Know Thy Enemy - Week 2: Saturday

Ephesians 5:29

“For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.”

Commentary

H.H. Pope Shenouda III
The Devil is malicious in his pretended kindness: His kind words are a malignant means to overthrow people. He "shows sympathy" for you when you fast and calls you to eat, for your own health! He "sympathizes" with you when you become spiritually active and when you keep awake in prayers, reading and kneeling down in worship (Metania) and calls you kindly to go to sleep and have rest. The 'kind-hearted' devil justifies your mistakes for you so that your conscience may not be weary. He prevents you from rebuking yourself, having regard for your feelings! Thus, in all your mistakes he offers you various excuses and justifications advising you.

By justifying your mistakes, he puts your conscience at ease, so that you are able to swallow a camel. He gets you away from repentance, from caution and from being on guard and from honesty in the little things.

The Devil is unfaithful and dishonest: As we have said before, the devil may show compassion for your health whether in respect to fasting, watchfulness or any physical weariness. He advises you to give rest to your body for the sake of your health... ! But he is not truly honest in showing concern for your health. He advises you to take rest and prevents you from watchfulness only if you keep awake for prayers, contemplation or spiritual reading or for prayer nights. However, if you keep awake in amusement or other means of entertainment, he will not warn you against the harms of wakefulness for your health!

Questions

• Have you ever justified your mistakes so that your conscience may not be weary?

• Do you relate with struggling to stay awake to pray/read the Bible or to wake up for liturgy, but when it comes to entertainment you are eager and it’s not difficult to stay up? Why is that? How can you change your patterns?