The initiative of the evangelist (continued)

Samson, the designated victim of the lion, did not flee. Chasing his victims sharpens the lion's appetite. But this man faced the lion. This fierce animal has been confronted by a ferocious man. Roaring over his shoulder, the lion tried to sneak away, but it was too late. Powerful hands grabbed him. Later, his carcass served as a hive. Samson, with his bare hands, "tore him as one tears a lamb" (Judges 14: 6). The Church is not built to stay on the defensive. We must seize the gates of hell. The offensive is the best defense. Instead of waiting to parry the enemy's blows, we should change the direction of the fight and launch an attack against the devil's territory.

Jesus came into the world, not to defend heaven, but as a victorious man of war "to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3: 8). Christ engaged the battle in the camp of the enemy ; he invaded hell, implacably chased the enemy, pursuing him, cornering him, not giving him a single chance, he crushed his snake's head, which ended up being defeated and helpless. Satan is not "alive and healthy on the planet earth". Jesus fatally wounded him.

It is the work of evangelization, in the name of Jesus. Wherever the slimy serpent sneaks, the people of God should chase the devil with sharpened swords. Let him not rest, for we are "more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). The best way to defend the truth is to proclaim it without compromise. We have not been called to justify what God says but to proclaim it. "The sword of the Spirit is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). As David said in speaking of the sword with which he killed Goliath : "There is none like it" (1 Samuel 21: 9). To defeat the devil, proclaim the gospel. The sound of your preaching appeals to him. Use your sword.

Jeremy Sourdril