GOD IS PREPARING AND PROTECTING US IN THIS SPIRITUAL BATTLE - 10/27/22 (Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time)

Luke 13:31-32

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.’“  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102920.cfm

Blessed Thursday! After Jesus preached and gave warnings to people who would not follow God's commandments, He was told by the Pharisees to go away because King Herod wanted to kill Him. And yet, our Lord Jesus remained firm in doing His mission and fulfilling His purpose. He was not moved  nor influenced by the danger that He would face. He is showing us that there is nothing to fear because God is with us. Because of our Catholic faith, we may receive strong oppositions and harmful words from others who do not like our teachings. We may receive many lies about us from other people. Despite all of these, let's put our trust in Him. God is always with us, and we should seek one thing, and that is to do the will of God for us. 

As seen in the gospel reading, Jesus also responded that He was casting out demons. It's important to emphasize this because the Pharisees were unaware that they were falling to the tactics of Satan. Satan wanted Jesus to fail, and he wanted the own people of God to offend and kill their Savior. In the same way, we should also remember that we are not just dealing with human beings when we are opposed because of our Catholic faith. We are also dealing with evil spirits who may use others to discourage us in our faith. Also, we should be on guard because we can also receive temptations from them, including the temptation of lust. Below this reflection, there is a link to a YouTube video that gives advice on spiritual and prayer life for people who are struggling with temptations like lust. God will prepare us in this spiritual battle. As such, let's persevere in our prayer life. May we not neglect to reflect on God's Word every day. If it's possible, we can also use our free time to pray more than one rosary and other prayers.  We may have fallen to some of these temptations and discouragement. But, we have hope in the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ who desires our salvation and union with Him. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Lust and Freedom:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=c2JL_Yw_wLE

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/