ST. CATHARINES CONCORDIA - Brock University

THE KINGDOM OURS REMAINETH
St. Matthew 4:l-11
Mawin M. Meitz
0 Holy Spint, enlcr in, ~lnd in our henrts Your work hegin and
make our hem-ts Your dwelling. Amen.
In the name of our victorious Saviour, Jesus Christ, dear fellow redeemed:
It was not too long ago, although I am not sure of the cxact Sunday, but it was
during a Communion Service, while standing at the altar, that I was suddenly very
moved at the whole wonder that was happening in our midst. Our Lord and Saviour,
who had so freely and willingly given Himsclf into death for our sins, was here offering
to us the fruits of His death in this Blessed Sacrament. How to understand and grasp
it'? Here He stood before us according to His Word and Promise giving us His very
Body and Blood brokcn and shed for us. What grace is this! As the hymnwriter said,
concesning the Sacrament: In my heart I fitld ascending, Holy Awe with rapture
blending. . .And while such thoughts were filling my mind and heart, I happened to
turn and glance to my right out of the window here at the altar, and then it struck me:
Kristen French was not only abducted within the shadow of our church walls, but she
was takcn and abducted just within fcct of our altar. This thought has not left me. What
a fearfully Satanic thing this was that happened. How it seems as if the evil one himself
is leering and laughing at our God who seems so powerless and hclpless that even
within fcct of His holy altar such a thing could and did happen.
How real this stiuggle between Lhe Corces of the prince or this world and the hosts
of God really is. How it is the ongoing battlc of our times and of our livcs, even though
we so often overlook it. How Satan works in the world so that people might believe
God is powerless, or that God isn't truthl'ul when He promises every care and
protcction. How Satan uses cvcry insinuation and every bold maneuver to imprison
people in their fears and sins. "There is no hope," he says. "Give yoursell' over Lo
despair. The world is out of control. Your God can't hclp you. All is chance. Some
crazy gcnc or some excess of hormones was the reason for all the horrible crimes one
inan coinmitted." And the tactic is to deflect attention Irom the cosmic battle that rages
behind thc sccncs. Is this not what Matthcw points out to us in his Gospel? Our Lord
Himself is attacked by the Satanic suggestion, "Shouldn't Your God, Your loving
Father, led You? You trust in Him, and He brought You here to this barrcn place.
Command these stoncs to bccome bread. Feed Yourself, 0 Son of God, for Your Father
is powerless. He cannot help You. Nor does He even care." What a temptation to
despair Satan launches against Christ. What temptation to despair Satan launches
against all believers, whenever we come to the end of our resomces, to the desest times
in our life.
How we need to bc bolstcred up and strengthcncd by the Lord's assertion that we