{"id":773582,"date":"2018-03-28T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=773582"},"modified":"2018-03-28T14:16:46","modified_gmt":"2018-03-28T19:16:46","slug":"angels-dragons-x-st-faustinas-battles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/angels-dragons-x-st-faustinas-battles\/","title":{"rendered":"Angels & Dragons X: St. Faustina\u2019s Battles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Crucified Christ by Viktor Vasnetsov<\/p><\/div>\n

For 40 days we have watched Jesus prepare for His final battle on Calvary. All His life He has trained for this day. He was born for this!<\/p>\n

And so are we. The life of a Christian is a constant battle. Against ourselves, the world, and the powers of darkness. As Gaudium et Spes states, \u201cman is obliged to wrestle constantly if he is to cling to what is good <\/i>(37),\u201d and it was no different for St. Faustina. In her Diary, St. Faustina speaks often about the constant spiritual battle, giving us many great thoughts to keep and encourage us on the way:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Jesus, despite Your graces, I see and feel all my misery. I begin my day with battle and end it with battle. As soon as I conquer one obstacle, ten more appear to take its place. But I am not worried, because I know that this is the time of struggle, not peace. When the burden of the battle becomes too much for me, I throw myself like a child into the arms of the heavenly Father and trust I will not perish. O my Jesus, how prone I am to evil, and this forces me to be constantly vigilant. But I do not lose heart. I trust God\u2019s grace, which abounds in the worst misery <\/i>[606].\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This battle is fought first on our knees, our favorite chair, standing, walking, or before the Lord Jesus in an adoration chapel, for no one can remain in the fray unless he first prays. And this includes the elderly. There is no retirement from spiritual combat. As St. Faustina explains, \u201cOld age does not dispense one from the combat<\/i> [517],\u201d and also, she explains, the beginner, the pure and the sinner:<\/p>\n

\u201cA soul arms itself by prayer for all kinds of combat. In whatever state the soul may be, it ought to pray. A soul which is pure and beautiful must pray, or else it will lose its beauty; a soul which is striving after this purity must pray, or else it will never attain it; a soul which is newly converted must pray, or else it will fall again; a sinful soul, plunged in sins, must pray so that it might rise again. There is no soul which is not bound to pray, for every single grace comes to the soul through prayer<\/i> [517].\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Don\u2019t grow weary of the spiritual warfare but trust that you belong to a \u201cchosen race\u201d<\/i> (1Pt. 2:9) and a \u201croyal priesthood\u201d<\/i> (1Pt. 2:9) carrying the King\u2019s royal blood in our veins and further renewed each time we receive His Most Precious Blood at mass. St. Faustina explains our origins and divine genetic makeup of the soul\u2026 in your heart of hearts, you know who you are:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe soul knows it comes from a warrior race. It is now much more aware of everything. It knows that it is of royal stock. It is concerned with all that is great and holy <\/i>[517].\u201d <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

God is building up a generation of royal souls who know how to fight! Hence, Jesus exhorts St. Faustina into battle by reminding her that she is the daughter of a king fighting in foreign lands, but that very soon she will enter His Heavenly Kingdom,<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/i>But child, you are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls; fight as a king\u2019s child would; and remember that the days of your exile will pass quickly, and with them the possibility of earning merit for heaven. I expect from you, My child, a great number of souls who will glorify My mercy for all eternity.\u201d <\/i><\/b>[1489]<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jesus trains St. Faustina to be like a noble and fearless knight of the middle ages, who knows no retreat or flight from the threshold of battle:<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/i>I want you to become like a knight experienced in battle, who can give orders to others amid the exploding shells. In the same way, My child, you should know how to master yourself amid the greatest difficulties, and let nothing drive you away from Me, not even your falls<\/i><\/b> [1823].\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

St. Faustina knows and understands that the battle is endless here on earth, and she resolutely fixes her gaze on heaven, as if she were looking at a guiding star or the very sun, careful never to lower her gaze from the homeland:<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, how sweet it is to toil for God and souls! I want no respite in this battle, but I shall fight to the last breath for the glory of my King and Lord. I shall not lay the sword aside until He calls me before His throne; I fear no blows, because God is my shield. It is the enemy who should fear us, and not we him. Satan defeats only the proud and the cowardly, because the humble are strong. Nothing will confuse or frighten a humble soul. <\/i>I have directed my flight at the very center of the sun\u2019s heat, and nothing can lower its course.<\/i> Love will not allow itself to be taken prisoner; it is free like a queen. Love attains God.\u201d<\/i> [450]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Beautiful fighting words! But the reality of the war is that it is a painful road that leads to the cross where there are blood, tears, and guts all over the place making the best of souls think twice as St. Faustina explains:<\/p>\n

\u201cA soul that is united with God must be prepared for great and hard fought battles. After these purifications and tears, God abides in the soul in a special way, but the soul does not always cooperate with these graces <\/i>[121],\u201d [from the], \u201cGeneral exhaustion due to a new way of life, intense spiritual combat and experiences…<\/i>[24].\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"

Das_J\u00fcngste_Gericht_(Memling)<\/p><\/div>\n

But, we are not alone! Amidst the dragons, their minions and the condemned souls of hell, there are also angels and saints fighting by our side. We are surrounded by a panoramic view of invisible warriors as far as the eyes can see:<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways fight with the deep conviction that I am with you. Do not be guided by feeling, because it is not always under your control; but all merit lies in the will\u2026I will not delude you with prospects of peace and consolations; on the contrary, prepare for great battles. Know that you are now on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you. Fight like a knight, so that I can reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone <\/i><\/b>[1760].\u201d<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Finally and most importantly, God Himself is fighting for us by sending us special graces of Divine Mercy to save our souls and those of others. Graces pouring from His Immolated Heart upon His Cross of Glory, made present in the Holy Eucharist\u2026 \u201cMy child, that you may answer My call worthily, receive Me daily in Holy Communion. It will give you strength.\u201d<\/b> [1489] Yes, Jesus Himself carries and supports us when we are knocked off our battle steeds, laying mangled and defeated upon the battlefield. As He explains to St. Faustina:<\/p>\n

Let it be confirmed and engraved on your heart that I am always with you, even if you don\u2019t feel My presence at the time of battle [1498].\u201d \u201cDo not fear, My little child, you are not alone. Fight bravely, because My arm is supporting you; fight for the salvation of souls, exhorting them to trust in My mercy, as that is your task in this life and in the life to come <\/i><\/b>[1452].\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Recommended Reading<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Divine Mercy Diary<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Saints who Battled Satan<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Read<\/strong><\/p>\n

Angels & Dragons I<\/a><\/p>\n

Angels & Dragons II<\/a><\/p>\n

Angels & Dragons III\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Angels & Dragons IV\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Angels & Dragons V\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Angels & Dragons VI<\/a><\/p>\n

Angels & Dragons VII<\/a><\/p>\n

Angels & Dragons VIII<\/a><\/p>\n

Angels & Drasongs IX<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For 40 days we have watched Jesus prepare for His final battle on Calvary. All His life He has trained for this day. He was born for this! And so are we. The life of a Christian is a constant battle. Against ourselves, the world, and the powers of darkness. As Gaudium et Spes states,… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2976],"tags":[481,473,3205,101,2840],"class_list":["post-773582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-prayer","tag-angels","tag-devil","tag-faustina","tag-mary","tag-spiritual-warefare","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":183566,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/a-jubilee-of-mercy-by-deed-word-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":773582,"position":0},"title":"A Jubilee of Mercy by Deed, Word, and Prayer","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"December 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We are about to embark on one of the most important years of our present lifetime, the Jubilee Year of Mercy. \u00a0This year imparts a special grace that cannot be received twice. \u00a0These types of years don't come often in the church's history except every 25 or 50 years, so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Year of Mercy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AnnouncingHolyYearOfMercy-286x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":342102,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/lessons-from-the-crib\/","url_meta":{"origin":773582,"position":1},"title":"Lessons from the Crib","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"December 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many saints have experienced the love and wisdom that comes from the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus, but none more than St. Faustina who had many, many visits from the Divine Infant. \u00a0 One Christmas season the Blessed Mother brought the Baby Jesus to St. Faustina and said,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Botticelli_Nativity-270x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":537481,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/thanksgiving-year-long-part-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":773582,"position":2},"title":"Thanksgiving All Year Long! Part II","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"November 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This \u201cThanksgiving Day\u201d begin with mass, thanking God for His daily blessings and favors. The Catholic Catechism explains: \u201cThanksgiving characterizes the prayer of the Church which, in celebrating the Eucharist, reveals and becomes more fully what she is\u2026.The thanksgiving of the members of the Body participating in that of their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/image6-550x254.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/image6-550x254.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/image6-550x254.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1703316,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/angels-dragons-xx-war-in-heaven-rev-127\/","url_meta":{"origin":773582,"position":3},"title":"Angels & Dragons XX: \u201cWar in Heaven\u201d (Rev. 12:7)","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"April 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Book of Revelation describes the \u201cWar in Heaven\u201d (Rev. 12:7) between St. Michael and his angels against the Red Dragon and his angels, when a vision of a woman about to give birth is shown to them. What was the first battle like?\u00a0 Why did it happen?\u00a0 What was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/image13-550x304.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/image13-550x304.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/image13-550x304.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1946697,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/angels-dragons-xxii-st-michael-the-archangel-in-mexico\/","url_meta":{"origin":773582,"position":4},"title":"Angels & Dragons XXII: St. Michael the Archangel in Mexico","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"August 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"On April 25, 1631, St. Michael the Archangel appeared in Tlaxcala, Mexico to a 17-year-old named Diego L\u00e1zaro de San Francisco who was married to Francisca Castillian Xuchitl.\u00a0\u00a0 The apparition occurred as everyone was processing in celebration of a previous apparition of St. Michael to St. Gregory the Great (April\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/unnamed-425x700.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1552419,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/angels-dragons-xix-the-angel-of-peace-in-america\/","url_meta":{"origin":773582,"position":5},"title":"Angels & Dragons XIX: The Angel of Peace in America","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"February 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"In the fall of 1954, the Angel of Peace came to prepare Sr. Mary Ephrem (1916-2000) of the Sisters of the Precious Blood of Jesus for the coming of Our Lady of America. \u00a0In 1960 and 1972 these apparitions received official imprimatur approval from Archbishop Paul F. Leibold (1914-1972) and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/image9-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=773582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773582\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=773582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=773582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=773582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}