Recognize (and reject) the voice of the accuser.

This post originally appeared on Instagram on October 19, 2020.

Asking for safer vaccines and a safer schedule doesn’t make you an anti-vaxxer.

Asking for a return to in-person Sacraments doesn’t make you a hater of the elderly and the sick.

Questioning the financial connections between governmental organizations and pharmaceutical companies doesn’t make you a conspiracy theorist.

Questioning mask/social distancing mandates (or even disobeying them) doesn’t make you a murderer.

Worrying about the economic and societal ramifications of extended lockdowns doesn’t make you a Covid-denier.

Wanting your kids back in brick-and-mortar schools doesn’t make you a monster (or even a bad parent).

The list goes on and on...

RECOGNIZE THE VOICE OF THE ACCUSER.

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” -Revelation 12:10–11

The accuser’s voice is loud and persistent but it only speaks lies, both in society and into our own deepest fears.

The TRUTH is that:

-you are a child of God. (This is your primary and most important identity.)

-you were bestowed with an intellect that God wants you to use. (You’re allowed to ask questions.)

-you were bestowed with free will, which God allows you to exercise. (There’s no such thing as consent if dissent isn’t an option. Just ask Eve.)

-you were bestowed with an eternal soul. It is your primary duty to protect this soul in order to reach your final destination of Heaven. (“Know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world so that you can be happy with Him in the next.”)

We will make mistakes. We can’t know everything. But in order to discern the right path for ourselves and our families, we must be allowed to question and to test. “Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.” (Name that movie. 😉)

SILENCE the voice of the accuser. Learn, through prayer, to listen to the good spirits that guide you in discernment and consolation.