“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
-Ephesians 6:10 – 13
Have you embraced the battle? Really and truly embraced it?
It is a question we are encouraged to ponder here at Women of Grace and we were reminded again during our monthly online Morning of Grace gathering yesterday.
Father Nathan Cromly, CSJ, was interviewed by Johnnette on the video we watched entitled, “Living the Spirituality of St. John.” He highlighted the charisms of St. John the apostle… harmony with the ecclesial authority of St. Peter, relationship with Mary, intimacy with Jesus, youthfulness, intelligence and, lastly, his embrace of spiritual battle.
How did St. John embrace the battle? He embraced it by remaining close to Jesus when all others fled. He stood at the foot of the cross with Our Lady. He embraced her as His own mother and cared for her until the end. He endured torture and exile. He took on all the losses, reversals, and sufferings that God permitted, and walked forward in grace. In short, he embraced the cross.
St. John has much to teach us about embracing the battle. Like a firefighter who runs toward the burning building when everyone else is fleeing, we too are called to run toward the cross when everyone else is running away. Crosses like the suffering child, the financial reversal, the terminal illness, the loved one with dementia, the challenging marriage, death of a parent, job loss, etc. These are all opportunities for us to imitate St. John who stood beneath the cross with Mary.
Are you ready to recommit to embracing the battle today? Let’s do it together!
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