In a society that seeks pleasure with an increasingly exclusive obsession – giving second, third, or last place to that which just yesterday would have been considered “primary” – suffering, misfortune and trials are considered mortal adversaries.
With this attitude, the modern world sets itself against the reality of creation, in which struggle is an integral and necessary part of life: we must fight to overcome illness, to work the land and to deal with the adversities of the weather. And this truth becomes even more compelling in the spiritual realm, where we are constantly confronted with the “enemy” (Mt 13:28).
All of this is not, as many may think, merely a disastrous consequence of original sin. The first battle on earth took place precisely in that magnificent Paradise, to which God gave the serpent admittance. For what reason? To give man the opportunity, through combat, to imitate the loyalty of the Angels, to perfect his likeness with the Creator and to become a hero, worthy of an eternal reward.
Not even sin could frustrate God’s plan. In the first place, because He ordained that all the perfections of virtue, fidelity and victory shine forth in the fragile Virgin of Nazareth, crowned in Heaven as Queen of Angels, men and of all creation. Secondly, because there is a golden chain in history which links Genesis to Revelation with the seal of an unbroken holiness, which remains intact despite the swamps it must cross. Finally, because we can see in the Church a constant growth in grace which, in the image of her Divine Crucified Spouse, makes her shine with special brilliance in the hours of the “Passion”.
The divine plan is also carried out exactingly in the interior struggle of every soul. Each of us must reject the devil by uttering a “fiat” that preserves and enriches the treasure of our innocence, purchased by the Redeemer on the Cross “with a great price” (1 Cor 6:20). And in order to help us in what would otherwise be a disproportionate battle, God offers us His grace, the infallible help of Our Lady and the constant protection of the Angels.
Nevertheless, to triumph in this battle demands from the soul great humility and purity. The Blessed Virgin teaches us that the Almighty works wonders for those who recognize their nothingness (cf. Lk 1:48-49), and one cannot be truly humble without being pure. While humility enhances and elevates chastity, the latter protects and strengthens the former. These virtues, so characteristic of Mary, are like two mutually protective steel walls, and for this reason are so hated by evil.
Jesus grants to the victor the right to sit with Him on His throne (cf. Rev 3:21). However, without a fight, there is no victory. To give man the glory of triumph, Providence exposes him to the risk of battle. While it is being fought, each one must give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, without neglecting, first and foremost, to render to God what is God’s. ◊
Parish of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, Paris
