DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Saint Luke 8:1-3
(10/11-10/24)
Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week after Pentecost
Wisdom’s Children V ~ Are Freed from Evil Spirits: Saint
Luke 8:1-3, especially vs. 2: “...and
certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities - Mary called
Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons....” Blessed
Theophylact notes that “One might...say that
just as there are seven spirits of virtue, so also there are seven spirits of
wickedness. There is...the spirit
of the fear of God, and its opposite, the spirit of irreverence, which does not
fear God. There is the spirit of
understanding, and its opposite, the spirit of incomprehension....Therefore,
unless these seven spirits of wickedness are cast out of the soul, one cannot
follow Christ. First Satan must be
cast out; only then can Christ dwell within.”
When Blessed Theophylact speaks
of seven virtues, or gifts of the Holy Spirit, he is referring to a list first
given by the Prophet Isaiah (see Is. 11:2,3). His remark that Satan must first be cast
out before Christ can dwell within, prompts us to remember that there are evil
and impure spirits “...which hideth and....operateth through the prompting of the Devil.” These desire to snare and defile
us. But give thanks to God; for we
are partakers of the Mysteries of Christ in sure hope of “...the power of
the Holy Spirit, in the unity of...Christ: that we might be no more children of
the body, but children of Christ’s Kingdom.” Never make the mistake of thinking that
because you have received “The seal of the gift of the Holy
Spirit,” Satan is no longer aiming his machinations at your soul for its
destruction. Stay alert against
Him!
To this end, it is wise to consider both lists as windows
into the spiritual state of one’s soul - the seven spiritual gifts of the
Holy Spirit and the dread, seven demonic spirits that long to pull us back into
the bondage of the enemy if we let down our guard: foolishness, deceit, apathy,
incomprehension, delusion, perversion, and irreverence.
To preserve “...the earnest of the Spirit pure and
undefiled unto the dread Day of Christ,” we must commit ourselves to the
path of Mary Magdalene - staying with the Lord. He frees those who cling to Him from
evil spirits and infirmities. The
demons are seeking to block you and me from receiving the healing of the Wisdom
of God Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The ‘standard setters’ of contemporary,
secular, neo-pagan culture promote life solely in distorted, non-spiritual
terms. Thus, masses of people live
without reference to their Creator, proud of what ‘they’
achieve. These unfortunates have no
gratitude to God. They acknowledge
no dependence upon Him. Worse, they
have no inkling that their lives are driven by and enslaved to impure
spirits. Be a child of Wisdom like
Mary Magdalene and trust God and thank Christ every day for every aspect of
your existence. You are a child of
God, free from dead materialism and the deceit of those who deny the existence
of evil powers.
Satan’s greatest achievement in the present age is
that he has convinced so many people that there are no evil spirits. Do not fall prey to glittering
techniques that promise success through slick forms of enlightenment. Wisdom’s children “...have
received the heavenly Spirit.”
The practice of Orthodox faith in Christ provides spiritual
strength for life, for breaking the domination of dark forces that human power
cannot control. The results of the
demons and foul spirits are observable all around us. Be attentive! Hearts and minds are surrendered to fate
as a ‘fact’ of life.
Seek the Lord, child of Wisdom, and draw from His power to cast out the
demonic spirits. Christ gives His
Spirit in His Church to illumine our former darkness, keep us wise and free,
and save our souls. Cry out to Him
with joy and faith:
Be merciful to me, O Master of all, that my soul not behold the lurid glance of the cunning demons who
would drag me to the depths of hell, but protect me and be my Defender.
Return to the October Calendar