Life is full of unknowns. And I think if we’re honest, that scares most of us at least a little. We want to know what we’re up against because the reality is, until we know what we’re facing, we have no way of knowing how to get through it. There’s no solution in sight—no light at the end of the tunnel—until we know what the problem truly is.

We know this in the physical world, whether it’s facing an opponent in sports, a heath issue, or a hobby as simple as gardening. If we don’t study the other team’s plays, we’ll never be able to adapt our defense. If we simply keep treating the symptoms and never look deeper for the real problem, we’ll never be healed. If we don’t pull out the weed’s root, it will keep growing back. But I think many of us have sorely forgotten this principle regarding the spiritual world.

The symptoms are pretty clear with one glance around the culture. In fact, sometimes our world can seem downright scary, and the sheer number of problems can seem overwhelming. Sometimes, we forget to take a step back and acknowledge the root of the problem. The reality is, there’s a war of spiritual dimensions, raging all around us. Satan and evil are real.

But it just so happens that one of the Enemy’s most effective tactics lies in convincing the world he doesn’t exist. After all, if we don’t know what we’re fighting against, how can we hope to win?

As Catholics, we’re called to be the light of the world—to shine the light of Christ and expose the root of the problem. We must learn to recognize all the heads the Devil rears, and learn to combat them…then teach others to do the same.

© Isabelle Wood 2024

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