I know a little bit about armor. No, not the seventy pounds of gear that today’s war fighter’s don before they head out on patrol. That I can only imagine.
I’m talking about the shoulder pads and helmets a football player uses to wear into a game. It really hasn’t changed much in the last fifty years. Hopefully the helmets are better designed, but the shoulder, hip, and thigh pads are pretty much the same.
I remember well being told to put in my mouthpiece, tighten my pads, and buckle my chinstrap before going onto the football field.
Yet, I don’t think that is what St. Paul meant when he said to the Ephesians, “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may stand against the wiles of the devil.”
He suggests to the Ephesians to wear a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness and a shield of faith. (Ephesians 6) Perhaps not a bad way to begin the day.
In truth and I’m pretty sure St. Paul knew this, that all we need is love to face the fiercest of our and the world’s enemies. The aura of God’s love is both a weapon and an invincible shield against all that seek to do us or our world harm.
Why do I say St. Paul knew this? Because he wrote the Romans that as the day approaches to simply to “put on the armor of light.”( Romans 13:12).
A beautiful image don’t you think, and a damn fine way to live.
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