There is a movie called Gladiator, from 2000, starring Russell Crowe in which he portrays the Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius. Maximus is betrayed after Commodus, the ambitious son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, murders his father and seizes the throne. Maximus is made a slave, becomes a gladiator, and rises through the ranks of the arena, determined to avenge the murders of his family and the emperor.

In the arena, the combatants have all kinds of armor on their body and head to protect themselves. They also have different weapons and shields. The chariots used have the long metal rods with sharp pointed ends to inflict as much injury as possible, or even death. They fight in front of large crowds cheering for one side and jeering the other, looking to see which side will survive.

The armor they wear has gaps and weak points so there is always a chance for injury, which can be serious or fatal. It also takes courage to stand in the arena to fight, knowing the risks, although as slaves, I don’t think they had much of a choice.

Today’s readings talk about courage, but of a different type. It’s the courage to follow the will of God and stand firm in faith, even in the difficult times. The readings remind us that faith is our greatest protection.

I love the first two sentences in St. Paul’s letter and for me they sum up what we need for battle.: “Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil.”

How can we lose the battle if we follow his words? Unlike the gladiators, which had need of armor for physical battles, St. Paul tells us to prepare for the spiritual battles by putting on the armor of God. So, what is the armor of God? It includes truth, faith, and prayer and with it we can stand up to the many challenges we face in our lives. Just like the gladiator’s shield, faith is our shield protecting us from the temptations constantly thrown at us. God’s armor has no weak points or gaps. But when we lose our faith, or we allow it to weaken, we make gaps and openings for the Devil to attack and land blows, pulling us away from the person God created us to be.

We also lose the battle when we try to rely on our own strength. I know I’m guilty of this. I have to ask myself, why am I not trusting in God’s strength, when it is the only way to conquer the attacks that come at me? I told the following to many people. We need to have trust, faith, and humility to turn everything over to the Lord. When you see how much better it is when you do, avoid the urge to take it back from Him. Let go of the pride that thinks you can handle the situation now. Our pride can blind us to the reality that we can do nothing on our own. It is only through God’s grace and love that we can conquer our struggles.

With faith as our shield, we rely on truth so we can stand fast, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate. Think of how hard it is to stand upright or in the same place in a windstorm. I think of reporters out in the middle of hurricane or tropical storm winds. They are pushed around and can’t stand up. They must avoid any flying debris. And back to our movie, the gladiator stands his ground when he is attacked from multiple sides. Faith protects us, allowing us to see and be grounded in the truth, so the winds of the world made up of lies and half-truths can’t knock us off our feet. Also, the truth will keep us from the distractions that come at us from all directions.

The last part of our courage, as St. Paul tells us, is to pray. In his first battle as a slave, Maximus uses his skills as a general to get the slaves to work as a unit, making them stronger and less likely to be killed. We should do the same with prayer. We can have private prayer, but communal prayer like we are doing today strengthens faith for all of us. We should pray for the courage to hear and proclaim the Gospel as Jesus asks us to. There are still so many in this world who have not heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Think about how it has changed you and what it could do for someone else. Now, we know they need to be open to it, but a small opening is all that is required. Prayer also helps us stay closer to Jesus and strengthens our shield of faith and armor of trust.

Jesus is also the armor of God. As we hear in today’s Gospel, Jesus is always working for us. He has courage and trusts in the Father’s plan – so much so that he has no fear of Herod. Jesus knows what awaits Him in Jerusalem and does not turn away from His mission. Jesus is always there for us, even when we turn away from Him. He tells the Pharisees that he will continue his work, saving souls every day until the third day when he will accomplish his purpose. So put on the armor of Christ. Not for vengeance as Maximus did in the movie, but for love of God and your neighbor. Working together, with this armor and shield of faith we will be able to stand firmly against the forces trying to pull us away from the love of God.