In my last series of articles, I gave a clear understanding of how to recognize spiritual attacks so that a person can see where and in what way the devil is affecting their life. Now I want to show how to overcome and heal from those attacks. It is important to know that this will take time, and it will require the participation of the afflicted person. The attacks may still be ongoing for a long time. Don’t be discouraged by that but try to accept that God is allowing this trial for your greater good and His glory. Suffering purifies the soul. God will heal you in His time and according to His will. Many steps need to be taken to overcome spiritual attacks. It is hard to decide what to focus on first because they are all important. The topics will vary and they will not be in any special order. I believe the Holy Spirit will move each person according to their particular need. And just to reiterate, these articles are written from the experiences I have lived and the things I have learned from those experiences.
When I go back and think about the one thing that the devil couldn’t take from me, it was the Church and all She has to offer. Most especially the Mass, the Eucharist, and confession. I was raised Catholic, so I knew then, and I know now that everything I learned about Jesus and everything He said is true. Going to Mass during those difficult years didn’t always make me feel better, but no matter how I felt, I knew I needed every bit of what the Church had to offer me. The Mass is everything because it gives us Jesus who is alive in the Eucharist. Each time we receive Jesus, His life flows through us, and we are transformed. What an incredible gift we have been given in the Mass and the Eucharist. It is an honor and privilege for all Catholics to receive the Lord Jesus Christ into their hearts and souls, and then carry Him into the world. It is what all we are called to do.
“From this moment on, live the Eucharist fully; be persons for whom the Holy Mass, communion, and Eucharistic adoration are the center and summit of their whole life.”
Saint Pope John Paul 11
The Mass is celebrated in unity with all those present, but it is also a private encounter between Jesus and the person. There is nothing more intimate than receiving Christ into your body and soul. Jesus speaks directly to the heart of that person. Grace is received just by being present at the Mass, but when we receive the Eucharist, we receive grace interiorly, and that touches and nourishes each individual soul according to their faith. The Mass is an encounter with the living God. Therefore, it is the most efficacious act a person can take in this life. Jesus becomes fully present in the Eucharist at the Mass. It is the only place we can receive Jesus physically. Jesus is the life of our faith. When we receive Him, it is a witness of our faith and our belief in His true presence. We give God everything. All of our love and praise, all of our thanks and prayers, and in return, He gives us Himself. There can be no greater exchange of love than this.
It may seem like I am about to change the subject, but I want to address “feelings” and clarify some things. Feelings of God or the lack of them is something all Christians will go through. And it is inevitable for all people who are under a spiritual attack. Just because God doesn’t always make His presence known to us through feelings during the Mass or outside of it doesn’t mean He isn’t present. Knowing that pushed me to go to Mass even when I felt nothing. Feelings are tricky, and we shouldn’t rely on them. But sometimes God uses feelings to draw a person to Himself, and sometimes He removes those feelings for the same reason. I’ll try to make this more clear.
I went to daily Mass for three years before I was spiritually attacked by witchcraft. God was calling me to a closer relationship with Him. One that was not shallow but real. I was opening myself to God in ways I really hadn’t before. I wanted to learn more about Him. During those three years, I went to several Marion Conferences, which were amazing and life-changing. Miracles happened in my life at those conferences. I was healed of a childhood illness, smelled roses on various occasions, and saw the miracle of the sun many times, and had so many interior experiences of God that it caused my love for Him grew dramatically. There was so much more that happened, but the point I am trying to make is that God was using my senses to draw me to Him. Through those inner experiences, Jesus was no longer a distant God but a tangible God that I felt in my soul.
“Love, to be real, must empty us of self.”
Saint Mother Teresa
But then one day I met this person and everything changed. All of the spiritual encounters with Jesus ceased and were replaced with a void or an emptiness. There were no more consolations. I just felt nothing of God. For three years Jesus warmed my heart with His love and light, and then He withdrew it and allowed the devil to attack me through this person who was a witch. I was suddenly plunged into darkness and had no idea how to escape. But I remembered the Lord’s tender love for me because of all of the consolations, and I knew that the Mass was my link to Jesus. It was a long time before I would feel the Lord again. But through His absence, and the suffering of the spiritual attacks, I searched for Him, and the longer it took me to find Him, the more my love for Him grew. So this is how it works. Sometimes we feel the greatness of God within us and we tremble, and other times we don’t and we grieve. But either way, the Lord is at work in us. Knowing this is a consolation in and of itself. Never lose hope.
“See, I have refined you like silver, tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
Isaiah 48:10
Jesus is inherently alive in you and me through the Eucharist, and there is nothing the devil can do about that as long as we stay in a state of grace. That brings me to confession, which many Catholics totally reject. There is a stigma attached to the sacrament of confession. That is the work of the devil. He creates fear in people, and that gives him the upper hand. We’re all going to mess up because we’re human, but God has given us a way to fix it. All a person has to do is overcome the fear of going to confession, and unimaginable grace will fall upon them. I didn’t go to confession for years until I went to my first Marion Conference. There I was drawn to the confessional by an inner voice, one that wouldn’t allow me to focus on anything else. I was afraid, but the Holy Spirit’s call was so powerful I couldn’t ignore it. I think that was the day I received the gift of the Fear of the Lord because I was finally able to look at myself and see my sin for what it was, terribly offensive to God. I didn’t want to hurt Him anymore. Confession removes sin and replaces it with great peace. I felt so free after that confession, so joyful that I promised God I would go to confession regularly after that, and I do. That started a new pattern of grace. I am so grateful I responded to the Holy Spirit’s call and chose to act.
The Church and the sacraments are a gift to us. They are the path to salvation. We are made strong by our willing participation in them. Through the Mass, the Eucharist, and confession, we arm ourselves with Christ Himself, and that is sure to crush the devil. It won’t stop him from tempting us, but the more we practice our faith and submit ourselves to God and His providence, the more likely we will be able to reject those temptations and conquer the devil.
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Thank you. Another amazing article.
Thanks Lorraine