real wrestling
"Some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn." —Genesis 32:25
One night Jacob wrestled "with divine and human beings" (Gn 32:29). Because he prevailed in this wrestling match, his name was changed to "Israel" (Gn 32:29).
Paul may have alluded to Jacob's wrestling match in Ephesians 6:12. The original Greek reads: "Our wrestling is not against blood" and flesh but "against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above." Like Jacob, we wrestle with a supernatural being. But we wrestle against four major classifications of demonic spirits. Moreover, we wrestle not before our names are changed but after our lives are changed through Baptism. In this ultimate wrestling match, we draw our "strength from the Lord and His mighty power" (Eph 6:10), and we "put on the full armor of God" (Eph 6:13, our transl). Unlike Jacob (Gn 32:32), we do not walk away from the wrestling match with a limp. But like Jesus, we walk away "in the power of the Spirit" (Lk 4:14).
So-called professional wrestling is a scam. Jacob's and Paul's wrestling is real. By the strength of Jesus, wrestle and defeat demons.
Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to teach me to wrestle.
Promise: "The harvest is good but laborers are scarce. Beg the Harvest Master to send out laborers to gather His harvest." —Mt 9:37-38
Praise: Archbishop Smith told his priests not to be so afraid of burning out that they never catch fire.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, January 4, 2001
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 24, 2001