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Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 6:10–20
Saint Paul ends his Letter to the Ephesians
with a call to spiritual warfare.
He tells us something we often forget:
our real enemies are not flesh and blood.
Our deepest struggle is not first against other people.
It is against the powers of darkness,
against the forces of evil,
against everything that tries to pull us away from God.
This changes the way we see the world.
It changes the way we see conflict.
It changes the way we see those who hurt us.
People can become instruments of evil.
Nations can become instruments of evil.
Ideas can become instruments of evil.
But the enemy is deeper than what we see.
That is why we cannot fight this battle only with human strength.
We need the strength of the Lord.
We need prayer.
We need the Word of God.
We need the armor of God.
Saint Paul says:
Put on the whole armor of God.
The belt of truth.
The breastplate of righteousness.
The shoes of readiness to announce the Gospel of peace.
The shield of faith.
The helmet of salvation.
The sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God.
This is not the armor of violence.
It is not the armor of pride.
It is not the armor of hatred.
It is the armor of Christ.
Truth protects us from lies.
Righteousness protects the heart.
The Gospel of peace keeps our feet ready to walk the way of Christ.
Faith shields us when doubts and fears attack.
Salvation protects our mind
when the enemy reminds us only of our weakness and sin.
And the Word of God becomes the sword of the Spirit.
This is why prayer is not a small thing.
Prayer is not an escape from the world.
Prayer is part of the battle for the world.
History shows us that prayer can change human hearts.
Prayer can protect communities.
Prayer can open paths where no path seems possible.
But we often underestimate prayer.
We think action is real,
and prayer is weak.
Saint Paul thinks the opposite.
Without prayer,
we do not see clearly.
Without prayer,
we fight the wrong enemy.
Without prayer,
we may become what we are trying to resist.
Paul worked in Ephesus for a long time.
He preached.
He healed.
He cast out demons.
He faced opposition.
And here he tells us the secret:
Stand firm in the Lord.
Pray at every opportunity.
Keep watch.
Persevere.
This is also our call.
The world needs the Gospel of peace.
Our families need the Gospel of peace.
Our hearts need the Gospel of peace.
So today, let us put down the weapons of darkness.
Let us put on the armor of God.
Let us take up the Word of God.
Let us pray.
And let us stand firm
in the strength of the Lord.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
(Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial).