The Battle of our Interior Life

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(Heads up: I will be including factual information (not propaganda) about Michigan's Proposal 3 at the end of this blog. You may be surprised it is not simply a yes or no to abortion.  Please read.)

Now on to my blog . . .

I was at the grocery store the other day and heard an employee talking.  He was quite noticeably overweight.  If you looked at him, you might be judgmental.  The very short conversation I happened to overhear was about how he had been working on losing weight, and his approach to doing so.

It reminded me that we are all on a journey, which might not be obvious to others.  Some of us may actually be in our own personal, interior challenge, hidden from our conversations or by our actions.

St. Ignatius of Loyola was the king of the interior life.  As I mentioned, I have been following a retreat on his "Spiritual Exercises" which I have found to be very insightful.  For those advancing in self-awareness in the spiritual life, he moves deeper as he teaches on the tension between God and the enemy.

The example given identifies our heart as the geography over which there is a battle.  On the one hand, you have God, whose desire is to lead us to all good versus the enemy who is tricky in trying to take over our "land."

As one advances in the spiritual life, these interior struggles can be so subtle we may not even realize they are going on.  It is important to look at the patterns of our thought to see if we are justifying our behavior or words, playing right into the enemy's hand; if we are not paying attention, we can easily be misled.

Once you become aware of this, it is amazing how scripture can come alive, giving you a sense of the below-the-surface experiences the apostles and disciples lived.

When you read Ephesians Chapter 6, beginning with verse 10 (in the New Testament), St. Paul is extremely clear about the watchfulness that is required.  Using military images, he says we need to put on the "armor of God" so that we can "stand firm against the tactics of the devil."

Paul goes on to describe the tools God gives to strengthen us:  truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."  But, without question, we need to be aware and watchful.  He's not talking about some sort of paranoid fear, but cautiousness.

The best way to "stand firm" is to be close to God in prayer.  Be sure you are making every effort to pray in some way, so that you will continue on the right path.  There is no doubt, Paul knew exactly what he was talking about, and St. Ignatius carries the flag to help us understand all this, still today.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com
#armor
#stignatius
#theenemy
#proposal3

As promised, here are some legal facts that you need to know in order to be fully informed, even if you are pro-choice, about the ballot Proposal 3, coming up in Michigan's election:

"Dozens of laws would be invalidated." Children would be allowed to have an abortion without their parents' knowledge or consent.  

"Children would have the right to sterilization and contraception."

"Laws that regulate the quality and safety of abortion facilities would be gone under the amendment, as would the requirement that only physicians perform abortions."

This proposed amendment to Michigan's Constitution does not simply provide access to abortion.  There is a HUGE list of laws that could be affected if this proposal passes.

For a clear explanation of the language, the language itself, and a summary, please click HERE. 




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