10th Sunday in Ordinary Time: How Do We Rise Up?

There are many ways that the devil (Satan) tries to deceive us... he often uses subtle tactics that we can easily excuse or justify. Do we rise up against him? Do we fight the good fight?

"Fight the good fight; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12

As the letter to Timothy reveals to us, by fighting the 'good fight of faith' - i.e., holding onto the truth, resisting evil, clinging to what is good and holy, trusting our Creator, our Father, our Lord of love - we secure our eternal salvation! We begin to take hold of, here on earth, that life which we were created for in eternity! Our destiny as human beings in perfect union with God. We all have this deep longing for fulfillment, which we strive after vehemently in our lives. This fulfillment will only be fully realized when we are united with God in Heaven, for that is what we were created for.

So in today's Gospel, we hear testified that 'if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand.' If we root Satan - and all of his little subtle ways of trying to rule over us - out of us, he cannot stand! He sets himself up for failure by trying to get to us, only to be booted out! And we claim our dignity, our destiny, our identity as God's children and heirs of 'the eternal life to which we were called'! It is Jesus who has the power in us to overcome, to rise up.

Pro-tip for fighting this good fight of faith and rising up against Satan: Spend time with Jesus. Know not just who you are fighting against, but SO much more importantly, who you are fighting for. It is He to whom you are called; rise up and fight for your faith, fight for that union with God, fight for your destiny, your call, your claim on eternal life. Cling to the King, so that whatever comes against you cannot stand. God's hand is reaching down from Heaven, open above your head, conferring grace on you to live loved, to live strong, to live sanctified. Pray. Spend time with the Lord and experience His presence pouring over you.


Photo Credit: Liturgical Publications, Inc. (LPi)