Dressed for Battle, Weeping for the City: The Strength of the Shepherd

Eph 6:10-20, Psalm: 143, Lk 13:31-35

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

There is a battle raging. It is not a battle of flesh and blood, not a war of nations or armies. It is a spiritual battle for the human heart. And we are all soldiers in it—whether we like it or not. Today, Saint Paul tells us to put on the armor of God. Jesus shows us the heart of the Shepherd who weeps for His people. And both readings reveal the same truth: we are called to be strong in the Lord, and to fight not with hatred, but with love.

In his Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul writes, “Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.” Paul is clear: “Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” Our enemy is not the person who disagrees with us, not the politician we dislike, not the colleague who undermines us. Our enemy is Satan and his legions. And we are called to fight—not with anger, not with violence, but with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. The belt of truth. The breastplate of righteousness. The shoes of the Gospel of peace. The shield of faith. The helmet of salvation. The sword of the Spirit. And prayer—constant, vigilant, persevering prayer.

Then, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus reveals the heart of the Shepherd. He is warned that Herod wants to kill Him. He does not flee in fear. He does not retaliate in anger. He says, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.'” Jesus is determined. He will not be stopped. He will go to Jerusalem. He will face the Cross. And why? Because of love. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!”

The connection between the readings is the heart of the warrior. The Christian soldier does not fight out of hatred. He fights out of love. He puts on the armor of God not to destroy his enemies, but to rescue them. He stands firm not because he is strong in himself, but because he is strong in the Lord. And like Jesus, he weeps for the city that rejects him.

Pope Benedict XVI, reflecting on this passage, said, “The Church’s mission is not one of conquest but of love. We fight not against people, but against the powers of darkness that enslave them.” Pope Francis has said, “The devil is the father of lies, but the Shepherd is the way, the truth, and the life. We must be strong in the Lord, but our strength is the strength of love.” And Saint Augustine, contemplating the armor of God, wrote, “Put on Christ, and you put on the armor of God. For Christ Himself is our belt of truth, our breastplate of righteousness, our helmet of salvation.”

What does this mean for us? We are in a battle. The enemy is real. But we are not fighting for victory; we are fighting from victory. Christ has already conquered. The Cross is His throne. The empty tomb is His victory. We are called to stand firm in that victory, dressed in His armor, fighting with His weapons: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God.

Today, let us examine our hearts. Are we dressed for battle? Are we fighting with the weapons of the Spirit, or the weapons of the flesh? And do we weep for those who are lost, or do we simply condemn them? Let us ask the Lord to give us the strength of the warrior and the heart of the Shepherd—to stand firm in the truth and to weep for the city that does not know its hour.

For the battle is real. But the victory is already won. Amen.

May God bless you all!