First Spiritual Weapon Catherine example essay topic

When people give their lives to Christ Jesus their hearts are changed and their soul becomes alive with the Holy Spirit. Once a life is saved, is life relaxed and easy for it is saved from the pit of hell? Of course not, Christians are faced with temptations from Satan and his demons. Temptations are brought upon us for us to make the choice of whether or not to fall into temptation or not.

In the book The Seven Spiritual Weapons, Catherine of Bologna lists seven spiritual weapons to conquer enemies of God. These seven tools are to enhance our personal walk with Jesus Christ. Catherine wrote this work in fear of divine condemnation. She felt if she was silent about the delights of others she would be condemned.

She felt it was her spiritual duty to do God's will and to encourage her fellow sisters of the monastery to fight the enemies of God. The first spiritual weapon Catherine describes is Zeal, that is solicitude in doing good. God condemns those that are lukewarm and negligent in the way of God. Enemies will see people doing good and will try to corrupt them by persuading them to do too much.

Catherine reveals that there is as much danger in too much as in too little. People may try to do good deeds and wind up performing them in excess of what is good for the glory of God. 'So exercise all the virtues in proper measure that the weapon of true and diligent discretion may be exercised by us for our salvation and for the praise of Christ. ' ; Catherine portrays that it is very important for people to practice all virtues with discretion, for as to not over do it.

The Holy Spirit inspires good inspirations in people, and then leaves the choice for each person to make and act upon. We must not let the time the Holy Spirit has given us pass by without the choice being made to follow Christ Jesus. Catherine's second spiritual weapon is Mistrust of Self. She describes this as believing that no one can do anything good by oneself, without the help of Christ Jesus. Do not trust in yourself for you shall surely fall to the enemy. It is in a person's nature to try to do things by his or herself, but the Lord says, 'Without me you can do nothing'; (Jo 15: 5).

Many people still fall into the trap of relying on themselves for everything and not turning to the power of Christ Jesus our savior. Catherine questions the person that would want to live alone, '... by her own lights and her foolish fervour... '; without the help of Christ Jesus. Catherine explains that if a person confides in his or her own wisdom they will experience the evilness of the enemy. Do not trust yourself, for you are weak and will fall without the help of the Lord. God and his glorious power govern the lives of Christians, but even Christians have trouble in their lives. It is up to Christians to entrust themselves to God.

This is Catherine's third weapon, to put one's trust in God. The Christian life is not going to be all fine and dandy, the devil will try to make us fall. Even God himself will test us, but he will never test us farther than we can handle. Catherine expresses that she will increase her trust in the divine aid when she is in great straits and tribulations. The Bible states, 'I am with him in tribulation; I will snatch him up and glorify him'; (Ps 91: 15).

God even announces that he will be with us when we are in troubled times. Catherine asks who would not want to be in trouble. The Lord is going to snatch you up and glorify you. Who would not want to be glorified by our Heavenly Father? The Bible gives examples of Christ not fully trusting God when Jesus says, 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?' ; This gives the example of the separation from Jesus' human state to his divine state. Humans question God's will and tend not to trust his master plan.

This is why Catherine addresses this as a weapon against the enemy. It is better to be in trouble and glorified by God, than to have good times and not be recognized by God. Catherine explains the fourth weapon to be the memory of the Christ Jesus' death and resurrection. Always keep this on your mind, for it is the best means for winning battles. Catherine explains that this weapon is the most important and that, 'Every other weapon will achieve little without this one which surpasses all the rest.

' ; The remembrance of Christ's death is powerful and very emotional for people. Believing that Christ died on the cross for your sins is the way to achieve eternal life. This is why Catherine states that this weapon is the most important. Without the belief that Christ died on the cross for your sins, the others will be nothing. But with belief, all things are possible, and letting God fill your mind with thoughts of passion, you will obtain the mantle of victory. Humans face a great phenomenon that changes the course of life all together, and that is death.

On occasion we must be reminded of it, and that is Catherine's fifth weapon - remind oneself that we must die. She explains that God looks down on us so that we can improve our lives from good to better. If our lives are not improved then we have to render account the evils we have done and also the goods left undone. Catherine tells us to think about death and stand ready for it, because we know neither the day nor the hour. Death should not be ignored by people but rather prepared for by all. The enemy may try to use this weapon by telling people that they must die soon, so they must further their penance.

This weapon should be used with good judgement, so it can be used '... for the salvation of the soul and for the praise of Christ. Amen. ' ; Catherine's sixth weapon is the memory of the goods of paradise. God created heaven to be immaculate and beautiful for his believers. Remembering what God has made for us is important for individuals in their spiritual life.

Earthly goods are in no comparison to the riches in heaven. For this reason it is impossible to enjoy present goods and future ones too, as Catherine states. One should be content with what is given and not to have pleasures or beloved in this world. God has given you all that you need, and desires to want more would be wrong. Catherine then address' the sisters in the monastery, she explains what would happen if any of them would have the desire to leave the monastery for earthly possessions.

She says not to, '... follow your current evil desire and temptation, but stand strong and persevere until the end, so that you can finally reach that noble feast and company... ' ; Be strong and constant in your faith, and do it for the love of the Lord God. Do not fall into the trap of worldly possessions for they are only temporal, and the heavenly kingdom is for eternity. So the choice is a logical one for the sisters to make. Our time on earth is short, but our time in heaven is eternal.

Catherine writes the seventh weapon as a warning and instruction for all the new sisters in the monastery. This is to be reviewed in years to come in the monastery for all new sisters. The seventh weapon is the memory of Holy Scripture. Scripture is a weapon to defend yourself from evil, just as Christ did when dealing with the devil in the desert. Whenever you hear scripture, store it in your heart to be cherished forever. The devil may sometime come to you in the form of good, like he did with Catherine, and it is up to you to find out if he is for real or not.

Scripture is the word of God and if something contradicts God then they are evil. Scripture is the truth, the word of God that will always reign true. This is why you should know the scriptures of the Bible. Catherine writes about her own life and how the devil deceived her to believe that he was the Virgin Mary. She writes to warn the sisters of the evil the devil does.

If the devil does lure a person, he or she should ask God to relieve him or her from the devil and God will command the devil to leave you. Catherine finishes with a lovely statement of encouragement to pray and keep the desire to do good things.