Guard Your Heart: 3 Tactics Demons Use Against the Soul
Sensus Fidelium
7,423 views
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Why does Jesus Christ specifically distinguish between the heart, soul, and mind? In this Byzantine Catholic homily, we focus upon the heart—the spiritual center of the human person and the battlefield upon which thoughts, desires, emotions, and acts of the will are tested.
The Holy Fathers teach that we must guard the heart carefully because the invisible enemies of the soul are intelligent, cunning, and persistent.
Saint Isaiah the Solitary, one of the spiritual writers included in the Philokalia, warns:
“Be attentive to your heart and watch your enemies, for they are cunning in their malice.”
He also teaches that it is impossible to achieve good through evil means. Good intentions cannot sanctify dishonesty, compromise, or sinful actions. Evil means poison the very source of our actions and cannot produce a truly pure good.
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov compares the heart to an unwritten tablet. We must allow the truth, the Holy Spirit, the commandments of God, prayer, spiritual reading, piety, and purity of life to write upon it. The only writer upon the tablet of the soul should be the finger of God.
The homily identifies three tactics employed by the demons:
1. The illusion of peace — The enemy temporarily withdraws so that we relax our vigilance, preparing to return with greater force.
2. Spiritual pride — A person is tempted to believe that he has already reached an advanced level of holiness and has nothing more to learn.
3. Sensory distraction — Noise, entertainment, media, and constant stimulation prevent the soul from entering silence, recollection, and interior peace.
The path to God is narrow and difficult. It requires radical self-denial, constant effort, renunciation of worldly attachments, and what the Fathers describe as a daily crucifixion. There is no effortless path to sanctity—but God’s grace accompanies those who sincerely walk the narrow way.
Guard your heart. Examine it honestly. Allow the finger of God to write His law upon it.
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Support pro-life organizations when buying or selling a home:
https://realestateforlife.org
00:00 Glory to Jesus Christ
00:12 Love God with your whole heart, soul, and mind
00:20 Why Christ makes these distinctions
00:41 The heart, soul, and mind
00:44 Focusing upon the heart
00:53 The heart as the center of the person
01:05 Why the heart must be guarded
01:14 St. Isaiah the Solitary and the Philokalia
01:23 Vigilance against invisible enemies
01:29 “Be attentive to your heart”
01:37 Good cannot be achieved through evil means
01:44 The narrow gate and difficult way
01:56 St. Ignatius Brianchaninov’s advice
02:04 The heart as an unwritten tablet
02:20 Let the finger of God be its only writer
02:28 Prayer and spiritual reading
02:38 Recognizing demonic activity
02:46 How demons attack beginners
02:53 Subtle attacks against advanced souls
03:02 Three tactics employed by the demons
03:11 First tactic: the illusion of peace
03:24 Second tactic: spiritual pride
03:34 Third tactic: sensory distraction
03:51 Recovering silence and peace of mind
03:59 Good intentions cannot sanctify evil
04:11 Compromise with sin poisons the soul
04:28 Why evil cannot produce pure good
04:37 Radical self-denial and spiritual effort
04:46 The daily crucifixion
04:51 There is no easy path to holiness
05:01 The narrow gate leading to eternal life
05:10 Renouncing the love of the world
05:27 Grace accompanies the difficult path
05:35 Examine the desires within your heart
05:50 Honesty, infirmity, and repentance
06:06 God accompanies the repentant soul
06:18 Look into your heart
06:21 Glory forever
06:37 Sensus Fidelium app
06:43 Sponsor message
06:51 Real Estate for Life
#GuardYourHeart #SpiritualWarfare #CatholicHomily #ByzantineCatholic #Philokalia
For more please visit https://lifegivingspringspodcast.podb... & remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest.
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5 Comments
Jesus' "Rolls Royce" doesn't need to be completely plastered with bumper stickers to look good or "nice," especially those that say that all religions are very good.
Guard Your Heart: 3 Tactics Demons Use Against the Soul
Sensus Fidelium
7,423 views
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Why does Jesus Christ specifically distinguish between the heart, soul, and mind? In this Byzantine Catholic homily, we focus upon the heart—the spiritual center of the human person and the battlefield upon which thoughts, desires, emotions, and acts of the will are tested.
The Holy Fathers teach that we must guard the heart carefully because the invisible enemies of the soul are intelligent, cunning, and persistent.
Saint Isaiah the Solitary, one of the spiritual writers included in the Philokalia, warns:
“Be attentive to your heart and watch your enemies, for they are cunning in their malice.”
He also teaches that it is impossible to achieve good through evil means. Good intentions cannot sanctify dishonesty, compromise, or sinful actions. Evil means poison the very source of our actions and cannot produce a truly pure good.
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov compares the heart to an unwritten tablet. We must allow the truth, the Holy Spirit, the commandments of God, prayer, spiritual reading, piety, and purity of life to write upon it. The only writer upon the tablet of the soul should be the finger of God.
The homily identifies three tactics employed by the demons:
1. The illusion of peace — The enemy temporarily withdraws so that we relax our vigilance, preparing to return with greater force.
2. Spiritual pride — A person is tempted to believe that he has already reached an advanced level of holiness and has nothing more to learn.
3. Sensory distraction — Noise, entertainment, media, and constant stimulation prevent the soul from entering silence, recollection, and interior peace.
The path to God is narrow and difficult. It requires radical self-denial, constant effort, renunciation of worldly attachments, and what the Fathers describe as a daily crucifixion. There is no effortless path to sanctity—but God’s grace accompanies those who sincerely walk the narrow way.
Guard your heart. Examine it honestly. Allow the finger of God to write His law upon it.
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Support pro-life organizations when buying or selling a home:
https://realestateforlife.org
00:00 Glory to Jesus Christ
00:12 Love God with your whole heart, soul, and mind
00:20 Why Christ makes these distinctions
00:41 The heart, soul, and mind
00:44 Focusing upon the heart
00:53 The heart as the center of the person
01:05 Why the heart must be guarded
01:14 St. Isaiah the Solitary and the Philokalia
01:23 Vigilance against invisible enemies
01:29 “Be attentive to your heart”
01:37 Good cannot be achieved through evil means
01:44 The narrow gate and difficult way
01:56 St. Ignatius Brianchaninov’s advice
02:04 The heart as an unwritten tablet
02:20 Let the finger of God be its only writer
02:28 Prayer and spiritual reading
02:38 Recognizing demonic activity
02:46 How demons attack beginners
02:53 Subtle attacks against advanced souls
03:02 Three tactics employed by the demons
03:11 First tactic: the illusion of peace
03:24 Second tactic: spiritual pride
03:34 Third tactic: sensory distraction
03:51 Recovering silence and peace of mind
03:59 Good intentions cannot sanctify evil
04:11 Compromise with sin poisons the soul
04:28 Why evil cannot produce pure good
04:37 Radical self-denial and spiritual effort
04:46 The daily crucifixion
04:51 There is no easy path to holiness
05:01 The narrow gate leading to eternal life
05:10 Renouncing the love of the world
05:27 Grace accompanies the difficult path
05:35 Examine the desires within your heart
05:50 Honesty, infirmity, and repentance
06:06 God accompanies the repentant soul
06:18 Look into your heart
06:21 Glory forever
06:37 Sensus Fidelium app
06:43 Sponsor message
06:51 Real Estate for Life
#GuardYourHeart #SpiritualWarfare #CatholicHomily #ByzantineCatholic #Philokalia
For more please visit https://lifegivingspringspodcast.podb... & remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest.
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION
🙏 Donate
https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-sup...
📬 Free Catholic Newsletter
https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/
📰 Read on Substack
https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/
────────────────────
📺 WATCH & READ
📺 Sensus Fidelium App
https://sensusfidelium.tv/
📚 Sensus Fidelium Press
https://sensusfideliumpress.com/
👕 Official Merchandise
https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/
────────────────────
🤝 PARTNER WITH US
📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium
https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-...
🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak
https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/
⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation
https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/
────────────────────
🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses
https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-b...
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
1. The illusion of peace
2. Spiritual pride
3. Sensory distraction
Which of these do you find most difficult to recognize or resist?
“Be attentive to your heart and watch your enemies, for they are cunning in their malice.”
Glory to Jesus Christ!