Thus, we remove the prey from his teeth, restoring the soul which he had already ensnared through sin back to the healing grace of life. The ‘jaws’ represent his secret machinations, while his ‘teeth’ signify the overt act of sin. The Psalmist refers to these jaws and teeth when he states: But God shall break their teeth in their mouths; the Lord hath broken the jaws of the lions Psalms 57:7. The holy man notes that he first ‘broke the jaws’ so that he could then pluck the prey from their teeth; indeed, we truly rescue the prey when we learn to first dismantle his jaws. It is vital to uncover the hidden tricks of his treachery before we can assist our listeners in avoiding open transgressions. The jaws of this wicked one were fractured by the foremost advocate of the Church when he warned: Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion goes about seeking whom he may devour; resist him with steadfast faith 1 Pet 5:8-9. From this ‘lion,’ the Holy Church protects the faithful, continually ‘crushing his jaws’ by dismantling the arguments of heretics, and each time she ‘snatches the prey from his teeth,’ she transforms individuals from error through the preaching of the Word. Furthermore, since there are, and will always be, many righteous departing from this world, during the time of the Church’s peace, blessed Job speaks of himself while also alluding to the voices of those who will follow after him, stating:
THEOSIS