Saintly "SOLDIERS" of Jesus

Reflection of Rev. Fr. Phillippe Angelo G. Garcia in Celebration of the Solemnity of All Saints

Fr. Phillippe with St Gabriel Parish Altar Servers. These altar servers are aspiring to be “saintly soldiers” of Jesus.

As we celebrate this great Solemnity of All Saints, we remember all the holy people: those whom our Mother Church has formally canonized, the saints whom we know personally, and also those holy individuals known only to God. This celebration reminds us that all of us are called to holiness, and therefore, the direction of our life must be toward God. A good life is one that leads to God; if our life is headed elsewhere — contrary to God's will — then we are lost on the way.

Every Sunday, as we celebrate the Holy Mass, we proclaim our faith in the Communion of Saints which gives us an image of our the ultimate direction in life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 954 writes,

When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth (the Church Militant). Others have died and are being purified (the Church Suffering/Penitent), while still others are in glory, contemplating "in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is" (the Church Triumphant).'

In these paragraph we see the Three States of the Church. The Church Triumphant is regarded as “victorious” because they have already won the heavenly life. Here are the Saints—known and unknown—the truly holy ones. To reach heaven and join the Church Triumphant, others who have died might need to be purified in the Church Suffering or Penitent. For us who are still living, we must do well in the Church Militant.

The word "Militant" comes from the Latin term Miles, which means "Soldier." This brings us to an inspiration that we are not just pilgrims; we are also invited to be soldiers faithful to God. As "Soldiers of God," the Saints serve as our inspiration. They were once sinners, but they defeated sin and crossed over to heaven.

I wish to share today a few brief points for reflection on our identity as Soldiers of Jesus.

First, we must obey only our Commanding Officer, Jesus, and not the enemy. Jesus alone is our Chief Shepherd.

Second, if we know our Shepherd, Jesus, we must also know our enemy. The enemy has many instruments, so to fight it, we must know the movements of the devil. If we know that the enemy will tempt us to commit sin in a certain situation or with a certain person, why would we put ourselves at risk with the enemy?

In the Rules for the Discernment of Spirits in the First Week of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises, he mentioned three images of the devil. First, The devil is a nagging partner. The devil will not stop until you let go and definitely cut your ties to him. Second, The devil is a seducing false-secret lover. The devil desires to work in secret and in the dark. The devil shows what you attract and pin you down. However, he is defeatable once you express your faithfulness to God through the Sacrament of Confession and your deliberate NO to the devil. Lastly, the devil is a military leader. He attacks you at your weakness. Our lord Jesus is our commanding officer. As you follow him more closely, you will be able to defeat the devil.

Third, the Soldier of Jesus has a weapon: our life of prayer and the Sacraments. This includes the Holy Rosary. As Padre Pio said, "The greatest weapon against the devil is the HOLY ROSARY." If we are weak in this, the enemy can easily defeat us. However, God’s grace is always there; we just need to strive for it. If a soldier of Jesus makes a mistake, he reconciles with God in the Sacrament of Confession. The Sacraments are always there to strengthen us.

Fourth, the soldier of Jesus continuously fights for God. Even when it is difficult, the soldier of Jesus continues to say "No" to the enemy so that Jesus’ voice may win in our life.

My brothers and sisters, may we always remember that our life must be directed toward God.

All of us are called to be holy, and the goodness of our life must be shown in our conduct.