WHEN FACED WITH DANGER, THE PRAYER OF 'JESUS, JESUS, JESUS' IS ALL YOU WILL NEED Two months ago, when we attended a retreat that included the world-traveled charismatic priest, Father Robert DeGrandis, he spoke about spiritual warfare and protection against evil spirits. We live in a time, he noted, when we have to be aware of the evil manifesting all around us.
How do we defend ourselves? How do we secure ourselves spiritually? Start out with knowledge: The more we recognize the works of Satan, said this charismatic priest, "the more you weaken him." One way of recognizing such guiles is to spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament. When we do that, notes Father DeGrandis, God sensitizes us. The Blessed Sacrament is like a heavenly transmitter. You could also call it a spotlight. It removes the scales from our eyes, lifts our spiritual blinders. "Every hour you have spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament, you have become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and the evil spirit," he said. We also have to seal ourselves. This means pleading the Blood of Jesus. Nothing scatters demons like Christ's Blood, because that Blood is what defeated Satan at Calvary. Everywhere, at home, at work, even waiting for a red light, we should plead that protective force -- at the same time that we close holes or entrance ways that have been opened by sin. To do that we have to be pure. When we sin, noted Father DeGrandis, we leave Satan an opening. The devil is given a "legal right" to parts of our spiritual territory. We must be on special guard against "repeated sin." "If you lie, pretty soon you'll pick up the spirit of lying and won't be able to help yourself," warned Father DeGrandis. "The same is true with the spirit of adultery." We must be delivered. If there is evil in or around us, we have to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance on how we can shake loose. This is so important that Jesus included it in the Lord's prayer: "Deliver us from evil." It must be a constant prayer. Every day we are exposed to evil: from sin and wrongful thoughts or from books we've read or people we've been around or movies we've seen. We are in constant need of deliverance! There also must be forgiveness. Don't hold a grudge. We must free ourselves not only from unforgiveness but also dislike, criticality, condescension, arrogance, irritability, worry, pessimism, jealousy, and especially hatred. This is for a simple reason: when we hold onto negative emotions, it is the sustenance of evil. Demons feed on that negativity. There must be a healing of memories. Often, says Father DeGrandis, evil spirits "hook" into emotional hurts, especially painful memories. We must ask the Lord to wash away the darkness of the past and replace bad memories with faith in Jesus. Harboring revenge gives energy to evil. There is the need for prayer. It protects us from opening the door through sin at the same time that it directly repels demons. And prayer is potent in combination with another key safeguard: the Crucifix. Father DeGrandis noted the power in the body of Jesus or "corpus," which is much more effective than a simple cross. "The crucifix is a prevention," said the priest. And then, of course, there is JESUS. His simple Name is the ultimate defense in times like these. "Always go back to the Name of Jesus," urged Father DeGrandis. "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. That's the best prayer you can say. Once you say Jesus, it's all you need to say." **************************************************************** This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] ****************************************************************
