Today we find Saint Paul writing to the Ephesians about the armor of God. These words would have struck a chord with them as he described each piecee, as the culture they had left behind was one saturated with amulets, curses, and magic spells. It reminded them that they were leaving behind those superstitions and clothing themselves in Christ with the authentic weapons of spiritual warfare. Isaiah mentions all of these in his writings. Girding your loins with the belt of truth, putting on the breastplate of righteousness, and so forth.
I want to point out the final piece of armor mentioned, the seventh. Seven being the number of perfection, it is appropriate that Paul finishes with this vital piece of information. “With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit.”
Prayer. It’s vital. It roots us in the faith. It connects us with God and with the Sacraments. We must take time to pray before anything else. It’s easy to get caught up in the day with everything we must do, the people we need to take care of, or the worries of this life. Turn those moments into prayer as well. One of the things I like to do to increase my mindfulness of this is to take a menial task, like washing dishes, and turn it into a moment of awareness. To stop and think that, ultimately, these are God’s dishes, entrusted to my family and me, and to wash them with the care and diligence I would do at the banquet of the King. We must arm ourselves because the battle is real, and it’s creeping into our families, our lives, and our homes.
I know that some for some of you reading, prayer is already an integral part of your lives. I find though, that when we get busy around holidays and events, we can often forget to keep God present in the moment. If we find ourselves too busy to stop and pray for 5 or 10 minutes, maybe its time to spend 15 instead.
Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Lectionary: 482