Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1518662
2 3 1 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against f lesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the f laming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." Let's unpack this slowly. FIRST, ST. PAUL REMINDS US TO RELY UPON GOD RATHER THAN OURSELVES: "BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE STRENGTH OF HIS MIGHT." This is maybe the hardest part of apologetics. We want to be the heroes, we want to be right, and we want to do it all on the strength of our own brilliance. But this is a huge mistake, and the surest route to failure. Why? Paul gets there in his second point. SECOND, HE REMINDS US WHO WE'RE REALLY UP AGAINST. Our enemy is Satan and his henchmen. And Paul also reminds us of Satan's "wiles," and the "spiritual hosts of wickedness." The devil's smarter than you are, and more powerful. If you are relying upon your own strength, you will lose. But this is also a good reminder that "we are not contending against f lesh and blood," even when it feels like we are. In the heat of the moment, when someone is attacking us, or attacking our mother Mary, or attacking Jesus, or attacking the Church, our natural response is to get defensive and to think of that person as our enemy. But St. Paul tells us no, they're not our enemy, Satan and the forces of evil are. 37 DENVER CATHOLIC | APR-MAY 2024 This has several implications for how we approach apologetics. It means you can't just approach it as an argument in which you have to "beat" the other person. Your goal needs to be to win the other person for Christ, not to win the argument. If you start getting into "winning the argument" mode, you will quickly find yourself struggling with pride, deception, and lack of charity. You might "win" the argument, but you've lost against your real enemy, the devil. THIRD, ST. PAUL TELLS US TO WEAR THE WHOLE "ARMOR OF GOD," BEGINNING WITH "GIRDING OUR LOINS WITH TRUTH." Let's say that the other person you're speaking to raises a question, and you just don't know the answer. What's the temptation? To make something up or to guess. Why? Because it saves face, or because we buy into the lie that if we don't make something up, we'll lose. Paul is warning us: don't do that. Don't rely upon half-truths or lies just because they might help you "win the argument"; don't make stuff up to avoid looking ignorant or wrong; don't sacrifice truth for the sake of a "win." Why? Because Satan "is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44), while God is "the God of truth" (Isaiah 65:16). Lying is losing. ⊲