Many historians and scholars are quick to answer when asked what the longest-lasting war in history is. Most will immediately answer that the Reconquista is the longest-lasting war in history. With a duration of approximately 774 years, most would believe this answer to be correct. In fact, it is difficult to imagine a war spanning more than seven centuries.
While the Reconquista, ending with Christian forces effectively removing Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula, was indeed long in duration, it is by far not the longest-lasting war in history. Faithful Catholics know that the longest-lasting war in history started at the beginning of time and wages on to this very day. The longest war in human history is mostly unseen, but it is fought all around us constantly, perpetually, and seemingly without end. The longest war in the history of mankind is spiritual warfare. The participants are good and evil, and it is unclear who is currently winning.
The most obvious visible sign that it is unclear who is currently winning this ongoing spiritual war can be seen in the lack of religiosity in modern American society. I feel that Charles Fraune perfectly illustrates how evil is gaining ground in this spiritual war in his book Slaying Dragons: What Exorcists See and What We Should Know. Fraune introduces this book by stating, “Anyone who is paying attention to spiritual matters at this time in the history of the world is aware that things are quite destabilized. The practice of the Christian Faith is dying in most parts of the world. The majority of Catholics do not believe the teachings of the Church and do not even attend Sunday Mass regularly.”¹ In fact, I think the decline in attendance is also prevalent among our Protestant brothers and sisters. This fact alone tells us that people are falling away from God and the Church at an alarming rate. Many people, particularly in America, replace God with idols—not necessarily golden calves, but idols such as money, lust, public image, and material success. Simply put, most Americans are more concerned with material possessions and how they are perceived by others than they are with their relationship with God. Vacations, clothing, social media, extravagant lifestyles, retail therapy, and comfort have, for many in our country, replaced their personal prayer life, church family, the Rosary, the Eucharist, and parish engagement. The typical American family often prioritizes life in a way that implies their relationship with God is nonexistent. Most parishes offer several Mass times that allow parishioners to attend at least one Mass each weekend. Sadly, many Americans have abandoned the Church and the reception of the Eucharist, thus abandoning Christ on the Cross.
Yet another reason it is unclear who is currently winning this conflict is society’s infatuation with the occult. Again, particularly in the United States, many have willingly, and sometimes unknowingly, opened themselves up to demonic oppression or infestation. Interest in ghost-hunting adventures and expeditions has opened many people to deceitful demons who have tricked these thrill seekers into believing they are discovering alternate dimensions where the dead can be “channeled” and communicate with the living. In most cases, these ghost hunters are communicating with deceitful demons. This communication opens these individuals to further demonic infestation that they may eventually bring home to their families. Not surprisingly, these ghost hunters often later report difficulties in their personal lives. Frequently, intervention from the Church is needed for their lives to return to some sense of normalcy. Pornography, much of today’s music, and some movies and television series are filled with demonic influence, exposing participants to demonic activity. It seems the devil does not have to work very hard to influence Americans, as many willingly flock to demonic influences and entities of their own free will.
A third reason that evil may currently be winning the perpetual spiritual war is the absence of teaching on evil itself. Again, Fraune tells us, “In the midst of this perfect storm, many Church leaders have demonstrated themselves to be unwilling to teach the fullness of the Church’s traditions in matters of belief and practice. As a result, most Catholics do not believe, or even think twice about, the existence of the devil or spiritual warfare, even though Sacred Scripture is filled with references to this aspect of our spiritual lives.”² I believe that the faithful need to know the enemy, just as militaries study the conduct, methods, and strategies of opposing forces in preparation for possible military engagement. We must fully understand what we are up against. I am not saying that we should dabble in demonology or the occult, but we must know what in the modern world indicates diabolical influence and how to identify and recognize demonic oppression, infestation, or the extremely rare occurrence of possession. While possession is rarely diagnosed by a lay Catholic, we should be able to recognize signs of demonic oppression and infestation more readily. However, how can these things be identified without some understanding of how the adversary works?
It is uncertain who is currently winning the spiritual war that continues to wage on. While Sacred Scripture tells us that we will ultimately be victorious, it is discouraging to see so many people led astray of their own accord. I implore the faithful to continue praying for deliverance from the diabolical in their own lives. Hopefully, the tide in this war will turn in our favor in the near future.
Bibliography
¹ Charles D. Fraune, Slaying Dragons: What Exorcists See and What We Should Know (Charlotte: Slaying Dragons Press, 2019), 1.
² Fraune, Slaying Dragons, 1.
It’s most always the ‘converts’ who come into the church, look around and exclaim like some sort of Day Star preacher –see, the building is empty, ergo: Catholic Christianity is dying, it’s been abandoned. They’re relationship with God is ‘nonexistent’ Says, who. To
make such a gratuitous statement without merit or claim seems to me the mark of religious dilettantism. Have you ever considered that God might be using the vacant pews as a sign of chastisement ? Have you considered that the tens of millions of Confirmed Catholics out there, imbued with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, are alive, well and practicing their faith in ways hidden from your discernment. You should.