Conquering
“During the first century, the people of God envisioned the Messiah as a descendant of David (Matthew 12:23) who would conquer nations and “herd them with a rod of iron . . . shatter them like a potter’s vessels” (Ps 2:9). Few, if any, expected the Messiah to be a kind savior extending mercy to all people. The Lord Jesus does not wish to be viewed as a powerful wonderworker. His purpose is to address a far more serious problems of human existence: sin and death. Throughout His ministry He avoids appearing as a conquering king or military leader. He seeks rather to reveal the saving, healing aspects of His nature, preparing the faithful to gladly submit to Him as God once the apostles proclaim the good news of the Resurrection (Acts 2:40-41).” (Dynamis 7/7/2020)
“Jesus Himself practiced self-denial (Philippians 2:5-8), giving up His place in Heaven with the Father in order to come to earth to die for our sins and to save us from death. He does not ask more of us than He Himself did. Yet by His denial of the world He had conquered the world and established His everlasting kingdom, in which He invited his followers to share by also denying the world, taking up their own cross, and following Him.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh, Jaroslav Pelikan)
“…Christ came to conquer the death we so fear. He granted us a share in His resurrection and gave His own divine-human Body and Blood as our food. Now we can look differently at all of these moments where we seem to be “dying,” with eyes not clouded by fear and the egotistical grasping at our survival. The Resurrection begins to impart to us a chaste vision of the world because we no longer see this world as the final word. Instead, we begin to understand that the world is an icon of a heavenly world that has been prepared for us and freely given to us.” (Timothy G. Patitsas)
“If we want to know Christ’s peace, which conquers even the fear of the grave, we must become radiant with His Light, which means that we must unite ourselves to Him in faith, hope, and love from the depths of our souls. Instead of stumbling in the dark and serving other masters, we must offer ourselves fully to the Savior for healing as persons called to become like Him in holiness. That is the only way to resist the idolatry that brings worry, fear, and despair. Let us devote ourselves to opening our darkened spiritual eyes to the radiant light of Christ, for He alone is our hope for entering into the eternal blessedness that heals every infirmity and sorrow. He alone can make even our deepest sufferings a point of entry into heavenly joy as we “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)
“No sin is so great that it can conquer the munificence of the Master. Even if one is a fornicator, or an adulterer … the power of the gift and the love of the Master are great enough to make all these sins disappear and to make the sinner shine more brightly than the rays of the sun…” (St. John Chrysostom)
“Forgetting that the Lord is near, that God is with us, that in Christ Jesus death has been conquered and evil overthrown, is what allows the unpeace and anxiety that lead to violence to enter our minds and hearts. Remembering the nearness of God and the forgiveness that we have received through the Cross, trusting God in every circumstance of our lives, bearing the name of Jesus on our lips—these are the things that conquer anxiety and lead to peace and allow God himself to be the guardian of our hearts.” (Bishop John Michael Botean)
“Fear can be conquered only by faith, and faith thrives on truth…The victory lies not with us, but with Christ, who hast taken on him both to conquer for us and to conquer in us.” (Brendan O’Rourke and DeEtte Sauer, Richard Sibbes)
“You have … the power and the weapons to conquer the thoughts that attack your heart and mind...But if...you do not destroy evil thoughts as soon as they assail your mind, then you show that it is from lack of faith that you love the pleasure of these thoughts and keep company with them." (St. Mark the Ascetic)
“The most powerful weapon to conquer the Devil is humility. For as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.” (St Vincent de Paul)
"If we want to know what Divine love looks like we should contemplate the cross. There is no other greater moment that displays God’s love than the willingness to accept crucifixion. Love is self-sacrificial; it makes us vulnerable to others. In a world where we are encouraged to run away from allowing ourselves to be turned into victims, the cross tells us that we must love even when we know others will take advantage of what they perceive as weakness. Love sees beyond the limitations of this world to a greater victory where love conquers all." (Father Spyridon Baily)