We are game pieces...

Our lives are like the game Risk. If you’ve never played the game before, let me briefly explain it to you. The game is about world conquest. There are anywhere from 2-8 players, each with their own territories and armies. You are given men every turn, based upon the territories you control. You roll dice to attack your enemies or defend your territories when they attack. There is a lot of strategy and luck involved. There are alliances, free for alls, and backstabbing. Our lives are exactly like this game. We are armies being moved. We are the territories being conquered.
The territories are souls. The players in the game are God and the Devil. God is commanding an army that is trying to bring all souls into Heaven. Satan is commanding an army that is trying to pull souls away from Heaven. He wants souls to go to Hell and turn away from God. Sometimes we fall into the army of God and pull souls towards HIM. Other times our actions put us into the army of Satan and we pull souls away from God through our actions.
We are called to be an army for God. Our Baptism enlists us in this army. Our Christian lives make us soldiers. We are Soldiers for Christ. As Soldiers of Christ, we are called to move forward in God’s name. We are called to covert souls. How often do we pray for others? How often do we take people to Church with us? How often do our actions act like those of Jesus? Every time we do these things, we are acting for God’s army. St. Francis tells us, “Preach the Gospel always, use words when necessary.”
Many times we are the territories in the game. We are the pieces, the souls in contest, that are being fought over. We are being pushed and pulled by the Heavenly and Hellish forces. We are being pulled by God’s Angels and Satan’s little devils. Who do we let control us? Sometimes God beats Satan back and has control of us. Sometimes we let Satan take control. It is an ongoing battle, a Heavenly War, between God and Satan. Who will win? Who will have control of our territory, our souls?
Sometimes, multiple enemies attack our territory from multiple sides. These armies that are attacking us represent all aspects of our lives: the good and the bad. They may be our friends trying to convince us to go to mass, go to a movie, get drunk, have sex, etc. They may be a random event in our life that pulls us closer to God. They may be things that we don’t even remotely relate to God and Satan, yet they are related. How do you feel when your heart and mind are pulling you in different directions? This is what is happening when the different armies are fighting over our territory.
In conquering territories, there are many factors that go into it. In order to attack a territory, you have to come from an adjacent territory. This means that the attacks from Satan and God for our souls come from things near and dear to us. These are things like families, friends, school, work, etc. Sometimes the attacks come from places we do not realize, when our borders have been overrun.
In order to conquer a territory, die are tossed. The defending armies are given an advantage, since ties go to defense. This means that whichever army is in control of our souls are entrenched. It takes a greater effort from the other angels, Heavenly or fallen, to take over a soul. This means that whichever army is in control of us digs in and gets ready to never give us up. We can reinforce this army by acting in a way that supports it. (If we are controlled by Heaven, then we should act as such. If we are controlled by Satan, then we support that by sinning). We can break their defenses down by acting in a way that is counter to it. If Satan has us by following God’s example, we weaken his hold on us. Who controls you? Who conquers the world of souls? It is up to us to choose sides and prepare an army.