Mission Monthly – December 2000

“At the approach of a great feast you must watch yourself with particular care. The enemy endeavors beforehand to chill your heart towards the subject, the event being celebrated, so that you will not honor it by whole-heartedly considering its reality. He acts upon us through the weather, or through the food and drink that we have taken, or through his own arrows thrown plentifully at the heart and inflaming the entire man, at which time evil, impure and blasphemous thoughts occur to us, and we feel thoroughly averse to the solemnity. We must overcome the enemy by forcing ourselves to meditate and pray devoutly.”

St. John of Kronstadt

Since the fall of Adam the entire creation, and man in particular, has had to fight with great effort to sustain zeal towards
our God and Creator. ” …the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force” (Matt. 11:12). The
effects of a lukewarm faith and even open rebellion are woven through every generation of man’s experience. The fact that we are
bound to the fallen nature is enough of a “cause” for this sorrowful reality. We are comforted, however, as explained by St.
Herman of Alaska in a letter to one of his spiritual children; “Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity… Sin, to
one who loves God, is nothing other than an arrow from the enemy in battle. The true Christian is a warrior fighting his way.”
In other words, because of our nature, it should never surprise us when we “miss the mark.” It is totally necessary for us to be
disappointed and even ashamed of our sins and ready to confess them and repent, but we must never lose confidence in the
fulfilled promise of our God Who, “desires not the death of the sinner, but rather that he should turn again (repent) and live.”
What are we then to do?—in a word, FIGHT!

Virtually every successful sports team will “scout” its opponent before entering into the arena of competition. It is no
different for us as we face our ultimate adversary, the devil. For us not to seek a tactical understanding of how the devil
operates is spiritually defeating! The great author, C.S. Lewis, explored well the devil’s tactics in his popular book, The
Screwtape Letters. One of the most successful tactics used in our contemporary society has been to try to convince the
world that there is no such thing as the devil, or at least that he is merely a horn-headed, pitchfork-carrying “meanie” who is
only there to scare people. This is a deception that has left this world vulnerable and ill-prepared for the very real aspects
of spiritual warfare. Jesus Himself warned us of the certain danger imposed upon us by the evil one, “Do not fear those who kill
the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).

As we continue our journey and preparations for the Nativity of our Lord, let us be aware of the various subtle and
not-so-subtle demonic tactics that lurk about to disturb our vigilance. If I could point out just one it would be how busy the
world keeps us, and seemingly more so at this time of year. Many have asked, “Why does the Church instruct us to fast during
this joyous season?” I believe the answer is obvious! When we give ourselves away to all the shopping, the parties, the plans,
the foods, what is left to give to God when the day of His glorious birth actually arrives? Is it any wonder that the day after
Christmas is reportedly one of the most depressing of the entire year? For those who have not “spent” their celebrations, the
Orthodox Church teaches us that the celebrations are just beginning! Beloved, remain steadfast and vigilant lest the devil steal
from you the truly blessed joy that awaits us on the day of (and the twelve days of feasting that follow) our Lord’s miraculous
birth!