02-Dec-2025 | Week 49

The Holy Nativity Fast

2nd Corinthians 10: 1-6
Spiritual Tools
1Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. 2 But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Commentary
“The devil envies only those who are successful in their spiritual work. He envies those who are near to God and favoured by Him. He envies the repentant for the zeal of their repentance and the worshippers in their deep attachment. He envies the humble, the meek and the pure-hearted and fights all of them. But what about those who are under his domination and under the domination of sin, or who are languid in their spiritual life? Why would he fight them? He is satisfied with their condition or puts them under his watch or leads them into what is worse. Here we mention three main kinds of spiritual wars: the person whom the devil fights lightly or heavily; the person fought by his own desires; the person fought by false brethren, by wicked people or evil surroundings which we call “supporters of the devil” or “the devil’s powers”. Thus, the church teaches us to say at the end of the thanksgiving prayer, “All envy, all temptation, all works of Satan, all intrigues of the wicked, and the rising up of enemies, visible and invisible, cast them away from us, and from all your people...”

~ H.H. Pope Shenouda III

Reflection
Question 1
What sacrifices can I make or what are some new tools I can utilise to help me in the spiritual war?