What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter, Porta fidei, October 2011
The weapon of fasting
Lent is a time of reflection, a time to ask what we are in need of to grow in the spiritual life. It is the season where we are invited to examine ourselves and ask God how we can turn our heart to him and grow closer so that we may die to oneself to live in God. Dr. Paul Thigpen is the editor of TAN Books. He's an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of many books, including daily devotionals good for Lent and throughout the year. His work has been translated into twelve languages and circulated worldwide. One of my favorite Thigpen books is Manual for Spiritual Warfare. In the Manual the author reminds us how "Sacred Scripture speaks of our ongoing battles with the world, the flesh, and the Devil (see Jas 4:1-7)." Yet, as he continues, "... belief in Satan's existence and activity is today widely dismissed as an outdated superstition. As a result, most Catholics hear very little about him, leaving them unprepared to understand and defeat him. They need to know their Enemy and his strategies." For words of wit and wisdom from Paul Thigpen, Ph.D., about one of the weapons at our disposal in the spiritual life, please enjoy below. Peace be with you! Author, Reason2bCatholic
Throughout Sacred Scripture, we find that when God’s people fast, the power of their prayers is increased, especially when they are engaged in spiritual warfare. In the Old Testament, the Lord told Isaiah that a fast properly undertaken would ‘loose the bonds of wickedness … undo the thongs of the yoke … let the oppressed go free’ (Is. 58:6) ….
In the New Testament, we find that Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the wilderness in preparation for His battle with Satan, who came to tempt Him (see Lk 4:1-2). And on at least one occasion, when Our Lord’s disciples failed to cast out a demon from a possessed boy, He told them that this kind cannot be driven out by anything but “prayer and fasting” (Mk 9:28).
If prayer is a spiritual weapon, fasting is the spiritual whetstone on which it is sharpened. It’s the spiritual muscle that, when exercised regularly, strengthens the thrust of that weapon to pierce the Enemy and drive him away.”
Dr. Paul Thigpen, Manual for Spiritual Warfare (p. 42-43)
about tan books
The Publishers You Can Trust with Your Faith
TAN Books was founded in 1967 and was acquired by Saint Benedict Press in 2008. We are a family-owned traditional Catholic publishing company located near Charlotte NC. Our products are distributed across the world.
Our uncompromising mission is to help people become saints.
The One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church has ceaselessly provided God’s children with the tools and resources necessary to become saints.
TAN has always been committed to the preservation and promotion of the spiritual, theological, and liturgical traditions of Holy Mother Church. We publish over 1,000 titles. The topics covered in our catalogue are extensive, but there is a primary focus on the interior life and the ways in which the saints exercised their own interior life. This includes titles on Thomistic theology, traditional devotions, Church doctrine, Church history, the lives of the Saints, educational resources, Sacred Scripture, and much more.
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Christianity is not a system of ethics; it is a life. It is not good advice; it is divine adoption. Being a Christian does not consist in just being kind to the poor, going to church, singing hymns, or serving on parish committees, though it includes all of these. It is first and foremost a love relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
When the desire for God touches men’s hearts the world will be made anew. For a man is called to be another Christ. What the world is in need of today is real manhood in the image and likeness of God Incarnate, Jesus Christ. Men: This is the challenge of our time. It is the challenge of our Age.”
Author, Reason2bCatholic
Mary, seat of wisdom
Faith resembles a lamp. As a lamp lights the whole house, so the light of faith illumines the whole soul.”
Saint John Chrysostom
Mary, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.
Be not afraid! And may the peace of Christ be with you and your loved ones today and always. Holy Family, pray for us. Amen.
