Evil is multifaceted... It ceaselessly lies, kills, robs, commits lawlessness, destroys and annihilates all it touches, while beautifully justifying its motives and actions with a halo of care and goodness. There is no measure or boundary to evil's treachery. Evil infects even those who consider themselves good and virtuous, turning them into monsters, its apostles and advocates of the devil. It penetrates even the "holy of holies," into the Church, revealing tares and lovers of earthly kingdoms. Evil's tentacles creep into the most secret corners of the human soul and transform smiling people with honeyed voices into killers and vilest scoundrels. Evil destroys the conscience of decent people and teaches them to call black white, without even blushing.
Evil is especially painful and repulsive when you see its snarl and the blood from its fangs in scattered corpses and in the tears of their loved ones, in destroyed homes, cities, and fates. Evil provokes rage through its relentless aggression, lies, and hatred. Evil, as the devil's offspring, disfigures beyond recognition those who surrender to it, unconditionally accepting lies as truth, consciously suppressing truth with hell's propaganda. But it is even more treacherous when it makes its victim of hatred and murder resemble itself.
One of evil's most dangerous acts is its striving to subjugate those whose nature is akin to Love and Goodness. Evil always attempts to make its victim like itself and, achieving this, to gain triumph in its greatest and highest victory. Scripture rightly tells us: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." And this is the most important victory that every Christian must achieve today. Evil must not make me evil and a monster... Evil must be overcome in the heart by love and Christ's grace. Christ's infinite love is stronger than the fiercest evil on earth. The arrows of evil should make us more like the Son, not the cynical thief on the cross. Evil temporarily triumphs and loses; Love will reign eternally.
Jesus took upon Himself all our evil and the evil of this world, defeating it on the cross, so that we might have victory over it each day, and especially on the evil day. In the fiercest moments of evil's manifestation, we must remember that it is condemned to eternal destruction and complete annihilation. Evil's song is sung, as are those possessed by it. And Christ's Church must emerge from trials purified and beautiful!
What has God taught us and continues to teach us during war, suffering, and the manifestation of visible evil?
1. We have learned deep compassion, practical support, heartfelt closeness, and effective care for those in need.
2. The Church has revealed Christ's glory through its bold and sacrificial service, giving birth to new Davids and Stephens.
3. We have learned to live one day at a time and entrust our future to God, today and tomorrow, practically freeing ourselves from the fear of death.
4. We have gained the ability to boldly speak truth before God and people, calling evil evil, unafraid of losing friends, rejection by the crowd, and the fierce howling of various tares.
5. The Heavens have become closer, Hope greater, the Kingdom more precious, and God's Judgment more desired than ever before.
6. We learn to overcome anger, injustice, and cruel evil by Christ's grace, and to love enemies biblically.
7. We become like Christ in our ability to endure pain, betrayal by loved ones, total injustice and heartlessness, and in gaining His patience, endurance, ability to bear suffering and loss of loved ones with hope.
God's Providence even uses evil for the saints' good, so we must view all that happens from His perspective. Since the visible is temporary and the invisible eternal, we are called to look boldly and confidently beyond the horizon of earthly life, so that, gaining courage, we may live supernaturally amid natural evil. God's Kingdom is already here, and it is victorious—first in our hearts, then around us—so evil has no chance... Passing through the furnace of trials and the pressure of evil, true Christ's Church will emerge pure, glorious, and beautiful, because He is with us...
