Reflect today on your call to grow in strength and boldness to overcome evil

"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force". Matthew 11:12

Are you among those who are "violent" and are taking the Kingdom of Heaven "by force?" Hopefully you are!

From time to time the words of Jesus are difficult to understand. This passage above presents us with one of those situations. Of this passage, St. Josemaría Escrivá affirms that the "violent" are Christians who have "strength" and "audacity" when the environment in which they find themselves is hostile to faith (see Christ is Passing By, 82). Saint Clement of Alexandria says that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs "to those who fight against themselves" (Quis dives salvetur, 21). In other words, the "violent ones" who are taking the Kingdom of Heaven are those who fight vigorously against the enemies of their soul to obtain the Kingdom of Heaven.

What are the enemies of the soul? Traditionally we talk about the world, the flesh and the devil. These three enemies have caused much violence in the souls of Christians who strive to live in the Kingdom of God. So how do we fight for the Kingdom? By force! Some translations say that the "aggressors" are taking the Kingdom by force. This means that the Christian life cannot be purely passive. We can't just smile at our way to heaven. The enemies of our soul are real and they are aggressive. Therefore, we must also become aggressive in the sense that we must directly confront these enemies with the strength and boldness of Christ.

How do we do this? We face the enemy of the flesh with fasting and self-denial. We face the world by staying grounded in the truth of Christ, the truth of the gospel, by refusing to conform to the "wisdom" of the age. And we face the devil by becoming aware of his evil plans to deceive us, confuse us and mislead us in everything to scold him and reject his actions in our life.

Reflect, today, on your call to grow in strength and boldness in order to fight those enemies who attack within. Fear is useless in this battle. Trust in the power and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ is the only weapon we need. Rely on Him and don't give in to the many ways these enemies try to rob you of the peace of Christ.

My glorious and victorious Lord, I trust in you to pour out your grace so that I can stand strong against the world, the temptations of my flesh and the devil himself. Give me courage, audacity and strength so that I can fight the good fight of the faith and never hesitate to seek You and your most holy will for my life. Jesus I believe in you.