KNOW
YOUR ENEMY - 2
“Your
enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to
devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
When
one of my friend was to be sent out for some grave reason, his friend asked me
what was the problem? When I asked why that person did not know about it being
a good and close friend of him. That person replied that after seeing some of
his habits lost respect and distanced from him and did not have any
communication. With this event the next day as I was praying after communion,
God gave me this reflection which I am sharing with you.
2.
ACCUSING
This
is one of another tactics or tricks which the devil uses against us to separate
us from God. The name Satan (in Hebrew) means ‘Oppose’ and his mail work is to
‘separate’, to separate and kill. In our human relationship we start to relate
with others for different reasons, but one among them is that we find them good
to relate with, to make friendship with so we become close to that person. As
no one is perfect, that includes us, in the course of time, when we happen to
see, or come to know about one or some of their weaknesses most of the time,
almost all the time, we tend to keep distance or discontinue our relationship
or friendship with them. When we are asked we give all the bad reasons about
that person. We accuse them of their weakness or bad habit.
We
should always remember that accusation is attached with justification. Yea, we might have heard the saying that
‘when we point one finger to others, the rest point at us’. When we accuse
others we forget that we too have some or more weaknesses, bad habits. The only
good thing is the other person did not have enough chance to find us out, or
that person may know it but decent or matured enough to tolerate (be patience)
with us, or else does not want to look at our negative side.
Here
we need to remember that this trait of accusation is not of ours. It is the
work of the devil. In the book of Zachariah Chapter we read that Satan is
standing at the right of the high priest Joshua, ready to accuse him. In the
book of Revelation we read, “For our brothers' accuser has been cast out, who
accused them night and day, before God.” (12:10) Night and day, means to say,
always his work is to accuse, to judge others. St. James would say in his
letter chapter 4 that when you speak against or condemn someone, you condemn
the law, only one lawgiver, who are we to condemn our neighbor?
Let
us not get trapped by this trick of Satan. Whether accusing yourself of your
own mistakes, false, or bad habits or weakness, or of others. Whatever or
whichever makes you to commit sin, or wrong, you are made flawless by the blood
of the Cross, the Cross has made you flawless. God is not happy to see you of
feeling guilt or accusing yourself or others. For we are all created in the
likeness of God. When we relapse in our prayer life, distance away from God
because of our guilty conscience then the devil uses that chance and works on
our weakness projecting it as a problem. Thank God for our weaknesses and for
the weaknesses of others for in our weakness his strength will be manifested (2
Corinthians 12:9).
Let
us not distance ourselves from our friends or with those whom we associate
with. Let us not abandon them, let us not give up or get frustrated with their
continuous failure. We are fortunate that God has given strength to avoid bad
habits but they still struggle with it. It is these difficult moments they need
us more. What kind of love is that only when they are good we associate with
them and when they are bad we dissociate with them? Jesus came for the lost,
the sinners, the accursed not for the righteous. Let us love others in their
bad and difficult moments and help each other to reach the holiness for which
we are all called.
You
know my name not my story,
You
heard what others said about me
But
haven’t heard what I had to say
Don’t
judge me until you’ve
Walked
my journey.
Don’t
accuse me or judge me of what you see now,
For
you don’t know what I was,
Or
what I will be.
“Do
not judge, and you will not be judged” (Luke 6:37).
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