When the room has been swept clean and the windows opened for light and air, the demons leave and roam; but they do come back.
Temptations come and temptations go: our response to them comes from the will. We are under the protection of the Holy Trinity, our guardian angels and the heavenly hosts of angels, and the prayers of the choir of the saints.
The enemy has power over us only to the extent that we collaborate with him through our own will. The likeness of God–growing in the likeness of God, growing in the virtues–comes through the synergy of our will with the grace and mercy of God.
Bright period brings many temptations. Christ talks about this in the gospels: when the room in the house is swept clean and purified, the demons cast out, they roam around looking for another place to stay, and they return, but this time with more , and they come knocking. If the windows are left open, they will swarm in. If the door is left open, they will walk right through. If they knock and we open the door a crack, they will get a toe in the door, and before we know it they will have the keys and full access to our house as long as they are allowed.
The Gospel reading for today …
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast [the demon] out?”
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly I say to you, if you have faith as a muster seed, you will say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-23
It seems that the Church placed this Gospel passage here to remind us that food isn’t the issue; that all good things come from God. Rather it is the remind that prayer and fasting from the passions remain paramount for this Bright period; that we will need to continue to cast the demons from our minds and from our hearts through fasting from things that entertain us, that seek to captive-ate our attention, and lead us into many temptations.
We still need to fast from gluttony while nevertheless permitted to eat whatever we want. We need to fast from entertainment and places that can harm us or lead our hearts into passion and sin; we need to fast from serving our egos, and on it goes sacrificing the seemingly good things in life for loving union with God and all creation.
And, as Christ encouraged, we must continue to grown faith during these times. If Christ is for us then who can be against us! Christ said that disciples could not cast out the demons because of their lack of faith.
St John Chrysostom …
Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But if you say, ‘Where did they move a mountain?’ I will say they did things much greater than that in raising up innumerable dead. For moving a mountain and raising the dead are not at all comparable. After them, other saints, inferior to the disciples, are said to have moved mountains where necessity demanded.
Again this is a time of celebrating Christ’s resurrection of the dead, and the restoration of all creation, to be thankful for His life, and to grow in our faith in Him working in our lives: healing us, saving us, moving for us, illuminating us, filling us with His Holy Spirit, the tomb of our hearts radiant with the risen Lord.
