I have come to believe—after over twenty years working for parishes—that the devil’s last stand is pride. If he can’t entangle a person in lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, or envy, pride is his last stand. And it’s a killer.

It is as if the devil realizes none of the first six are working anymore on an individual, so he sits back and waits for the targeted soul to become comfortable and content. He knows that over time, our hearts grow into conformity with the law and we don’t have to fight quite as hard to resist certain sin as we once did. It is then that he strikes.

“Look at how great you are doing!” he whispers. “You did it!” he confirms. “Anyone can do it,” he suggests. “Why is everyone else still making those mistakes?” he questions. “Why isn’t everyone as holy as you?” he demands.

You know what I love about being Catholic? We know from historical documents that a man referred to as Jesus Christ walked the Earth about 2000 years ago.

We know that he turned the world upside-down with a message that was completely radical.

His followers recorded Him saying such things as, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them” (John 6:56) and “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:23)

We also know (again, historically) that He was tortured and put to death in a gruesome manner.

We know that His followers denied knowing Him and locked themselves away in fear of suffering a similar fate.

We know Jesus rose from the dead and made it clear to His followers that death is not the end and there is nothing to fear outside of separation from Him.

One of the key elements of being a Catholic, is that we know that there are two, equally important aspects to our relationship with God. One is our individual relationship with the Lord.

Most denominations emphasize only the “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” The natural result is less of an emphasis on the need to attend every Sunday. ‘Sure,’ they will say, ‘You should join us for the worship and the fellowship, but if you don’t, it certainly isn’t a sin.’

I often hear people lament the fact that there are so few believers left in the world. We are outnumbered. We are the remnant.

Except it isn’t true. We have just lost our nerve.

In the first chapter of 2 Timothy, we hear the words, “I remind you, to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord… but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

Power. Love. Self control.

These are three qualities that can be difficult to balance, unless we ask for the help of the Holy Spirit.