Self-help books and knowing ourselves isn’t enough. We must come to know God more and more. That is an endless and endlessly rewarding pursuit. The more we learn about Him, the more we realize we don’t know and can’t know without the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Coming to know God, we will come to know what infinite strength and resources we can call upon in battle. So, we should prepare with doctrinal and spiritual formation.
No soldier would ever run untrained and unfit into battle . Neither should we think that we can conquer demons and face an ever darkening world if we’re flabby in our faith. We need to put ourselves through the rigors of basic training. By drawing upon the fire and knowledge of the Holy Spirit and the Sacraments. Living a sustained and disciplined life of prayer, studying the faith daily, Catholic television and radio, reading the Bible, Catholic books from the saints and especially the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Coming to know God is a lifelong task and a joy pursued through eternity.
Our study will invest the Mass’ every gesture and word with power. We will make the sign of the cross, knowing this is the banner we carry into battle, and demons will tremble. We will dip our fingers into Holy Water knowing as St. Theresa of Avila said – this water makes demons flee. We will recite every line of the Gloria and Creed as if our life depends upon each word – and they do. We will pray the Lord’s Prayer knowing we are children of the Creator, God of the universe.
We will step up in Communion to the Holy Eucharist, knowing and proclaiming, “my Lord, it is really You!” We will know this is Jesus – Body, Soul, Blood and Divinity – and fall before Him to our knees as we receive the King of Kings in our mouth. The saints tell us that we rout the enemy and his army at this very moment.
A 5th century monk of Mount Sinai said, “when that fire enters us, it at once drives the evil spirits from our hearts.”
We ask the Holy Spirit to ‘instruct the hearts of the faithful’ – that’s us – and kindle the fire of His love. As we let the Spirit breathe upon us, He will ‘kindle in us a fire of His love’ and we shall be created and this same Spirit will renew the face of the earth starting within us.
As we come to see Who God is, we at once see our failings and wretchedness more and more clearly. Standing before the Holy Holy Holiness of God, pride is shattered. But, at the same time, we see God’s impassioned love for us. A love so deep and unimaginable that He would take our sins upon His shoulders and heart and die on Calvary for us.
So, get to work! We all travel The Road of Faith together until we stand (or fall to our knees) before the Beatific Vision at the Throne of the Almighty.