Defeating the Spirit of Fear

 

FEAR is not a good counsellor.” Those words from French Bishop Marc Aillet have echoed in my heart all week. For everywhere I turn, I meet people who are no longer thinking and acting rationally; who cannot see the contradictions in front of their noses; who have handed to their unelected “chief medical officers” infallible control over their lives. Many are acting in a fear that has been driven into them through a powerful media machine — either the fear that they are going to die, or the fear that they are going to kill someone by simply breathing. As Bishop Marc went on to say:

Fear… leads to ill-advised attitudes, it sets people against one another, it generates a climate of tension and even violence. We may well be on the verge of an explosion! —Bishop Marc Aillet, December 2020, Notre Eglise; countdowntothekingdom.com

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When Legion Comes

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 3rd, 2014

Liturgical texts here


A “performance” at the 2014 Grammy Awards

 

 

ST. Basil wrote that,

Among the angels, some are set in charge of nations, others are companions of the faithful…Adversus Eunomium, 3:1; The Angels and Their Missions, Jean Daniélou, S. J., p. 68

We see the principle of angels over nations in the Book of Daniel where it speaks of the “prince of Persia”, whom the archangel Michael comes to battle. [1]cf. Dan 10:20 In this case, the prince of Persia appears to be the satanic stronghold of a fallen angel.

The guardian angel of the Lord “guards the soul like an army,” said St. Gregory of Nyssa, “provided we do not drive him out by sin.” [2]The Angels and Their Missions, Jean Daniélou, S. J., p. 69 That is, grave sin, idolatry, or deliberate occult involvement can leave one vulnerable to the demonic. Is it possible then that, what happens to an individual who opens himself up to evil spirits, can also happen on a national basis? Today’s Mass readings lend some insights.

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Footnotes

Footnotes
1 cf. Dan 10:20
2 The Angels and Their Missions, Jean Daniélou, S. J., p. 69