Satan’s Achilles’ Heel: Woman
I preached, today, on the astonishing synchronicity – in this centennial year of Fatima – of the usual apocryphal readings at the end of the liturgical year coinciding with what looks like the “end of an age” in our world. And, how the sliver of a light rising in this beginning of Advent seems to coincide with the light now shining on evil that once moved unabated under the cover of darkness.
Also, I pointed to the “pivotal point” being “woman.” In other words, one can attack people, structures, kingdoms, etc. … but woman is sacrosanct. It’s more than interesting that, at the end of this era, it is a reawakening of the “dignity of woman” crushing the designs of Satan.
“I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel” -Genesis 3:15.
God’s glorious creation began with things such as dirt, then vegetation, then animals, etc. … it just kept getting better and better. God then created His great love interest … His adopted children … human beings. Yet man was created only second to last. Woman is the crescendo … the last and greatest of all of God’s creation!!
More than a beautiful sunset or starry night or any cascading waterfalls or picturesque mountain range … God has created nothing more beautiful, more loving, more tender-hearted, more nurturing. That is why women are perfectly positioned to be wife and mother. And, because women are the pinnacle of all God’s creations, they too, like the Blessed Mother, should be esteemed as sacred. They have been given the special role of being the tabernacle of God’s next love interest. That is why many women veil at Mass. We veil sacred things. Woman is sacred.
Fr. Robert Fromageot, F.S.S.P. once wrote …
“The leading lights of our age often claim to champion the rights of women, and in certain respects the claim is legitimate. At the same time, however, our age has clearly not sought to protect and foster the sacred dignity of women. On the contrary, society would have us remove our wedding garment, divest ourselves of Christ, and put on the “old man” and make ample provision for the flesh. Men are practically encouraged to treat women as mere objects of pleasure, and women are encouraged to seek this degrading form of attention and accept it as normal and compatible with their dignity. Men and women, but especially women, have become desensitized to using contraceptives, choosing abortion, and embracing sterilization. In short, our society no longer respects or values the gift of fertility; society no longer honors the unique privilege of being a woman. Consequently, it no longer cultivates the responsibility that necessarily accompanies this gift, this privilege. This collective failure on the part of society has wreaked havoc, and it is far from certain that we shall recover and escape dissolution and destruction.
Yet, here we are. For those who started a nine-day novena, leading up to the 100th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima (October 13), they witnessed, on day one of their novena, an eruption of exposés, beginning with Harvey Weinstein (October 5, 2017). The steady, almost daily, exposés have not seemed to cease. In fact, most say this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Prior to the normalization of contraception and abortion, pregnancy was a “consequence” that gave people pause in any consideration of “recreational sex” outside the covenant of marriage. Now, all of a sudden, it is the threat of career ending lawsuits and public shaming that is giving people pause.
Add to this the greater reporting of the atrocious, life-threatening side effects of contraception and abortion (cancer, mental disorders, etc), and we have, all at once, a sex obsessed culture having their “Come to Jesus Moment.” That’s right, even the liberal media is beginning to call for our culture to “re-think” our ideas of sex.
“The people that sat in darkness, hath seen great light: and to them that sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up.” Matthew 4:16
Yes, any warring factions will always use the cover of darkness and camouflage to disguise their advancements and to take the enemy by surprise. Satan’s army is no different. For 50 some odd years, Satan has advanced, almost unabated, while we slept (or, better yet, were far too engrossed in our worldly pursuits).
At the very same time, Satan grew in power because we decreased in power. In other words, we denied the only power to resist the devil … the supernatural power of grace.
I told my flock this morning,
“It is a state of grace, it is a state of grace, it is a state of grace! Our grandparents and great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents all knew this! And, it was their everything! Frequent Confession, regular chapel visits, daily rosary, many devotions, strong prayer life, daily Mass … all because they could not even consider a day … a moment without God’s supernatural grace. And, because of this, they could not consider making any life choices that would, in the very least, displease their Father in Heaven, whom they loved so very much!
Sum up everything we have been doing at St. Mary of Pine Bluff all these years now – reverent and obedient Masses, Confession offered 24/7, frequent Adoration times, promoting devotions and sacramentals, etc. – and it is all about this … We. Must. Move. Under. God’s. Power. Of. GRACE!!!”
In conclusion, I told my flock that many who have wandered away and whose hearts have hardened (words from today’s First Reading), are going to be looking from out of that darkness to find the light. I told my flock, “You must be the light … you are called to be the light of the world. You must go to Confession frequently, daily Mass, daily Rosary, strong prayer life, etc. … all so that your lives radiate God’s grace, and that the Fruit of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23) – emanates freely from you.
As we come to this “end of an era,” people are going to be looking around, now, as they realize they have been away, living in a dark and barren wasteland. MANY are going to want to come home. Let your very lives say to them, “COME HOME TO GOD’S AMAZING GRACE!”
