Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1: Ephesians 6:10-20
Brothers and sisters:
Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.
Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm
against the tactics of the Devil.
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.
Therefore, put on the armor of God,
that you may be able to resist on the evil day
and, having done everything, to hold your ground.
So stand fast with your loins girded in truth,
clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,
and your feet shod in readiness for the Gospel of peace.
In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield,
to quench all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
With all prayer and supplication,
pray at every opportunity in the Spirit.
To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication
for all the holy ones and also for me,
that speech may be given me to open my mouth,
to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel
for which I am an ambassador in chains,
so that I may have the courage to speak as I must.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 144:1b, 2, 9-10
R. (1b) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
My mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust,
who subdues my people under me.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
O God, I will sing a new song to you;
with a ten-stringed lyre I will chant your praise,
You who give victory to kings,
and deliver David, your servant from the evil sword.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Alleluia: See Luke 19:38; 2:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 13:31-35
Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “Go and tell that fox,
‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.’
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Meditation
Beloved in the Lord, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ abound in each of our lives. Spiritual warfare is very real, but how can we defend ourselves in this battle? What weapons does the Lord place at our disposal? Today, many Christians attend deliverance Masses, engage in spiritual warfare prayers, fast, and keep vigil to fight Satan. However, today the Apostle Paul helps us understand that all these strategies are effective only when we have a personal and living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Indeed, our struggle is not against flesh and blood. We are not fighting against our brothers and sisters, but against spiritual forces that seek to prevent us from loving and serving God. To protect and defend ourselves in this battle, the Apostle urges us to draw our strength from the Lord. To do this, we must first have a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus: we cannot rely on God if we have no relationship with Him.
There must be a moment in our lives when we decide, with our whole being, to surrender ourselves to God—a specific moment that marks a “before” and an “after.” A moment when, by our own choice, we decide to follow Jesus and walk with Him. This is not simply the day of our baptism or the fact that we go to church, but the day when, consciously and willingly, whether following a particular event in our lives or not, we make the firm decision to make Jesus our friend and entrust our lives to Him.
God cannot protect us if we have rejected His protection by deciding to live independently and for ourselves alone. We are protected when we remain within God’s fold, under His banner, and when we belong to Him.
Next, we may be under God’s banner but have allowed our relationship with Him to grow lukewarm and wither away. Many of us find ourselves in this situation. We no longer nurture our relationship with the Lord through prayer, the sacraments, putting His Word into practice, loving God and others, showing mercy, remaining available to His grace, or being open to His call. Many have become hardened: they no longer listen to the Lord, follow their own ways, rebel within the fold, and refuse to do what God says. In this situation, too, we are no longer protected.
Therefore, fighting Satan begins with working on our personal and intimate relationship with God: living in the presence of Jesus, spending intimate time with Him every day, listening to Him, and allowing Him to guide our lives. Satan has very little, if any, influence over the life of a Christian who has allowed Jesus to dwell in every part of their life and being. Satan has very little power over the life of someone who allows Jesus to lead them, listens to the Holy Spirit, proclaims the Gospel, prays fervently, and nourishes their faith through spiritual reading and participation in the sacraments. In such a life, it is extremely difficult for Satan to gain a foothold or even launch an attack; instead, he flees from the light of the Lord.
This does not mean that we should abandon novenas, three-day prayer devotions, or daily spiritual warfare prayers. Rather, all these strategies must be rooted in a living relationship with the Lord Jesus.
It is therefore up to us to examine ourselves inwardly: are we filled with the light of Christ? Or are there aspects of our lives that we have not yet exposed to the light of Jesus? Do we have a living relationship with the Lord?
Let Us Pray
Lord, grant us the grace of a living and intimate relationship with You. Help us to grow in love and in the intimacy of Your presence.
Intercession
Lord, we pray for all those who spend time around You without truly knowing You. Grant them the grace to enter into a personal and intimate relationship with You. Mother Mary, pray for us.
Spiritual Exercise
Today, let us set aside some time for personal adoration with the Lord. Let us earnestly ask Him to help us truly know and love Him.
Flora KAMTA, (Community of the Disciples of the Living Christ)
