Spiritual Warfare Week 8: Strategy of God & the Enemy(August 13, 2017)

Message: The enemy's strategy is false self-reliance that leads to disunity and impotence. God's strategy is reliance on Jesus that brings unity and power.

After the Communion Prayer we will have blessing of those with anniversaries of matrimony during August. This fits with our summer theme: strengthening marriages and families for spiritual combat. As we saw last week: even though its seems we are being overwhelmed, still we have a Father who keeps his promises. We can trust in the final outcome.

We saw that spiritual warfare does not involve constant conflict. There's a time to relax and regroup. Summer's a good time to think about strategy.

God has a strategy and so does the enemy. We can see God's strategy in today's Gospel. He does allows storms, but he comes to us in the midst of them. Like Peter walking on the water, God sometimes enables us to do amazing things. However, when we start thinking, "Hey, look at me," God lets us sink.

For sure he wants you always to do great things - even move mountains - but it requires faith, trust in Jesus. God may allow a person to sink. Why? so he will recognize the source of power. That's God's strategy.
The enemy has an opposite strategy. He gives the illusion of power, but ultimately he renders a person impotent. He does it by getting us to think we can do it on our own.

Have you noticed that about sin? It can lead a person to say, look how great I am! So a guy takes advantage of others. That's bad enough but the enemy wants him to think how clever he is. Or even to think: I'm a real Don Juan!

You've probably heard that if a guy goes bald in the front, he's a great thinker. If he goes bald in the back, he's a great lover. If he goes bald front and back, he thinks he is a great lover!

That's the devil's strategy - to get a person to exalt himself. For example, a guy stops going to Mass. The enemy tries to get him to think he is making a bold, courageous choice. "At least I'm not like those hypocrites." Or even better, "I believe in science, not like those simpletons who believe in God."

When you think about it, it doesn't make much sense. It's like saying: I don't believe in God, I believe in quantum mechanics! Or: I don't believe in God, I believe salt is sodium chloride!

Einstein never said, "I believe in science." Nor did Isaac Newton. He practiced science and believed in God. So did the majority of modern scientists. It surprises people to learn some priests made great scientific achievements. Try googling priest scientists. You'll find a long list. I'll never be on it, but the list includes spiritual fathers who are also known as "fathers" of geology (Bishop Nicholas Stenno), genetics (the monk Gregor Mendel) and the Big Bang theory (Jesuit Fr. Georges LeMaitre).

The enemy wants us to imagine a contradiction between practicing science and believing in God. It's not that the enemy loves science. He will use it for his own ends if we let him. His strategy is not to exalt science. No he wants you and me to exalt ourselves. To think I'm better than the other guy. Thus he creates a false self-reliance: I don't need other people and I don't need God.

When I was in high school, a guy a few years older said that in the morning he looks in the mirror and says, "Every day, in every way I keep getting better and better." He amused us, but it had a poignant outcome. A serious disease hit him and led to an early death. I don't know if he turned to God. I pray he did.

In the Gospel Peter cries out, "Lord, save me." Jesus lifts him up but also rebukes him for his lack of faith. Not that Jesus want to humiliate us; he wants us to do great things by faith in him.

We have a nice opportunity next Sunday. We will have an outdoor bilingual Mass followed by our annual picnic. Why not invite someone in your family or a friend who has been away? Or someone curious about our faith? It will be a celebration of unity in our parish and in our valley.
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Remember, the enemy's strategy is false self-reliance that leads to disunity and impotence. God's strategy is reliance on Jesus that brings unity and power. As Jesus says to his disciples, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid." Amen.

​Guerra Espiritual Semana 8: Estrategia de Dios y del Enemigo(13 de agosto de 2017)Mensaje: La estrategia del enemigo es auto-suficiencia que conduce a desunion e impotencia. La estrategia de Dios es confianza en Jesus que llega a unidad y poder.


Este verano estamos hablando de guerra espiritual. Como vimos el domingo pasado: aun parece que estamos abrumados, tenemos un Padre que cumple su promesas. Podemos confiar en el resultado final.
Hemos visto que guerra espiritual no implica conflicto constante. Hay tiempo para relajarse y reequipar. Verano es buen tiempo para pensar en estrategia.
Dios tiene una estrategia y el enemigo tambien. Podemos ver la estrategia de Dios en el evangelio. Permite tormentas y nos viene en media de ellas. Como Pedro caminando en el agua, Dios a veces nos hace hacer cosas asombrosas. No obstante, cuando empezamos a pensar, "mirame a mi," entonces Dios hace nos deja hundir.
Desde luego quiere que siempre hagamos cosas grandes - aun mover montanas - pero requiere fe, confianza en Jesus. Dios nos permite hundir para que reconozcamos la fuente de poder. Eso es la estrategia de Dios.
El enemigo tiene la estrategia opuesta. Quiere darnos ilusion de poder, pero al final quiere rendirnos impotente. Lo hace por dejarnos pensar que podemos hacerlo por nuestro propio poder.
Has notado algo sobre el pecado? Puede conducir a decir, que grande soy! Un hombre aprovecha de otros. Eso es malo pero peor es cuando dice, que listo soy! Aun puede puede pensar: Soy un "Casanova," un "Don Juan."
Tal vez has escuchado que si un hombre esta calvo por adelante es un gran pensador. Si esta calvo por atras es un gran amador, un gran amante. Si esta calvo por adelante y por atras, piensa que un gran amador.
Eso es la estragia del diablo - hacer que una persona se exalta. Por ejemplo, el enemigo no solamente quiere que alguien deje de ir a la misa. Quiere convencerle que es una decision atrevida: "Al menos no soy como esos hipocritas." O aun mejor, "Yo creo en la ciencia, no como los simplones que creen en Dios."
Al pensarlo bien no tiene sentido. Es como decir: No creo Dios; creo en fotosintesis! O: No creo en Dios; creo que sal es cloruro de sodio.
Einstein jamas dijo, "creo en la ciencia." Tampoco Isaac Newton. Practico ciencia y creo en Dios. Tambien la mayoria de los cientificos modernos. Puede sorprender pero aun hay sacerdotes que han hecho logros cientificos. Escribir en google "sacerdotes cientificos." Encontraras un lista larga. Incluye padres espirituales que tambien se conocen como padres de geologia (el obispo Nicolas Stenno), genetica (el monje Gregorio Mendel) y la teoria de Big Bang (el padre Jesuita Georges LeMaitre).
El enemigo quiere que imaginemos una contradiccion entre practicar ciencia y creer en Dios. No es para exaltar la ciencia. Quiere que una persona se piensa superior a otros. Asi crea un sentido de auto-suficiencia falsa: Que no se necesita a otros ni a Dios.
Cuando yo estaba en high school, un muchacho dijo que en la manana mira al espejo y dice, "Cada dia, en toda manera, estoy siempre mejor y mejor." El nos divertio, pero tuvo un fin conmovedor. Contrajo una enfermedad seria que lo condujo a una muerte temprana. No se si volvio a Dios. Espero que si.
En el evangelio Pedro grita, "Salvame, Senor." Jesus le levanta y reta a Pedro por su falta de fe. No que quiere humilarnos; quiere que hagamos cosas grandes por fe en el.
Hay una linda oportunidad el proximo domingo. Tenemos una misa bilingue seguida por el picnic anual. Por que no invitar a amigos, familia y vecinos que se han alejado de la iglesia? Sera una celebracion de unidad en nuestra parroquia y nuestro valle.
Acuerdate, La estrategia del enemigo es auto-suficiencia falsa que conduce a desunion e impotencia. La estrategia de Dios es confianza en Jesus que llega a unidad y poder. Como Jesus dice a sus discipulos, "No teman, soy yo." Amen.
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