Continuing the theme of my last two posts commenting on the truth spoken by J R R Tolkien through the lips of Haldir in the book, the Fellowship of the Ring:
“In nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown than in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him.”
I introduced the importance for a Catholic Scout (and Catholics as a whole), to understand the Principles of War. I then went on to describe the method of the Dark Lords attack; subversion, and how modern tactics have attempted to tackle that problem.
This post is about How to oppose the Dark Lord. I am not expecting to set this all out in one go. There is some fundamental groundwork that needs to be prepared first;
Firstly, before undertaking the task of opposing the Dark Lord, his legions of hell and his agents on earth, it is very important to understand the enemy.
“The dumbest devil is more intelligent than all mankind together”
(FrECM quoting St Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica 1054)
Firstly, from this fact, it is important to realise that any human effort to construct a strategy against the Dark Lord, is futile, because of the vast intellect and power that incorporeality and immortality grants the Dark Lord and his Legions of Hell.
Secondly, our Catholic Faith has condemned the concept that a human is able to strategise against the Dark Lord without the aid of Sanctifying Grace (Pelagianism).
So if it futile for you or me to strategise, because the Dark Lord is able to witness our strategies and neuter them in ways we could not even imagine. And even the belief that a human could strategise against the Dark Lord (without the aid of Sanctifying Grace), is condemned by the Catholic Church. Just how, then, can one oppose the Dark Lord?
Well, the answer is actually quite easy, the key is Sanctifying Grace.
There is One who has a Greater Intellect than the Dark Lord and all his Legions of Hell put together. He has strategies. Like a good Commander He does not reveal the full battle plan to the soldiers, rather He gives them specific orders, He does not explain why (nor is He required to).
The soldiers are us. The issue is that we must put ourselves into a position by which we can receive those orders and do them. That calls for Sanctifying Grace, for Our Catholic Faith, teaches us that we cannot do anything good without Grace (cf Council of Carthage 419 – Canon 113). And remember that while we can do nothing good without Grace, Grace does not make us infallible if we revert to trying to work things out on our own power.
What I am therefore saying is; God has a plan. He has specific actions for an individual soul to take. He can, and will, communicate those actions to that individual soul, if (and usually only if) a soul is in the state of Sanctifying Grace. By those plans alone is there hope that the Dark Lord will be defeated (and it is the only way that he will be defeated – and he most certainly will be defeated by these means). Of course this requires cleaning out everything that stands in the way of Grace, then after doing that, listening to what the Lord desires us to do and doing it! But what I have said here is nothing different than what Our Lord said in the Gospels (just said differently).
So, the key to us mortals is just how do we obtain Grace by which we can then do effective battle with the Dark Lord (and win)? Well that’s content for my next post. But as a sneak peak it involves: Surrender, repentance, confession and penance, followed by receiving guidance, and taking action.
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