“This world is no place for Catholic Chickens.” -- Mother Angelica
God and the Devil Are in Conflict
In the Bible, the Gospel of Matthew offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the conflict between these two kingdoms: They brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” (Matthew 12:22–24,)
In response to Jesus freeing the man from his demon and healing his blindness and muteness, a group of Pharisees accuse Jesus of using Satan’s power to drive out demons. They say He is trying to fool people into following Him. But Jesus answers them: “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.” (Matthew 12:25–30,) There’s a lot at stake in this conflict, and Satan isn’t playing games. The very fact that Jesus is casting out demons should be seen as a confirmation of His message that the kingdom of God has come.
Then Jesus lays out a fundamental truth: There are no sidelines in this war. The kingdom of God has come, and we’re either with Jesus or against Him. There are a million ways to oppose Jesus’ work in the world, but those who are with Him are focused on the same goal: building His kingdom by both knowing and following Him and by helping others to know him too.
Into the Breach: An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men Puts it this way: “We must attack Satan. We don’t sit back and just try to ward him off, but we go forward with our faith. We put on the armor of God, and every single day try to slay that dragon.”
The fourth degree of the Knights of Columbus say it like this: We’re all on a journey, We’re all on a mission. As Catholic men and men of integrity, our mission is to share our experiences with the community. That means putting on the uniform of the Knights and standing guard at a brother’s wake service, standing at a Rosary line for life, posting the colors at a sporting event, walking in a Veteran’s Day parade, or any of a thousand ways that we proudly show our support for our country and our Lord. Please join me in the Spiritual Battle before us. Remember, Satan isn’t playing games, and neither should we!
Now is the time to rise to the challenge.
Michael A. Allen, PSD, DM
803-397-7803
Thank you and God bless you!
