MARCO!!!

"When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem."   
                                    Luke 9:51

Some translations say, "he set his face toward Jerusalem," gazing into his destiny boldly, with unwavering resolve.

Truth be told, I don't know how to consistently do likewise. My walk with our Lord has always been one of what often seems like "hide and seek." I sometimes even feel like we're playing spiritual "Marco Polo." One minute, I know right where Jesus is and I leap out toward him, swinging my arms around in the darkness hoping to just brush against him for a moment. Sometimes I do. Other times I'm nowhere near him.

I don't think I ever truly doubt that he's there. It's just that sometimes I get so caught up in the effort I'm making that I don't take my time and pause to listen. I don't quiet my mind so as to notice a ripple in the pool here, a splash there, the sound of someone close by trying to breathe softly or not to laugh because I'm SO CLOSE!

And the longer my eyes remain shut the easier it is for me to become more fearful. Am I alone in this thing? Has he lost interest? Does he even want to play anymore? Should I try a real quick "FISH OUT OF WATER!!!"? How little faith have I to ask such questions? We're not talking about some absentee landlord deity, here. This is the Lord of Luke 9! This is the Jesus who "sets his face" toward my perfect, or rather "perfected," life with him forever and who resolutely determines to guide me there every step of the way.

But he wants me to make the choice, to take the step, to walk the walk - to be truly free. Love bought or sold is no love at all. He'll never take away the challenge or the toil, but neither will he refuse to yell back "Polo!" enthusiastically each time I belt out "Marco!"

Lord Jesus, guide my every step. For I abandon myself entirely to you... MARCO!

The Devil = Creation's biggest loser

Here's how scared of Satan St. Michael
the Archangel is...

The evil one, the "father of lies," is said to be like a lion, "looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Always prowling, he lurks about in the shadows. He usually does not come in great pomp and circumstance - not in a show of strength. No. His ways are far more diabolical.

Satan tickles our ears and his wicked patience is sometimes maddening, for he seemingly lures us at every moment. He does not do so in order to have us for himself, but rather to tear us away from God through selfish pride. After all, thieves are sometimes just as motivated by the satisfaction of harming someone they despise by means of theft than they are by the stealing the item itself.

He doesn't really care about any of us or want us "on his side." He wants God to be robbed of us because God loves us. In fact, tradition claims that it was God's unbounded love for human beings that served as the catalyst for Satan's hatred and downfall. He could not accept that God would humble Himself so much that He would become one of us. Being shown such intentions he traditionally uttered those cold, hard-hearted words: "Non serviam!" ... "I will not serve!" Then he and his ilk plunged into darkness.

The Devil, being ancient and a fallen seraph or "angel of light," is more cunning and more dangerous than we can ever really comprehend. Such has been the faithful's understanding from the beginning. His is the way of deception, confusion, trickery. We can meet him around any corner, in a stranger, in a friend, in a relative, in ourselves. Christ saw the devil leading Peter astray and shouted, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me," (Matthew 16:23). We must never forget that he is very real and very dangerous - to do otherwise would be a grave mistake (there's a saying that the greatest deception Satan ever managed was convincing countless people that he doesn't exist).

All things considered, though, I think that his pernicious meddling can sometimes lead us to attribute too much power to him. The Devil is not the "God of Evil." He is a created being. He is limited. While we should strive to be more vigilant against his tactics, we should also recall that he is absolutely incapable of separating us from God without some form of our consent. As we hear in the scriptures, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you," and again, "Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings" (James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5:8-9, respectively).

Remember the utter cowardice and immediate fear the demons showed the instant they recognized Our Lord? "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?" (Matthew 8:29). Only too well do the fallen ones know Christ's power (cf. James 2:19), for when one flips a light switch do the light and darkness battle it out in the room before one eventually wins? No. Light immediately banishes darkness - there is no contest.

We should keep such wisdom in the forefront of our minds and frequently invoke God's most Holy Name in times of spiritual battle. For as St. Paul so wonderfully wrote: "God bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).