CC#32--Spiritual Warfare -- A Practical Application

In the past we have learned what spiritual warfare is, and today we learn how we need to engage in it To win the race and to fight off the temptations from the evil one. Let's talk about it on this Catholic. Corner.

Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now here's your host, David Kaiser.

Hello, I am David and welcome back to this Catholic Corner. We are excited that you are here and we're excited to share more of the spiritual and Catholic and Christian nuggets spiritual nuggets, that is, of wisdom with you. So, in today's Catholic Corner, to help us in this fight, this spiritual warfare fight, I thought it best, since we know that the evil one does exist. He is not a figment of our imaginations. Evil is real. There is an evil one and again, he is real. Our Lord Jesus Christ describes him in many places as the Father of Lies, the evil one and Satan. We have covered that, we have covered that side of this spiritual warfare in past Catholic Corner's Emojo Minutes. So essentially, we have done a lot of work on the what, what is the evil we're dealing with and what is it we are trying to do Now? Those are all good, socratic questions. We love to ask, to dig deeper, to understand the nature of things. It's essence, essentially. So today we're going to cover the how. Okay, yes, so we know what evil is, but what is its, and we know what its game plan is, but how? How do we actually combat it? What does that combat look like? How do we go about engaging and executing in spiritual warfare and to help us along the path. As a guide for today and with tons, tons of spiritual nuggets that we can pluck from it, is our book of the day. Now let me just read a note that came with this book. It's really a field manual. When I physically got the book the other day and this note is so cool because it helps us to kick off this episode with a good overview of what we're going to be talking about today. Let's go this little note that came with the book. Since the creation of man, the devil has sought the ruin of souls. The Libera Christo method is a tactical field manual for those interested in not only learning more about spiritual combat, but also engaging and winning the spiritual battles of this present day. As a professor of theology, a former US Army attack helicopter pilot, combat veteran and member of Father Chad Rippinger's exorcism team, dr Dan Schneider offers practical spiritual steps to conquer the ancient enemy and obtain lasting spiritual freedom. Here you will learn spiritual guerrilla warfare tactics based on real experience in modern spiritual combat. Just as David used five smooth stones to defeat Goliath, this manual places five smooth stones into your ammo pouch. Number one renunciation of evil influences. Number two repentance, metanoia and forgiveness. Number three examination of conscience and confession. Number four learning power and authority. And number five prayer. Weapons and tactics. Whether you are engaged in close combat with the devil or find yourself in need of more quote firepower in your spiritual life, take heart and put into practice the lessons contained in this manual. More than theory or quotes from saints or the catechism, this manual equips you with the weapons necessary to defeat the ancient enemy. Now, how cool is that? That's just a fantastic overview, Great overview, great job that we even have a former military veteran who has seen actual combat, actual war, to help us translate this stuff into a spiritual realm. And, most importantly, this guy serves on Father Chad Rippinger's team when he engages in exorcisms to help and assist with the exorcist in winning the spiritual battle. His father Rippinger is one of the most widely read and heard exorcists in the world. Let's hear from him now, because it's actually him who wrote the foreword for this book and that is super cool. So let's go to that so we can learn from this book and why it's so effective and giving us all the training we need to combat the devil and his evil ones. Go into the book. The last year that the Doloran priests personally kept statistics now they are kept by our case manager on the number of people that were that they were meeting was in 2015. That year we had some 2000 contacts Contacts. We discussed the cases of 600 people over the phone. We saw 150 people and of those 150, only three were possessed. About one third of the people that we saw did have legitimate diabolical, diabolic obsession and oppression issues. However, those are normally be. Those can normally be taken care of by their pastor, and many people can actually self-liberate if they do the right things. The amount of time that is spent by the exorcist vetting the various cases to find the ones that actually need his help can be can become rather prohibitive. Furthermore, around the same time, there was a great deal of discussion by exorcist about what to do with what they are now calling aftercare. This is essentially what happens with people after they have been liberated from possession. Many of these people are in a situation where they lack catechetical instruction. Their only contact with a priest is the exorcist, so they have no contact with their local parish or church. They often need psychological help or counseling as well, and during the liberation process itself, it becomes clear that they are at times in irregular marriages, have not received all of the sacraments or have been struggling with some form of habitual mortal sin. The former issues become a problem because the priest, once the person has been liberated, must move on to the next case, so he can't spend time with the person who was liberated. This is why there was such a protracted discussion about aftercare. As to the latter issues, often a person's liberation was dragging out unduly because of sacramental issues or attachment to mortal sin. Again, this resulted in the exorcist having to spend extra time that could normally be used to focus on the possessed rather than on cleaning up ancillary issues. Ah, so from the statistics we see that most people probably don't need an actual exorcist. They can actually quote self-liberate if they do the right things. And often a person's liberation would drag out if there were sacramental issues or attachments to mortal sin. So right away we have to note the obvious, the essential elephant in the room actual sin, the turning away from God is real. Don't let anyone or anybody tell you that sin is not real. Our post-Christian world is fighting at breakneck speed to dismiss sin, any form of sin. They say nothing is a sin and folks, that's a lie, that's a lie from the pit of hell. Don't believe it. Know that sin is real. It's very real, in fact, it's eternally real. We have to fight against it, we have to renounce it. So that is our first major nugget of wisdom Sin is actually real. We can't fall for the devil's trick and buy into our post-Christian culture saying, well, there's no sin, everything is hunky dory, hunky dory. So okay, very good, we got that established. Let's go back to the book for some more nuggets. Another issue that exorcists would regularly come across is that, of the people that were possessed, only one third would actually go the distance and become liberated. About a third would be informed of everything that he or she would have to do in order to become liberated and in the end decide not to begin the exorcisms because here she simply just did not want to do or suffer what was required. Another third would start the process of going through the exorcisms but would once find it. Once it became difficult, they would stop coming to the sessions because they simply did not have the sufficient virtue to go the distance. It is for all the above reasons that the Delorean fathers worked with Mr Clement in the call that would address these particular issues. To begin, the exorcist is analogous to a brain surgeon, and when one thinks he might have some type of cerebral issue, one does not go immediately to the brain surgeon asking him to diagnose him and actually do a specific kind of brain surgery. Rather, one starts with his general practitioner and he begins the process of vetting the problem so that the brain surgeon can focus on the brain surgery. This medical model was adopted by Libera Cristo to ensure that the various issues that did not require exorcism would still be adequately addressed and that people would be directed to where they can find help. At the same time, it would maximize the number of people that actually needed help could actually receive the help. Great Wow, there is so much there, so much goodness, and clarity too. Now it's sad, very sad, that only one-third of actual possession cases would go the distance and actually become liberated. The other two-thirds would be informed of everything and, in the end, wouldn't want to do the work sufficiently required or would stop coming to the sessions because they didn't have the sufficient virtue required to go the distance. That's very sad. These are human souls, so we need to pray for them Every day. We need to pray for them, for God to move in their souls, to come back and to get the help they need. Okay, one last quote from Father Rippinger's Forward I Thought Pertinent, going back to the book. Moreover, many people were able to self-liberate from lower-level forms of diabolical obsession and oppression simply by following the protocol, especially the prayer prescription. What became very clear over time in which this protocol has been used is that most people who suffer from diabolical issues are spiritually undisciplined. The protocol is designed to develop the proper discipline and virtues in the individual so that many of the diabolical issues which do not require an exorcist or even a priest to pray over them, can simply be cleared up by the afflicted him or herself. The second phase of the protocol also started addressing issues such as lack of catechetical instruction and also the need for psychological help or counseling before they saw an exorcist, which also often clears up the specific problems that the person is suffering from. Since a priest is required to accompany the individual through the process at various stages of the protocol, this solved the problem of people not having a connection to the local parish or other priest. Moreover, the priest would then also be able to help the person straighten out sacramental issues which again often cause the amelioration of many diabolical afflictions. Okay, very, very good stuff there. So we have the tools necessary to self-liberate just by following a regular prescription or prayer probably 90, over 95% of us and it seems that most diabolical issues arise from the lack of the spiritually undisciplined. So, again, the exorcist is like a brain surgeon, but we have to start with our general practitioner on small matters and, most importantly, we, the lay faithful, have to start living a spiritual disciplined life. Now it would be like going to a doctor and saying to the doctor I need brain surgery because my foot keeps hurting, and insisting to your general MD that you need to see the brain surgeon, and your doctor is like no, you don't. Number one, you need to stop kicking the wall with your foot so that your foot's going to stop hurting. And number two, you need to start living a life of virtue by eating good and sleeping well and having a regular prayer life. Now you can see parallels all over the place there. So now let's go to the book and grab probably the most important quote I'm going to share. A Catholic approach to liberation always involves the sacraments. Our approach is based upon this reality, while also including many prudential elements as a result of years of experience, which, in our judgment, maximizes the effects of the protocol. The reader should also note that this manual represents the second phase of four phases, in which we help to identify and remove obstacles to grace. Really important in is this first phase, whereby the household follows a strict prayer discipline for 30 consecutive days before picking up this book. This first phase prayer regime is listed briefly in Appendix A. Our experience is that the demon responds as much to the imposition of order as he does to the prayers themselves. I'm going to stop here and repeat that sentence because it's a fascinating nugget of wisdom. Going back to the book, our experience is that the demon responds as much to the imposition of order as he does to the prayers themselves. That first phase is, by analogy, a pre-combat checklist which ensures one's readiness to sustain the duress and the man's of battle. Thus, a life-ordered two-prayer presupposes the ability to effectively engage the enemy. Accordingly, one should not see this manual as a quote quick fix which contains special prayers previously unknown to Catholics. Rather, this is a plan for sustained tactical operations. And how about that nugget of wisdom? Our experience is that the demon responds as much to the imposition of order, as he does to the prayers themselves. It's a fascinating nugget of wisdom that we have to be reminded of often Now. I love that this manual is a tactical operation manual and it talks about the return to the sacraments, because that is where we meet our Lord. Jesus Christ is through the sacraments, especially the sacrament of confession and, most importantly, the sacrament, the chief sacrament, the sacrament of the Holy Mass. Now the other important sacraments is baptism and confirmation, and then, if you're sick, the prayers or the sacrament of healing, the anointing of the sick. So let's go back to the book and keep going about this tactical operation manual. The former chief exorcist of the diocese of Rome, father Gabriel Amorth, affirmed the power of the sacraments when he asserted emphatically that confession is stronger than exorcism. According to the late exorcist, satan is more enraged when we take souls away from him through confession than when we take bodies away from him through exorcism. He asserts that sacramental penance is the most direct means to fight Satan. This sacrament, he says, tears souls from the demon's grasp, strengthens against sin, unites us more closely to God and helps us to conform our souls increasingly to his divine will. He counsels all Catholics, especially those afflicted by evil spirits to make frequent, even weekly, confessions. Many seeking deliverance therefore first need to return to the state of grace through a good confession. By state of grace is meant the restoration of divine friendship and thus the condition of the soul as pleasing to God because it's free from mortal sin. To be clear, mortal sin leaves the soul completely unprotected from the wiles of the devil. So again, the sacrament of penance. According to the late exorcist, father Gabriel Amorth, that Satan is more enraged when we take souls away from him through confession than when we take bodies away through exorcism it's the direct means to fight Satan. Now we need to know about our rules of engagement. If we're conducting spiritual warfare, we absolutely have to know what are the rules of engagement. You just can't be walking around on a battlefield without knowing the rules of engagement and how we win back grace and how we can live a life of virtue. Now, this is the longest quote, but I didn't want to break it up because there's so many good points in it and I think the whole quote together is a very powerful way to present this information. So hang in there. With a very long quote, go on to the book. As Father Reppinger noted in his foreword, most people who struggle with spiritual flexion do not need an exorcist and can self-deliver through a return to the practice of the faith. By self-deliverance we mean the liberation from diabolic influences, by tapping in to the stream of grace afforded to Catholics. A simple definition of grace is divine life, the life of God at work in the life of the Christian. The Greek word for grace is cheris, a word that means grace, favor or delight. Implied in the word is also a vitality, the very life and power of God, vivifying and purifying everything it touches. In the divine economy. Grace flows through the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. You can receive more or less of this divine vitality, however, depending on the disposition of your soul and the impediments presented there. This disposition means a dispossession from the things of the world, so that you can better identify and remove any impediments. To that end, you must identify the accuser and how he entered your life, whether by sin, trauma, curses or the occult. In addition, your participation in the sacraments restores and strengthens the divine friendship and the flow of God's vitality. It is possible for a person to be liberated and not sanctified, to be reconciled and not sanctified, however, even as reconciliation in the sense of the Church's analogy above, may come and go. A key feature of liberation is that it flows from the sanctity of the soul. The primary goal is reconciliation with the God, the Father, but this fits within the ultimate goal of Christian life as sanctification or the pursuit of holiness. The demon, meanwhile, will obfuscate to prevent that flow of grace. He employs various tactics hiding, trying to convince you to stop praying, tempting you to return to past sins and destructive behavior, etc. Demons particularly hide, according to Father Rippinger, in areas of weakness, all the while probing and testing the limits to see what they can get away with. Thus, when you unmask the demon by a thorough penance, the development of virtue and good mental hygiene, and learning how to reject, renounce and rebuke the vices and spirits which afflict your soul, note the inner logic of this formula, as it increases in severity according to the intentionality of the penitent in dealing with any vice or spirit. Number one separate yourself from it with an act of the will. Number two cut yourself free from any entanglements due to your participation with it. Number three address it directly and cast it away, in the name of Jesus Christ, from the authority given by God, the Father, over your own body and soul. And number four once a demon and a concomitant vice or spiritual defect is uncovered, you now reject it, renounce it and finally rebuke it, to allow grace to then do its work. As St Paul wrote, for freedom, christ set us free. So stand firm and do not submit again to the oak of slavery. Galatians 5-1,. Your time of enslavement ends when you decide to do whatever it takes to get free. At no time, however, are you a passive recipient. You must remain vigilant and active in your own liberation. To paraphrase the words of St Augustine God who created you without you, will not save you without you. Wow, there's so much goodness there, but let's start with the basics. We have to understand how the rules of engagement are working in the spiritual world and in spiritual combat and warfare. Number one we have to begin and keep up with a regular prayer life. If we are not praying each and every day, we are opening ourselves up for the evil one to start messing in our lives, and we don't want that. Nobody wants that. You wouldn't keep your front door opened all day and all night for weeks on end, would you? Then why would you do that spiritually? Because it's almost doing the same thing. Now, what's our prayer life is established. We have kept that habit up and we are conversing with our Lord. We're beginning that relationship, we're encouraging that relationship, we're listening and that relationship Then we have to. We have to continue with a regular and spiritual life. We have to do that by respecting God and His commandments. In fact, here's a real quick cheat, quick cheat sheet from a wonderful little book called the St Michael Manual for Spiritual Warfare. So let's grab these quick bullet points because this will be a nice little roadmap for us. Here is your spiritual game plan Daily. We have to remain in the state of grace, we have to avoid any mortal sin and we have to try our best to avoid venial sins. Number two we have to get proper rest. Aim for at least seven to eight hours of sleep. You should always begin your day with the morning offering. If you don't know that, just Google morning offering and there's there'll be hundreds of prayers that are out there for to offer a morning offering to our Lord. Then you want to spend 15 minutes of quiet time with the Lord, if possible. Perhaps if you can celebrate Mass daily, receiving the Holy Eucharist regularly, daily, if possible. This is the highest form of prayer and a wonderful opportunity to commune with God. Then you want to spend 10 to 15 minutes in thanksgiving before the Blessed Sacrament. After Mass, you should pray the Angelist at six noon and six PM, six AM, noon and six PM. If you don't know what the Angelist is, you can Google that as well. Long time tradition, traditional prayer going all the way back to the second or third century. Should also pray the Rosary daily, or at least a few decades, with your family, if possible. If you don't know what the Rosary is, you can Google that wonderful tradition. You should read the Bible daily, along with some other spiritual book if possible. Start with five or 10 minutes a day and then at night you want to examine your conscience briefly. Before going to bed you should pray come, holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, guide me. I asked the Lord to show you the times he was moving in your soul and you did or did not respond to him. Then ask for God's forgiveness and the grace to amend your life going forward. And then weekly. Here's some bullet points for weekly, a spiritual game plan for each week. Celebrate Mass on Sunday with the family. Read the readings for Sunday Mass beforehand, if possible, honor our Lady on Saturdays, which is traditionally dedicated to her. You can pray the Hail Holy Queen Prayer. Spend one hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, if possible. Monthly spiritual game plan. Go to confession and, of course, confess any mortal sins as soon as possible. Seek spiritual direction from a wise and prudent priest and then, on a yearly spiritual game plan, make a retreat, spending a few days in silence. Bask in God's love for you, whatever. Your soul needs a time of renewal, just like your body, and then always, always, do these. Abide in the presence of God. Ask him to remain in me as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me, john 15.4. Always love one another as I have loved you, john 15.12. And always be thankful for the grace as God is always pouring out on you. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4-6-7. So that is a wonderful spiritual game plan. Now, if you need more help, please, please reach out to your local priest or church and ask for that help. The devil doesn't want you to seek out that help. So, no matter what, please seek that help out if you need it. And furthermore, no matter what, please continue to pray. No matter how dry your prayer life is, you always want to keep coming back to our Lord Jesus Christ. He is a good Father, and a good Father always hears the heartfelt cries and prayers of His children. Now, if you need more resources, we most hardly recommend this Libra Christo manual by Dr Dan Schneider with the forward by Father Chad Rappinger for those that want more details, because it's full of great spiritual device and we certainly couldn't cover all of it in just one setting. So in today's Catholic Corner, please know you have spiritual weapons of war. They are daily prayer, they are spiritual discipline, they are taking part regularly in the sacraments, most especially the sacrament of the Holy Mass and the sacrament of confession, and finally, to live a life of virtue, to acknowledge there is such a thing as sin and that we must avoid that in our lives if we are to lead a good and holy life by all accounts and measures. The future looks bleak for us. Fighting the good fight. So evil is going to be increasing everywhere we turn. It's incumbent on all of us to keep fighting that good fight, and knowing how to fight that battle will help us to give glory to God, our Father, and most especially for living that flourishing life, because after all, that is fighting the good fight. So let us end with the powerful Saint Michael prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel. Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him. We humbly pray and do thou, o Prince of the heavenly host, by the divine power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

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