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September 24, 2020In the First Letter of Saint Peter, the author admonishes us in these words, “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith” (1 Pt 5:8-9).
The devil, whom Saint Ignatius of Loyola referred to as the enemy of our human nature due to his hatred for us, has many tactics. In these times, he is employing one of his oldest and most effective. He is sowing discord and division. The work of the Evil One is always to scatter and divide. The fruit of the Holy Spirit, by contrast, is always unity and peace. Saint Paul urges us to live in a manner worthy of our calling “striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).
We are living through a series of crises unprecedented in our lifetime. Though we might wish this year was already behind us, 2020 will not soon be forgotten! The global pandemic, the suspension of public Masses (which continues in some places), unrest in the streets due to racial injustice, economic uncertainty and a sharply divided electorate weeks before a critical election all highlight the latent divisions and suspicions that the Evil One is eager to exploit for his purposes.
Many assess these challenges through economic and political lenses. They seek solutions through these same means. Economics and politics certainly have their place in a just society. As believers, however, our faith recognizes a more fundamental struggle. It is the struggle between light and darkness, truth and the lie, life and death. We know the outcome. Life will be victorious. Jesus Christ conquers!
But, as Saint Peter warns us, we must be vigilant. The devil is still at work. The Evil One seeks to exploit any division to his own advantage. He has many tactics and tools. He takes what is good and corrupts it. A prime example of this is the use that he makes of social media to advance lies and half-truths, fear and suspicion to create discord.
An unfortunate example of this diabolic tactic is the way the recommended use of masks and face coverings as a means to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has become a source of such rancor and division. Who is benefitting from the discord, the insinuations and the mistrust that these heated conflicts engender? This is not the work of the Spirit. It’s scandalous that we are tearing each other apart over how we participate safely in the Mass, and this at a time that some are not able to participate in public Masses at all! (Pray for the faithful of the Archdiocese of San Francisco!)
If the devil has his tactics and weapons, faith offers us our own spiritual weapons: prayer, fasting and the practice of virtue. At a time when society is so polarized, we Catholics have an important contribution to make by civilizing the tone of our discourse, speaking and acting kindly and respectfully to and about one another as we strive to promote the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.