Last night in a dream or half-waking state, I heard Jesus say that foot soldiers of Christ are needed to further the side of the good. These are the spiritual resistance army that promotes what is good and pushes back against the resurgence of evil that prowls the world in these times. He also said that all are needed, and no one should think themselves too insignificant to make a different in the army of the good, the Body of Christ. I saw vast numbers of people, all pushing in the same direction in the spiritual battle of our times.

The good is what Jesus taught in the Gospels – to help the poor, sick, and vulnerable, and to work for the common good of all people. The types of evil are many, but the primary concern here is the accumulation of exponential power and money in the hands of only a few people, mainly men, without regard for the fate of billions of people. Among them are those who have committed egregious crimes against children and who still hold power. Some of these cruel, abhorrent crimes were even reputed to be satanic, for the purpose of gaining even more earthly power, without a thought for their own souls, let alone compassion for their helpless victims. On a more ordinary level, individual and societal evils consist in selfishly seeking profit over the welfare of humanity and over the survival of nature on this planet. Many of our compatriots remember what it is to be a good citizen, but too many have forgotten.

Pope Leo speaks out regularly to advocate for peace and justice and to urge care for the common person and the poor and elderly. This is advocacy. Many groups of all faiths and nonfaiths also work to provide food and services to those who need them. This is action.  And finally, both the Catholic church and various denominations and religions across the world engage in prayer practices, such as the current US Catholic nine-day prayer (novena) to consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus – the heart of love and compassion.  This is transformation through prayer and spiritual practices, because when all else fails, pray.

Spiritual resistance consists of these three: advocacy, action, and prayer. And in these three, no one should feel their efforts are insignificant. We must all join and move forward together. That is all. Amen.