Light vs. Dark, Truth vs. Deceit

In the beginning was the Word;

The Word was in God’s presence,

And the Word was God.

He was present to God in the beginning.

Through him all things came into being,

And apart from him nothing came to be.

Whatever came to be in him, found life,

life for the light of men,

The light shines on in darkness,

A darkness that did not overcome it.

                        John 1:4-5

In the Gospel according to John we read of light and darkness symbolizing the struggle between good and evil. God is the light in contrast to the devil that prowls through the world seeking the ruin of souls. God is the Truth, and the devil is falsehood. God brings us up to the heights of life in contrast to the darkness of the devil that brings us into the depths of destruction. We as Christians must be attentive and alert to prevent ourselves from falling prey to the untruth.

Half-truths, intentional erroneous statements, inaccurate data and deception plague us on a daily basis. Social media and the onslaught of continual news and entertainment have many believing that their own good comes first. Some believe man is above God. Others do not even believe God exists. The world we live in is divisive. We argue with our friends and family over abortion and politics, we witness the breakup of the nuclear family, we debate religious beliefs, emphasis is placed on the acquisition of material goods, and the society we live in today is full of temptations that interfere with our moral standing. The chasm between people grows.

The devil plans his attacks on the human soul, there are no coincidences. The devil opposes God’s goodness and seeps into a man’s conscience when he is fragile. It is at the moment when we are lukewarm and take our faith for granted that the devil sees an easy way into the corruption of our soul. It is when we waiver and compromise on our beliefs given to us by God that the devil strikes. We cannot compromise on our beliefs as it will only lead to a downward spiral that will dissipate the moral teachings we have been living. The devil whispers in our ears, evil is good and good is evil. The devil wants to steal the graces that God has given us. Do not let him succeed for if we do our spirituality will become null and void.

How do we resist this secular movement and deflect the evil assault on Catholicism?

Concentrating our attention on God our Father and Jesus our Savior deepens our faith. When we enter a state of sin, God offers us forgiveness in the confessional. Interacting with others who are faith-based maintains our faith, and we become more relaxed and willing to share our faith with others. Taking time to pray, our personal conversation with God, brings peace as we feel the strength of God’s presence. We are in a living relationship with God, the most important relationship we can ever experience. Catholics are blessed to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist. We are also able to humbly present ourselves to Christ in Adoration. We cannot be concerned with the society as a whole and instead we must concentrate on the goodness that God extends to us.

When you are in doubt, turn to God for strength, as proclaimed in Ephesians 6:10-13:

Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and his might power.

Put on the armor  of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.

Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above.

You must  put on the armor of God if you are to resist on the evil day; do all that your duty requires, and hold your ground.

Focus on the end. We all know God wins, and we can live with God for all of eternity.