<\/p>\n IT <\/strong>came to me a few years ago, as clear as a flash of lightning: it will only<\/em> be by God’s grace<\/em> that\u00a0His children will pass through this valley of the shadow of death. It is only through prayer<\/em>, which draws down these graces, that the Church will safely navigate the treacherous seas that are swelling all around her. That is to say that all our own scheming, survivalist instincts, ingenuity and preparations\u2014if undertaken without the guidance of divine wisdom<\/em>\u2014will fall tragically short in the days to come. For God is stripping His Church at this hour, stripping her of her self-assurance\u00a0and those pillars of complacency and false security upon which she has been leaning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n St. Paul is clear: our battle is not with flesh and blood… not with Democrats or Republicans, not with liberals or conservatives, not with those on the left or right, but ultimately…<\/p>\n …with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. (First reading)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In that regard, those who do evil are merely the pawns of Satan. Our warfare, then, is with the fallen angels who compel, deceive, and collude with the blind and foolish men and women of this generation. Our goal is to win the souls of our persecutors, and thereby defeat Satan (so watch out for the trap of falling into a political war with your neighbour!) As Christians, we have not only the armor, but the spiritual weapons to overcome this infernal enemy. And yet,\u00a0it is only the childlike, those with a heart of faith<\/em>, that are clothed in this armor. It is only the small and humble that truly wield the weapons of God. How?<\/p>\n With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit.\u00a0(First reading)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n To pray in the “flesh” is to merely speak words, to go through the rote actions and prayers that do little more than vibrate the air. But to pray “in the Spirit” is to pray with the heart. <\/em>It is to speak to God as a father and friend. It is to constantly lean upon Him, every moment, in both joyful and trying times. It is to recognize that I “can do nothing” [1]<\/sup><\/a>cf. John 15:5<\/span><\/span>![\"arturo-mari\"](\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/ARTURO-MARI.jpg\")
St. John Paul II on a prayer\u00a0walk near Edmonton, Alberta<\/em>
\n(Arturo Mari; The Canadian Press<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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