Lent 1
February 14, 2016
The Devil
When we
talk about the devil, what sort of image comes to mind? A red guy with a pointy
tail and horns? Or maybe some scenes from the movie, “The Exorcist”? All of
these are just Hollywood – the truth about the devil is much more real and
usually less dramatic than what we see in movies or popular imagination. So
what does the Church teach about the devil?
First of
all, we must understand that the devil really does exist. He’s not just some impersonal
“spirit of evil;” he is a real creature. If I had any doubts about that, just
this past year I participated in an exorcism. I can testify firsthand that the
devil is real.
He was,
at one time, an Archangel named Lucifer, which means “light-bearer”. He was one
of the most beautiful angels God had ever created. But upon the creation of the
angels, according to tradition, the angels were given a test. They were told
that God would take on flesh in Jesus Christ, and that the angels would have to
bow down and worship Jesus, true God and true man. Lucifer refused – how could
he, an angel, bow down and worship a man?
Angels
are much higher than us – they have vastly greater intelligence, and they have
no bodies so they are not subject to the same sufferings we must struggle with.
Our flesh really does burden us sometimes – how many times have I tried to
pray, but only to be distracted because of a headache or because of hunger! So,
angels, with their superior intelligence and greater gifts, and because they
have no bodies, are far, far greater creatures than we are. So for an angel to
worship a man – even a man like Jesus who was also truly God – would take great
humility.
But
Lucifer, in his pride, refused to worship God, so he was cast out of Heaven. He
is now furious at you and I, because you and I can do what he cannot – we can
enjoy God’s very divine life through grace, we can love, we can enjoy Heaven
someday. So the devil hates us, hates the fact that God became one of us.
So
Lucifer, now called Satan, has waged war on us from the beginning. He wages war
in one of four major ways – the first one, which all of us have experienced, is
temptation. Not all temptations come
from the devil, but many of them do. He makes sin seem attractive, puts
thoughts of sin into our mind, and manipulates our feelings and emotions to
draw us towards sin. The second way is called oppression – which is where the Evil One will, at times, throw obstacles
in your way to prevent something good from happening. For example, if you try
to pray and you discover you have a headache. Could that be a physical issue?
Perhaps. Or it could be a way in which the Evil One is trying to prevent you
from growing in your friendship with God. I have heard of priests getting inexplicable
flat tires on the way to give important talks, or their computer suddenly
crashes when they are writing a particularly powerful homily. The devil can’t
stand it when we make progress in our spiritual lives or work at bringing other
souls to Christ!
A third
way is called obsession, where Satan influences
our thoughts and puts lies in our mind that cause us to lose our peace. For example,
let’s say you have a small disagreement with your spouse over what TV show to
watch – and then, in anger, a thought pops into your head: “Just divorce her.
She’ll never change.” Woah! Seems like an overreaction, right? Of course, and
by human standards it makes no sense. It’s a lie told by the Evil One, who is
taking advantage of a small argument and trying to make it into so much more.
Finally,
the fourth main way the devil affects us is through possession, which is quite
rare. You have no need to fear possession if you stay close to the Eucharist
and Confession, and if you avoid all workings of the occult. Stay far from Ouija
boards, tarot cards, palm reading, or any kind of fortune-telling or mediums.
That stuff invites Satan into your life – I have known people who have been
affected by it. It’s no joke – avoid it like you would avoid poison.
So how
do we defeat the power of the devil? Look at what Jesus did in today’s Gospel –
He knew the Word of God, and used that as a weapon against the evil one. He did
not let temptation even get a tiny foothold in His life. He walked with
humility. For us to defeat the devil, we ought to do the same things: study and
live the Scriptures, do not allow temptation to gain any foothold, be humble
and rely on God and not your own efforts, and do not dabble in the occult.
It’s
important to remember that we do not need to fear Satan as long as we are
living a life of grace. The two most powerful weapons against him are
Confession and the Eucharist – they keep us intimately united to Christ, and
with His presence dwelling in our souls, we have nothing to fear. “He who is
within us is more powerful” than the devil. Ultimately, God has already won the
victory over the Evil One – that is what Easter celebrates!
So, be
aware that the devil exists – but trust that God is stronger, and do not fear!
Rather, with the power of God’s grace within us, we can stand on God’s
authority and reject the devil and his influence in our lives.
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