9th Sunday after Pentecost
August 7, 2022
In J.K. Rowling’s novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, one of the professors tells the students they need to know of the dangers in the world and the evil which awaits them outside the walls of the school so they will be prepared. “Constant vigilance!” he exhorts them.
The same is true for our spiritual lives. If we realize the dangers posed by the world, the devil, and the flesh, we will defend ourselves with reliance on faith and the grace of God to make acts of the will for the good of our souls and guard against anything which poses a threat to eternal salvation.
An example of an individual who is not assiduous is one who is confident in their own ability to avoid sin based on previous experience, so they purposefully wade a certain distance into temptation expecting to remain virtuous. They put faith in themselves and not Christ. We must never wander freely into occasions of sin.
God is faithful in providing the grace to resist or flee from the temptations which assail us daily. He allows these so we might recognize our weakness and dependency on Him. This is a necessary part of working out our salvation in fear and trembling. The prince of this world seduces in the hope we will fall into sin and lose our soul, while God uses these as occasions to manifest His great love for us. When we resist temptation, we practice virtue and merit additional grace. We only sin if we choose to do so.
St. Francis de Sales writes, “Let the enemy rage at the gate, let him knock, let him push, let him cry, let him howl, let him do worse; we know for certain that he cannot enter save by the door of our consent.”
As we grow in faith, we understand more profoundly our dependence on God and the grace He offers to confront the ever-present dangers we face. Knowing we sin only if we consent and welcome it into the garden of our soul, being vigilant requires fortifying ourselves with an increase of faith and grace by all the means Christ has given to us through His Church.
This vigilance includes devoutly assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; receiving Communion worthily and frequently; using the Sacrament of Penance; worshiping Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament; cultivating a filial love for Our Lady, especially through the Rosary; developing a life of prayer, both vocal and mental; doing spiritual reading; and avoiding the near occasions of sin.
With faith in God, resolve to be prepared through His grace to defend the divine life we possess by making acts of the will for the good of our souls and guard against anything which poses a threat to eternal salvation.