"Take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having fastened the belt of truth around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench the flaming darts of the Evil One. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Christ says: John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Commentary by Paul Cantalanotta: "So, while being 'soldiers for Christ' may not be the most popular image for Christians today, it does capture the essence of what it means to follow Jesus: a discipleship that places the needs of others before one's own, that allows a person to set aside ego for the sake of serving others, and that promotes self-sacrifice in order to move toward a difficult and dangerous goal. St. Paul teaches that we are 'not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places' (Eph 6:12). But as G.K. Chesterton reminds us, 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.'" Homiletic and Pastoral Review, March 2011, pg. 42.
Prayer: St. Ignatius of Loyola:
Prayer for Generosity
Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.
Amen.
My thoughts: Today we are reminded of a very important part of our salvation: it is not enough for us to protect ourselves from the dangers of this world, as described in the scripture passage, although that is something we definitely must do. We are to include everyone in our lives. A good soldier, the commentary states, lays down his life for those "behind him." We are not to strive only to obtain our own salvation by fending off the evils of this world, we must protect and defend all who are in our lives, by praying, sacrificing and laboring "without seeking rest." Christ laid down His life for His friends. We must do the same.
Your prayer to God: Take a few minutes today to think of the people in your life who need you to bring them to God. Present them to God, entrust them to His care, and then ask Him to give you the courage to fight for their souls.
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