry present. The prologue of John is important, and ties in the temple, there must be something there if that it is included in the Rite of Exorcism and also read at the end of TLM. This announces into the cosmos the reality of God becoming man (and man’s reconciliation with God).” – Dr. Dan Schneider, Liber Christo Deliverance and Healing Ministry
