DAY IV: The Desolation of Satan (July 21)
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Ezekiel's Vision by Raphael c. 1518 |
I propose that we look at the "Rules of the Discernment of Spirits" as an invitation to "imaginative play," a method prescribed by Tim Muldoon, SJ. He said that when this type of imagination is appropriated by the seeking person, it leads one to spiritual growth through intimate encounter with an ever-present God. A century ago Romano Guardini was first to use this play metaphor in approaching sacred liturgy. Think of the play of the child and the creation of the artist. "The sacred liturgy, while being similar to these realities, offer something even greater: the possibility of becoming, with the aid of divine grace, a child of God. And, as this demands going beyond ordinary experience, the liturgy finds its expressions in the world of art. Thus, liturgy 'unites art and reality in a supernatural childhood before God'" (Fr. Daniel Cardó).
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Luca Signorelli,
Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist, (detail)
1499-1502, fresco,
Chapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto
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We will not be immune from being assailed by the enemy. Jesus was tempted in the desert. But the good news is that our Lord has totally vanquished the "evil one" through his passion, death and resurrection. What is the grace that remains to be asked for? For Jesus to fight the enemy again? Not anymore. This time we beg for spiritual enlightenment and courage that will go with our God-given freedom to choose for ourselves and to claim the victory of Christ. Choice is always good. What is not good is when we misuse it. The exercise of choosing will constantly be needed because the conflict between the standard of Christ and the standard of Satan will continue in everyday life. As Bilbo Baggins might have put it, "we've been there and back again."
Discernment of spirits is God's concrete grace of enabling us to fight our own battles and come out victorious—"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31). The trickster will even masquerade as god to muddle things up. Look at the painting above entitled "Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist." It portrays the anti-christ where his arm functions like Christ's arm. When this happens we must put on "the mind of Christ," which is always countercultural and against many of the worldly lures and vanities. This is the reason why "agere contra" or "to go against" is a very effective tool, according to St. Ignatius, to stay put bearing the mind of Christ. For one, the enemy knows to some extent a lot of our vulnerabilities and frailties, e.g., the three temptations of Jesus in the desert were all related to the weaknesses that are common to all humankind, e.g., pleasure, power and prestige.
Our theme about the desolation of Satan is not to frighten but to empower us during these days of great difficulty. It may seem there is a great desolation happening around us but it is good to discern first because we may look but not see clearly. The ones labelled as evil persons in history were not plainly the bad eggs but they turned evil because of bad decisions they made. Surely some of them did come to a tragic end—beguiled endlessly by the enemy to go from bad to worse. Nevertheless, we cannot deny that the number of those who got converted is still far greater. Many of whom attained sainthood and left an inspiring legacy, e.g., King David, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Ignatius of Loyola, among others. Fr. JM Manzano, SJ
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