Audio
[This audio file has been edited since audio and written styles are not the same but very different ways of communication.]
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
The words that our Saviour is speaking to us today, when He is being tempted by the devil, are important for us to remember : “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’”. This is a very important lesson for us to learn. In general, we are usually so self-sufficient that we forget about details such as this. We blithely go on trying to feed ourselves, one might say, and to look after ourselves, without remembering that the Lord is the Provider of everything. In our North American cozy comfortableness, we forget to render thanks to the Lord for all the things that He has provided for us. We are under the delusion that we provide it for ourselves. We think that we ourselves are an island unto ourselves. In this context, it is evident to me that very many people are entering the realm of spiritual warfare (which all Christians must engage in if we are being serious followers of Christ) in a very dangerous manner.
The Apostle speaks to us today very clearly about what sort of armour we need for living this life in Christ, and for fighting spiritual battles. What sort of armour is this ? Every aspect of the armour that he describes has to do with the Word of God, with faith, with love, and with hope. In other words, all the armour that we are supposed to be putting on has to do with Christ, Himself. In fact, the Apostle is saying to us that our armour is Christ. There are all sorts of people who talk about doing spiritual battle as though they were some sort of soldier. They are struggling this way and struggling that way ; they are going to do this and they are going to do that. They are telling the devil where to go and how to get there, and so forth.
In fact, if we start speaking to the devil at all, we are in danger of being completely lost right away. Not one of us ought ever to dare to engage in any sort of exchange with the devil. The Christian way is very different from our experience of battle in normal, military warfare. The attitude of engaging in spiritual struggles by myself is exactly the same as going to war with no weapons and no armour at all, but simply waving my arms and shouting strong words. That behaviour would get me perhaps one step forward in a modern battle-field (let alone an ancient one). In an ancient one, I might have gotten a little farther, because I would have had to approach the enemy, and then I would have been done-for. In a modern field, I would simply be immediately exterminated on the spot.
At all times, it is important for us to remember that our strength is the Lord, about whom we just sang : “He has revealed Himself to us” (see Psalm 117:27). He has revealed Himself to us as Love and Life, and also as our Protector. It is not for nothing that people have, in fact, depended on Him ever since the Creation. For instance, we have had two major events in recent years regarding icons of the Mother of God. The Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God was resident in North America for many years, and we mostly did not pay any attention to her (we are so wonderful in North America). However, when the time came for us to return her to Russia (as did happen some years ago), we finally remembered her, and we paid much more direct attention to her.
We can take a few moments to recall details of the history of the icon of the Tikhvin Monastery (which is about 100 km or so from Saint Petersburg). When the Swedes were attacking long ago (in 1613), the Mother of God appeared to some monks, and said : “Take my icon in procession around the monastery”. The monks got up, and praying to the Lord, asking for the protection of the Mother of God, they processed around the monastery enclosure with this icon. Then the Swedes simply went home. This happened more than once in that area. Such an event of protection has happened at more than one monastery. It has also occurred in various cities. There are many such occurrences having to do with the protection of the Mother of God. Simply bringing her icon stopped tidal waves and forest fires in Alaska, for instance. This is putting on the armour of God. When the icon of the Mother of God of Pochaiv visited Canada a few months ago, we were reminded about the events that are associated with her protection of the Pochaiv Monastery. We are also reminded of these events in the Akathist we are singing to the icon. There is more than one occasion when she has protected the Pochaiv Monastery, but this particular occasion is a spectacular one, because there was an invasion by the Turks in 1675.
The Turks were passing by, and they decided that they were going to take over this monastery because it is situated on a very high hill. The hill rises sixty metres from the surrounding level land. From a military point of view, it is a very good position to have in order to protect all the surrounding level land. As they were trying to take over the monastery, some monks were killed in the process. However, the monks prayed. The Mother of God appeared with Saint Job of Pochaiv above the monastery so that everyone could see them. The Turks began shooting at the Mother of God, and everything that was shot at her came back on them. It was very nice that they were quick learners, for immediately all the hostilities stopped. The Turks either went away or they settled there. Many of the Turkish soldiers seeing this became Christians, and some even became monks. (Not all the soldiers became monks, because there are descendants of those Turks in the Volyn area to this day.) These soldiers were people who saw and understood right away what was happening before their eyes : the monks prayed to the Lord ; the Mother of God appeared ; the Mother of God protected. This is an example of why we call her the “Champion Leader of victorious hosts”.
It is important for us, when we are having difficulties in life, and we are facing darkness and attacks of evil, not to start engaging in physical or other conversational battles and struggles. Those are losing enterprises every time. Instead, it is important for us quickly to flee to the Lord, and to ask Him for His help and His protection. It is important to flee to the Mother of God, and to ask her for the protection of the Lord. She brings to us the protection of the Lord. Even that is not her own – she brings the protection of the Lord because she is so close to Him.
It is important for us to remember to turn to the Lord. He is our Armour. He is our Protection. When we are turning to Him, we are in fact, then, fulfilling the words of our Saviour to us today : “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’”. Every word that proceeds from His mouth is full of love, life, and light for us. When we are living by His word, everything else comes into order. All provision comes that is necessary for us, and the Lord blesses us. We, in return, give thanks to Him in the way we were created to do and to be. Then we become co-workers, and even co-creators with Him (as may be said). In this spirit of harmony with Him, co-operation with Him, and love for Him, let us glorify the All-Holy Trinity : the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages.