If you had an ally who was superior to you on a number of different levels, and you were in a longstanding battle that you were losing, would you not engage your allies? Would you not implore them to take up your cause against your enemy? There are numerous modern-day fantasies that draw on this theme, as evidenced by the superhero films that frequently appear in theaters. You see that common theme of creatures or beings who, at times, may even seem like misfits in the universe, coming to the aid of threatened humanity with powers that surpass ordinary human capacity. The characters may not be real, but the fight certainly is. And so is the need for help that comes from beyond the ordinary.  What is so fascinating is that we actually have such allies.  The scope of their power and responsibilities is far beyond what we normally think.  They, in fact, have intelligence and power far superior to our own, and in many ways rule realms that keep the universe moving so that it unfolds …

People are anxious about many things these days.  When a person does not stay in a primary dependence upon God, it becomes clear quickly that any other dependency outside of God will lead to insecurity and an apprehensiveness that can take on a life of its own.  Perhaps the most common dependency that people use to replace their dependence upon God is found in materialism.   There is a reflection of this in the fall in the garden. Up until the time of the fall, Adam and Eve were happily and unselfconsciously dependent upon God.  With the decision to eat the forbidden fruit, they essentially detached themselves from God and attached themselves to the created world, drawn in by its beauty and seductive promises.   That is the nature of materialism.  We pursue possessions, etc., because we see the good in them, but at the same time, we over-value them in relation to God to the point where they usurp His place in our lives.  They become for us little gods or idols that are incompatible with trust in God.  It is not …

Sr.AnneMarie Walsh is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Sr.AnneMarie Walsh’s Zoom MeetingTime: Oct 14, 2024 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/95305999268?pwd=UQmUdWuZbdGwDCCnCu2d5T188lvShb.1 Meeting ID: 953 0599 9268Passcode: 241317 One tap mobile+16469313860,,95305999268# US+19292056099,,95305999268# US (New York) Dial by your location CHRISTIAN RESISTANCE TO EVIL – Session 66 The ordinary Christian knows something the unbeliever does not.  When Christians, especially Catholics, look at the state of the world, they know the primary source of evil is not cultural, political, or sociological.  It’s spiritual.  “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.”  Eph 6:12-13 As Catholics, we do not believe that anyone is born evil.  God creates us good.  We are, however, born wounded in the integrity of our nature because of the first sin.  The …