Day 58: Man’s Spiritual Battle (407-412)


Fr. Mike’s Prayer: “Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for bringing us to this day. We ask you to please send your Holy Spirit to enlighten our hearts. Send your Holy Spirit that we can belong to you fully, not just for twenty minutes every day. But to let every minute of everyday belong to you Lord God. We find ourselves in a hard battle, and yet you have not abandoned us in the middle of the battle. You are with us in the midst of this battle, and so we just call out to you. We call upon the name of your son Jesus Christ to send your Holy Spirit to be with us, to guard us, to fight in us and to fight for us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen”


(YOU SUNK MY BATTLESHIP!! 🤣 Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) - You Have Sunk My Battleship! Scene (6/10) | Movieclips

Scripture References & Reflections

- compiled by Andrew Adamany


Bible Translation - RSVCE

CCC 407 "The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man's situation and activity in the world. By our first parents' sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails "captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil". Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action and morals."


Hebrews 2:14

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil,"


CCC 408 "The consequences of original sin and of all men's personal sins put the world as a whole in the sinful condition aptly described in St. John's expression, "the sin of the world". This expression can also refer to the negative influence exerted on people by communal situations and social structures that are the fruit of men's sins."


John 1:29 

"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"


CCC 409 "This dramatic situation of "the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one" makes man's life a battle:


1 John 5:19

"We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one."


1 Peter 5:8–9

"Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith"


CCC 410 "After his fall, man was not abandoned by God. On the contrary, God calls him and in a mysterious way heralds the coming victory over evil and his restoration from his fall. This passage in Genesis is called the Protoevangelium ("first gospel"): the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, of a battle between the serpent and the Woman, and of the final victory of a descendant of hers."


Genesis 3:15 

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, 

and between your seed and her seed; 

he shall bruise your head, 

and you shall bruise his heel.”



CCC 411 "The Christian tradition sees in this passage an announcement of the "New Adam" who, because he "became obedient unto death, even death on a cross", makes amends superabundantly for the disobedience, of Adam.


1 Corinthians 15:21–22 

"For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."


1 Corinthians 15:45

"Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit."


Philippians 2:8 

"And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross."


Romans 5:19–21 

"For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Law came in, to increase the trespass; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."



"Furthermore many Fathers and Doctors of the Church have seen the woman announced in the Protoevangelium as Mary, the mother of Christ, the "new Eve". Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ's victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life."


Luke 1:28–29

 And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be."