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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.
The Word of the Lord.
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Several times in his pastoral letters, Saint Paul uses military terms to illustrate our faith. Salvation is a battle that must be fought … and won. Christ has done his part – he’s defeated death – but now, Saint Paul says, we must do ours.
“Draw your strength from the Lord,” he says in our first reading. “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil.”
In particular, guard yourself with the breastplate of righteousness. In one-on-one combat, the breastplate is the most important source of armor because it protects the heart.
On a spiritual level, the heart is considered the seat of all of our intentions. It’s where we harbor sin and grace; it’s where light and darkness vie for our attention. It’s where the battle for salvation is fought… and won.
Priests are reminded of this before celebrating Mass. While putting on our vestments, there is a separate prayer attached to each garment. The alb comes first. With it, the following prayer is said:
“Cleanse me, O LORD, and purify my heart, that washed in the Blood of the Lamb, I may attain everlasting joy.”
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In what ways do I protect my heart? How do I allow the light in and cast out the darkness?
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May we draw our strength from the Lord and fight the good fight today.
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Image credits: (1) Pastor Brad Abley’s Blog, WordPress (2) Liquid Church (3) Gateway Rescue Mission