Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Dominican tertiary, Doctor of the Church, co-patron of Europe
Letter 66 to Peter, marquis du Mont
The strong soul is well armed
O my dearest Son, we see that God has armed man with such a strong weapon that neither the devil nor creatures can harm him. It is man’s free will, and it is because of this freedom that God said: “I created you without you, but I will not save you without you.”
God therefore wants us to use the weapons he has given and to resist the blows we receive from our enemies. We have three principal enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. But let us not fear; divine Providence has armed us so well that we need fear nothing. The armor is good, and the One who helps us is even better: He is God, whom nothing can resist, and as long as the soul looks to this gentle and powerful Helper, it cannot fall into any weakness. This seems to have been the thought of the ardent Saint Paul when he said: “I can do all things through Jesus crucified, who is in me and strengthens me” (cf. Phil 4:13).
When Paul felt the attacks and the sting of the flesh, he was strengthened not by himself, whom he saw as weak, but by Christ Jesus and by the good armor that God had given him, granting him freedom. He said: “I can do all things, and neither the devil nor creatures can force me to commit mortal sin if I do not want to.” As long as man does not strip himself of these weapons and place them in the hands of the devil by the consent of his will, he is never defeated, even though the devil, the flesh, and the world come to attack him and hurl their poisoned arrows at him (…).
I do not want you, my dear son in Christ Jesus, to fear anything in this trial.