Spiritual Warfare: How to Wage that War in the Desert

By Katie Peterson
9/8/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

You will be engaged in spiritual warfare for the rest of your earthly life

Do you ever feel like you are in spiritual warfare? The devil doesn't usually attack us in such blatant, physical ways as he did St. Anthony, but we must remember that he is always seeking to make war against us. So what are we to do? Arm ourselves, right? But with what? How do we anticipate the devil's attacks against us, especially when they are so deviously subtle and often approach us in the disguise of seemingly ordinary life situations and decisions?

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DENVER, CO (Catholic Online) - He sold everything he owned and he went into the desert to fight demons. He burned with a desire for God, and "the devil, an enemy of the word Christian, could not bear to see such outstanding virtues in a young man and so he attacked him" (from Early Christian Lives, the "Life of Antony by Athanasius").

Spiritual warfare. We see it lived out to the extreme in the life of St. Anthony, early anchorite monk and fierce warrior of demons, all for the glory of God and the prayerful protection of men. Obviously, most of us are not called to rid ourselves of all our possessions and become hermits in a foreign desert (at least I'm not.), but we all experience spiritual warfare like St. Anthony, though often in different and subtler degrees.

St. Athanasius, in his writings on the "Life of Antony," explained the reality of what (or whom) Anthony was up against. The devil and his demons literally beat Anthony, torturing him in every physical and spiritual way possible in order to break his spirit and unwavering devotion to God. But echoing the words of St. Paul, Anthony knew, "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10). The words of Psalm 27 also strengthened his resolve to win spiritual battles for Christ's sake: "Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident" (Ps 27:3). What courage! He was able to take on hosts of the devil's minions, armed with the power of God-which will always conquer.

Are we at war?
"For 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" (Ephesians 6:12).

St. Anthony's advice for the friends of his day certainly ring true for us still. "My friends," Anthony advised, "a pure and fearless faith in God are powerful weapons against the demons.when you see them, protect yourselves with the sign of the cross and immediately they will dissolve into nothing for they fear that sign of victory by which the Savior, depriving them of their powers of the air, has shown them up.What room for hesitation can now remain, my children? What fear can there be any longer?...When they see that our hearts are fortified in Christ, they turn back in confusion."

A practical tip to help "fortify our hearts in Christ"
There is a common practice done by the saints to strengthen their hearts for spiritual warfare. By the world's standards, this practice looks like it would weaken one's bodily strength, rather than provide all of the energies one needs to go into battle without fear. To be honest, many of us shrink away at the mention of this practice. The word sends a little chill down the spine, since we are creatures of comfort and this is all about discomfort: fasting.

It seems like we talk a whole lot about fasting during Lent, and we practically forget about it (or intentionally 'forget' about it) during the other 325 days of the year. But practicing self-denial and self-discipline is one of the greatest-and, surprisingly, one of the most energizing-spiritual practices in the Church. Did you know that it is recommended that we fast in some way on all Fridays, not just Fridays during Lent? Fasting is meant to help us fight against temptation and energize us for spiritual battle. We should all try to incorporate fasting more into our spiritual lives.

Fasting doesn't have to always mean eating less during the day. Be creative. Fast from things that bring you comfort: watching a television show you like, listening to the radio in the car, having your beloved morning cup of coffee. You can also fast by "giving up" time. Perhaps you can exchange something you want to do during the day for something that you really should do, like calling a relative to see how they are doing, making a meal for a friend going through a difficult time, etc.

Fasting from temporal pleasures helps turn our sights to the greater pleasures-the eternal ones-and to the virtues. St. Anthony talks about the need for "trampling on all that is transitory." Sure this will cause discomfort, and sometimes a little bit of pain, but the great monastic recognized the truth of Romans 8:18: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Find us ready
You will be engaged in spiritual warfare for the rest of your earthly life. This is a fact you should know and never forget, so you can be prepared for it and do something about it. Arm yourself, and realize what a privilege it is to fight on the side that always wins. You are not alone. A voice came to St. Anthony saying, "Antony, I was here, but I was waiting to watch your struggle. But now, since you have bravely held your own in this fight, I will always help you."

After all, "we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

� 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Ms. Katie Peterson is the Communication Manager for Catholics Come Home, a national Catholic evangelism apostolate working to invite fallen-away Catholics and non-Catholics home to the Catholic Church through television commercials and an interactive website. Katie is a graduate student at the Augustine Institute for Catholic Theology in Denver, Colorado, studying Evangelization and Catechesis. She has spoken at local, regional, and national Catholic events and hopes to get her doctorate and teach Catholics how to more effectively communicate their faith.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Prayer, spiritual warfare, desert, fasting, struggle, Katie Peterson

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1 - 9 of 9 Comments

Lonny D'Agostini
1 year ago
On Conviction vs. condemnation......................................................
St. Ignatius of Loyola, the great Jesuit doctor, has provided the Church with general rules for the discernment of spirits that every Christian needs to be acquainted with. They are an indispensable aid in helping us to discern the activity of the Holy Spirit from that of the evil spirit. (Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 314.1-2) ' In the case of those who go from one mortal sin to another, the enemy [i.e. Satan] is ordinarily accustomed to propose apparent pleasures. He fills their imagination with sensual delights and gratifications, the more readily to keep them in their vices and increase the number of their sins. With such persons the good spirit [i.e. God] uses a method which is the reverse of the above. Making use of the light of reason, he will rouse the sting of conscience and fill them with remorse. In the case of those who go on earnestly striving to cleanse their souls from sin and who seek to rise...to greater perfection, the method pursued is the opposite of that mentioned above...then it is characteristic of the evil spirit to harass with anxiety, to afflict with sadness, to raise obstacles backed by fallacious reasonings that disturb the soul...It is characteristic of the good spirit, however, to give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations, and peace. This He does by making all easy, by removing all obstacles so that the soul goes forward in doing good. ' ..............................................

In sum, when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, He shows us what is displeasing to Him and then offers us a way out through repentance, (John 16:8) 'when [the Paraclete] is come, he will convince the world of sin and of justice and of judgment. ' However, when it is the evil spirit who is speaking, he typically condemns us and tries to convince us that our situation is hopeless and that the only way out is for us to kill ourselves, (Matthew 27: 3,5) 'Judas...seeing that [Jesus] was condemned, brought back the thirty pieces of silver…and went and hanged himself. ' ..............................................

Therefore the modus operandi of the evil spirit is always to push the soul towards a harmful extreme. If it is a lax soul he seeks to make it more lax (presumption), (Jeremias 2:35) 'I am without sin and am innocent: and therefore let thy anger be turned away from me.' If it is a sensitive soul he seeks to make it more sensitive (despair), (Psalm 142) 'the enemy hath persecuted my soul: he hath brought down my life to the earth. He hath made me to dwell in darkness...my spirit is in anguish within me.' This is in sharp contrast to the modus operandi of the Holy Spirit which is always to guide the soul towards the stability and safety of the center (hope), (1 Corinthians 1:3-4) 'the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort: Who comforteth us in all our tribulations. '
Lonny D'Agostini
1 year ago
On Conviction vs. condemnation ............

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the great Jesuit doctor, has provided the Church with general rules for the discernment of spirits that every Christian needs to be acquainted with. They are an indispensable aid in helping us to discern the activity of the Holy Spirit from that of the evil spirit. (Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 314.1-2) 'In the case of those who go from one mortal sin to another, the enemy [i.e. Satan] is ordinarily accustomed to propose apparent pleasures. He fills their imagination with sensual delights and gratifications, the more readily to keep them in their vices and increase the number of their sins. With such persons the good spirit [i.e. God] uses a method which is the reverse of the above. Making use of the light of reason, he will rouse the sting of conscience and fill them with remorse. In the case of those who go on earnestly striving to cleanse their souls from sin and who seek to rise…to greater perfection, the method pursued is the opposite of that mentioned above…Then it is characteristic of the evil spirit to harass with anxiety, to afflict with sadness, to raise obstacles backed by fallacious reasonings that disturb the soul…It is characteristic of the good spirit, however, to give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations, and peace. This He does by making all easy, by removing all obstacles so that the soul goes forward in doing good. ' ............

In sum, when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, He shows us what is displeasing to Him and then offers us a way out through repentance, (John 16:8) 'when [the Paraclete] is come, he will convince the world of sin and of justice and of judgment. ' However, when it is the evil spirit who is speaking, he typically condemns us and tries to convince us that our situation is hopeless and that the only way out is for us to kill ourselves, (Matthew 27: 3,5) 'Judas…seeing that [Jesus] was condemned, brought back the thirty pieces of silver…and went and hanged himself. ' ............

Therefore the modus operandi of the evil spirit is always to push the soul towards a harmful extreme. If it is a lax soul he seeks to make it more lax (presumption), (Wisdom 1:4) 'Wisdom shall not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins. ' If it is a sensitive soul he seeks to make it more sensitive (despair), (Psalm 142) 'the enemy hath persecuted my soul: he hath brought down my life to the earth. He hath made me to dwell in darkness…my spirit is in anguish within me.' This is in sharp contrast to the modus operandi of the Holy Spirit which is always to guide the soul towards the stability and safety of the center (hope), (1 Corinthians 1:3-4) 'the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort: Who comforteth us in all our tribulations. '
Rita Biesemans
1 year ago
My soul is dwindling in the desert
Each step I take may be a hazard
Loneliness is my companion
But Jesus rather is the Champion
of total abandonment and solitude
that’s how we show Him our gratitude
Rita B. September 14th 2011
Ama
1 year ago
Great one here, thank you and I will try to adopt it as I am not spared by these spirits either.
Celine
1 year ago
A great article, written at a good time as I'm at spiritual war with myself.
God Bless
vance
1 year ago
Another great article. This is great instruction for the faith to follow. This helped me understand what I can do to combat evil. God bless.
Frances
1 year ago
This is a great Inspiration !!! Thank you !
God Bless you !
Luis
1 year ago
What an awsome artcle. It hit home for me. Truely a short yet powerful article.
adl
1 year ago
well said--any Catholic trying to live the Faith seriously these days is in the desert and in the war, period. Praying every morning for "spiritual armor" in the words of Ephesians 6 is an effective beginning I have found. St. Patrick's prayer "Christ be before me..." in its entirety is palpably powerful as pro-active protection. And of course fasting, which in my experience is the hardest to do.
thanks for a great article.

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