“He is more afraid of us than we should be of him.”
We hear that phrase a lot. It is especially true of bullies. The reason bullies come on with aggression and anger is because they are afraid.
The reason bullies follow a pattern of aggression is that they want to convey anger rather than the fear they experience deep inside. It is easier for bullies to feal anger than to feel their deep fear.
The bully’s fear hides, and every time it gets close to the surface, the bully gets angry rather than work on the chronic fear. Fear loves to hide under anger.
“He is more afraid of us than we should be of him.”
This is ultimately true of the devil. He is more afraid of Christians than Christians should be of him.
That sounds counter to much that we have heard.
The devil likes to build his reputation on fear and dramatics rather than reality. That is because the reality is that on the Cross the Lord Jesus has defeated the devil once and for all. Christians follow and are united with Jesus in Baptism and faith. The devil flees Jesus Christ. But like a bee that has been swatted and is dying, the devil gets angry and comes on more strongly.
If we are united with Jesus by practicing the faith, then the devil will flee us, too. But first, he will repeatedly try to lure us away from Jesus by convincing us we can have it both ways. He will offer us control, power, and everything going our way. Sooner or later, this will run out – we will either resist it outright or see through his lies of control.
After that, when he knows we are on to him, he will try to make us afraid of him through a thousand different lies. He lies to us either with promises of all types of riches or threats of doom. He wants us, in fear, to let go of Jesus. But if we cling to Jesus, the devil will ultimately have to flee.
This is why it is crucial that we practice our faith. If we become lax or negligent in our faith, our protection can wane, and we can be far more vulnerable to the evil one’s manipulation and lies.
In the Gospel today, Jesus resists the devil’s temptations. Notice that each temptation looks alluring: turn stone to bread, get all the kingdoms of the world, and control even the angels of heaven.
This Lent, let us together unite closer to Jesus. Cling to Him – go to Confession, go to Mass and pray. That is the path to union with the Lord.
God bless,Msgr. Bransfield
