Spiritual Warfare, a Catholic Perspective

Spiritual warfare existed before God created man, male and female, in His own image and likeness. Prior to creation, there was a war in the heavens among God’s other creatures called angels. They are different than humans. Angels are entirely spiritual beings. Although God is Spirit (John 4:24), nowhere do we read that angels were created in the image and likeness of God.

Rebellion in heaven before time began

When the disciples were rejoicing because demons were subject to them in His name, Jesus told them that He saw “Satan fall like lightning from the sky” (Luke 10:18).

Tradition teaches that one third of the angels in heaven rebelled against God by following the Archangel Lucifer, also called Satan, the tempter (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:1-19). Satan and the apostate spirits were cast out of heaven and fell “like lightening” to earth.

In the New Testament Satan is called “the ruler of this world” and “the prince of the power of the air” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11, Ephesians 2:2). He is a spiritual being without the ability to create. His only power is to deceive, accuse, and tempt.

The creative Word of God

God made the human person in His image, in “the divine image he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27b). Because the human person is created in God’s image, Christ Jesus impresses upon His followers the truth that they too can, in faith, do what Christ Himself did. In fact, He said they can do even greater things (Mark 11:22-24; John 14:12).

There are too many biblical references to cite. The reader is encouraged to begin in Matthew and underline or highlight every passage where Jesus is telling His disciples what they can do; they can do what God does.

Then, when a skeptic inevitably asks, “How did God create the heavens and the earth from nothing?” (wink, wink, eye roll), the answer is simple. God created the heavens and the earth with His Word. God spoke His Word, and everything that did not previously exist instantly came into being (Hebrews 11:3). Throughout the Gospels, Jesus teaches that we, too, can walk His walk.

“God said” became the means of creation. When a person “says” what they believe, when they say what God says, they start their formation as spiritual warriors.

The character of saints

In the book, The 7 Leadership Virtues of Joan of Arc (Tremendous Leadership, 2020), Peter Darcy points to three characteristics essential for spiritual development that enabled St. Joan to become a leader of men and die a martyr’s death. The characteristics formed in her three-year encounter with the Archangel Michael and other saints were her spiritual foundation, spiritual willingness, and spiritual strength (pp. 16-20).

I know too many Catholics whose spiritual foundation is based solely on Mass attendance. During this time, as a virus from China has invaded the world, Mass has taken a “back seat” to staying healthy. As Health Departments issue orders limiting the amount of people who may attend Holy Mass, and secular leaders have banned the congregating of the faithful, Bishops have given blanket dispensations from attending Mass. Persons who fit into a certain age or heath category are not expected to attend Holy Mass. Many of us sit at home and watch the Liturgy on You Tube each Sunday morning.

Men and women whose spiritual foundation is based only on receiving the Eucharist may have their moorings pulled up and shattered at a time like this. That is why one’s spiritual foundation must be built on the full teachings of the Church, the Tradition of the Church Fathers, and the teaching of the Magisterium.

When we read the Word of God, we read it for what it says it is; what the Church says it is: the Word of God. We need not hear an angel tell us what it says, we can read (or listen to) what God says to us through His Word.

Let the Word take root

When the Word of God takes root in our lives, we grow in faith (Romans 10:17). As we grow in faith, our spiritual power grows. The gifts of the Spirit one receives in the Sacrament of Confirmation grow within one’s soul: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. It becomes harder to be deceived. We can recognize temptations and lies more easily than before. We become less afraid and more able to speak boldly of our faith. And we grow in love, the God kind of love.

Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: “For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

The weapons of faith

The weapons of our warfare are not worldly. They are spiritual.

We understand that military personnel know their weapons. They know how to use their weapons, how to clean them, how to keep them in top operating order. They know which weapon to use in each circumstance. The warfare they fight is worldly.

Our warfare is not worldly, it is spiritual; we use weapons supplied by the Holy Spirit.  Scripture tells us in Ephesians (6:10-18) that we are to 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.

This passage of Ephesians articulates the individual parts of armor to be used in spiritual warfare and then tells us that we are to take “the shield of faith, with which you can quench all 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.”

The passage also says, “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” And persevere at keeping alert. We must always be ready. Our enemy is a deceiver, a tempter, and, most importantly, a liar.

Our weapons are the Word of God, the “sword of the Spirit,” the helmet of salvation, and prayer. “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

As faithful Catholics we understand the power that comes from the Eucharist. What lasts through the lean times, however, is the Word of God alive in our spirits and prayer.

The tactics of the devil

One of the main goals of our enemy is to shut us down. If we do not pray; if we do not walk in faith or stay firm in the Word; if we grow tired, get fat and weak, we lose. It becomes easy to believe the lie, to fall into temptation, to turn rocks into bread.

When that happens, it seems as though the pressure is off. Things are easier, spiritually, if we spend our time in recreation. But that is losing, when we take ourselves out of the fight. We may find it easier to tolerate the things that offend God. Our souls do not ache at the reality of sin and evil as they once did.

Once aware of these tendencies, we also realize our great need for Confession. The need to “sharpen our swords” by studying the Word remains effective for the battle that is never finished.

Spiritual warfare rages on

The need for spiritual warriors does not stop because we take a break. It grows stronger. God has called us to be warriors for Him. The Holy Spirit empowers us to re-enter the fray. A few minutes in prayer grows to more. The scales fall from our eyes, and we can again see the tremendous need for the warrior within each of us.

The battle rages on. We must have the attitude of Jesus, who told his disciples, “I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me. Get up, let us go” (John 14:30).