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| AN ANGEL COMFORTS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Image via google.com |
"I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One."
The Lord cares enough for His Church that He asked the Father to protect her from Evil when He leaves her behind to continue His mission on earth. He knew very well that leaving her in the world would entail hardships and sufferings for His teachings wouldn't be very attractive to the world. What would be more challenging for her to do is to present herself as His true representative to the world for the world could easily question her credibility and since He isn't personally present to vouch for her, the world would have an excuse to disregard her. Well, we know that He promised to send an advocate to help her face the world, but since this Advocate, the Holy Spirit, cannot be seen by the world, there seems to be nothing that the Holy Spirit can do to help her case.
So the Lord told the Church, through the Apostles, that they could do something that would let the world know that the Church is truly His representative on earth and it is if we who are members of the Church would love one another [see John 13: 34-35]. Now it is not an easy task to do for even if we love one another, the world would do anything to distract us from fulfilling this command of the Lord. And surely, the Evil One would do so many things too in order to keep us from loving one another. That's why the Lord prayed to the Father that He protect us from the Evil One, even if the Church has to remain in the world and must face the world's threats, attacks, and persecutions.
That's why the Lord left us His Prayer which mentions among others this line,
"... but deliver us from the evil one" [Matthew 6:13].
The Apostle Paul also encourages us by writing,
"But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one" [2 Thessalonians 3:3].
While the Apostle John also writes
"We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him" [1 John 5:18].
So we, members of the Church, must never fear [see Matthew 10:28; 14:27; 17:7; Luke 12:32; John 6:20]. We only have to have steadfast faith in the Lord so that when trials and troubles come we shall never be easily overcome by the Evil One [see 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Peter 2:9]. Such trials and sufferings are just part of our training and purification [see 1 Peter 1: 6-7] so that we may become ready and worthy to be in the Father's house [see John 14: 2-3]. For even the only-begotten Son learned obedience through suffering [see Hebrews 5:8] through which He became worthy to be glorified by the Father [see Philippians 2: 9-11; Revelations 5:12]. Didn't He assure us that He has already conquered the world [see John 16:33] and that He will be with us until the end of the ages? [see Matthew 28:20]. And we must never forget, He promised that not even the gates of hell can overcome the Church [see Matthew 16:18]!
The Lord prayed for the Father to keep us safe from the Evil One. Let us also pray to the Father that He may give us the grace to avoid the occasions of sin and that we may never give chance to the Evil One to rule our lives and our homes. And one more thing, in times of need, we have an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to help us [see John 14:26; 16:13].
Four more days and the Holy Spirit will already descend!
So the Lord told the Church, through the Apostles, that they could do something that would let the world know that the Church is truly His representative on earth and it is if we who are members of the Church would love one another [see John 13: 34-35]. Now it is not an easy task to do for even if we love one another, the world would do anything to distract us from fulfilling this command of the Lord. And surely, the Evil One would do so many things too in order to keep us from loving one another. That's why the Lord prayed to the Father that He protect us from the Evil One, even if the Church has to remain in the world and must face the world's threats, attacks, and persecutions.
That's why the Lord left us His Prayer which mentions among others this line,
"... but deliver us from the evil one" [Matthew 6:13].
The Apostle Paul also encourages us by writing,
"But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one" [2 Thessalonians 3:3].
While the Apostle John also writes
"We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him" [1 John 5:18].
So we, members of the Church, must never fear [see Matthew 10:28; 14:27; 17:7; Luke 12:32; John 6:20]. We only have to have steadfast faith in the Lord so that when trials and troubles come we shall never be easily overcome by the Evil One [see 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Peter 2:9]. Such trials and sufferings are just part of our training and purification [see 1 Peter 1: 6-7] so that we may become ready and worthy to be in the Father's house [see John 14: 2-3]. For even the only-begotten Son learned obedience through suffering [see Hebrews 5:8] through which He became worthy to be glorified by the Father [see Philippians 2: 9-11; Revelations 5:12]. Didn't He assure us that He has already conquered the world [see John 16:33] and that He will be with us until the end of the ages? [see Matthew 28:20]. And we must never forget, He promised that not even the gates of hell can overcome the Church [see Matthew 16:18]!
The Lord prayed for the Father to keep us safe from the Evil One. Let us also pray to the Father that He may give us the grace to avoid the occasions of sin and that we may never give chance to the Evil One to rule our lives and our homes. And one more thing, in times of need, we have an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to help us [see John 14:26; 16:13].
Four more days and the Holy Spirit will already descend!
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