Winning Against Satan November 2005"I must tell you what has happened to me during the past two nights. I had a very bad time... From about ten o'clock, when I went to bed, until five o'clock in the morning, that wretch did nothing but beat me continually. He presented to my mind many diabolical suggestions, thoughts of despair , distrust in God." We may have trouble sleeping sometimes, but these experiences that St. Padre Pio had would have done more than keep us awake. We would have been scared to death, for this villain who left him bloodied, bruised, and swollen was none other than the Devil. "But praise be to Jesus, for I defended myself by saying to him repeatedly: "your wounds are my merit." St. Pio knew that the Devil was more afraid than he was , and was frustrated that this holy priest was saving many souls by prayer and hard work in the Confessional. Holiness scares the Devil. The Real Battle Satan is a real person, who works together with the other devils and demons to try to overcome good with evil. Satan and the other devils rejected God, and eternal happiness, so their goal is to bring many human beings to share in their misery by also rejecting God as well and being condemned to Hell. It is a real life-and-death battle, where the eternal destiny of souls is at stake. Satan is working hard, but he knows he is losing. God is more powerful, and has already won the battle with Christ's victory over death and sin. Nonetheless, no one is completely safe on earth, and we must continue to be vigilant in this war. Where he is more nervous In spite of the fact that we see some evil people affected by the Devil, Satan is actually more apparent in the lives of many people who are close to God. He is terrified by this closeness to God and to God's goodness. We especially see the Devil at work in the life of Christ. We see how the demons panic at the presence of Christ. We also see the Devil openly trying to get Jesus to stumble and fall. In the Gospel Christ teaches us how the Devil works, and uncovers his plans. Christ shows us that Satan works through deception and fear; sneaking and hiding from the truth. Not so fast...! One of the Devil's deceits is that he is more powerful than God, or God's equal. But, the truth is that God is more powerful. However, unlike Satan, he does not use his power to cause terror, but rather, good. He guides our lives through his loving providence and brings us closer to him. The Father shows us in the life of Christ that even our weakness allows God's strength to be more visible. Christ seemed weak and seemed to be under the Devil's power when he was tortured and crucified. But this was a plan to defeat Satan and free us from his grip. More tricks The Devil makes us want to feel powerful, to think we can control the future and the present instead of trusting God. He tempted Adam and Eve with the promise of power to know more, if they would go against God. He tries to tempt us to use fortune-telling, Ouija boards, and superstitious ways to know the future. He entices us to distrust God, and to think that God does not really want our good. A key virtue in the fight Humility is a virtue that God loves and the Devil hates, so when we practice this virtue Satan flees. The humble person does not try to know everything about the future. The real believer does not get mad at God when things go wrong. He trusts God, recognizing that he is our Creator and our Loving Father, and decides to let him be in control of his life. Key allies When St. Padre Pio was attacked, he knew how to fight back: "The rosary is my weapon." It is fascinating to see that Mary , a simple woman and an unlikely fighter, has such a powerful role in the fight against evil. Satan is afraid of our Lady because he was never able to get near her. He was never able to make her sin. Her absolute trust in God showed in an unconditional "yes" to God's will and his love, while the Devil said a selfish "no". She crushed Satan without meaning to. Drawing close to Mary is a sure way to fight the Devil. Other powerful allies in our fight against the Devil are the saints and angels. St. Michael the Archangel is a protector of Christians in a special way. Each saint helps us in our battle too, using the full spiritual weapons of heaven. Surprising power Real exorcists also remind us that Satan is expelled by the sacraments of Baptism and Confession. Fr. Gabriel Amorth, an experienced exorcist in Rome, tells that what the Devil fears most is a good Confession. Christ made us able to beat sin and Satan through this sacrament. A good Confession really makes us saints. Surprising peace Have you ever noticed how much you feel peace in Mass or after a good Confession? Confession and the Eucharist are a source of peace. Christ is truly present there and reminds us that he is more powerful than sin and death. Feeding our life of grace through frequent reception of the Eucharist and Confession not only strengthens our spiritual lives, but it lessens the Devil's power over us. Satan is afraid of any Catholic living the life of grace. Our call Preaching Christ is also a powerful way we overcome the Devil. The saints show us this. We have a big role in preaching today. Often we have friends who play with dangerous things. If we charitably but firmly remind them that Christ is the true power and the peace that they are looking for, we can help them see the Devil's tricks. Pointing these friends to the sacraments and to prayer will give them the tools they need to find real peace and true strength . This often requires real moral courag e on our part, but we can offer them the best gift a friend can give: the peace of God's strong, faithful love. We can remind them that anyone who fears the Devil, who has dabbled in superstitious things, only needs to come close to the sacraments to be strengthened again. Drawing good out of evil A recent movie, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, showed the story of a young girl who was actually possessed by the Devil. Possessions are not always due to accepting Satan, even though this can happen too. But sometimes this is not the person's fault at all. We do not have to be completely surprised at this, because it happens in the physical world as well. Look at a car accident. Remember the last time you got sick. It is not always the fault of the person. It is not a special punishment. Like many saints who had to battle with the Devil, and like many sad things that happen, sometimes God allows this in order to bring about a greater good. In the case of dramatic manifestations of the Devil, these cases often help people to believe in God more, to trust his power, and to care more for others. Those who have carried the unusual cross of having the Devil own their body for a time (even though he can never own their soul if they do not let him) have gained tremendous graces for the Church by their effort and fidelity. Those who have allowed some level of evil in their lives through sin, but come back to Christ, gain tremendous merit before God, and gain graces for the Church. The Exorcist Every priest is a powerful exorcist through the Sacrament of Confession and through preaching. He drives away many demons when people come to be reconciled with God or stirs conversion in their hearts. In special cases, however, the Bishop can designate a priest for the special role of an exorcist. These priests have enormous confidence in God, knowing that the Devil is terribly afraid of Christ and the priest who is united to Christ. Halloween Halloween means "the eve (evening) before All Hallows Day (All Saints Day)." During Halloween season, many people forget that the real celebration is November 1 st , All Saint's Day. It is a celebration of the victory of all the saints, and the hope of our triumph as well. The earliest Christians used to venerate those in their community who met the test of martyrdom and were successful in bearing witness to Christ till the end. They assigned special days to note the spiritual victory of each one who remained faithful under fear of death, but as the number of martyrs and saints grew, there were not enough days in the year to give each a feast day. Thus, one day was chosen to honor all the saints, both those known and those who were unnamed or unrecognized. A celebration of holiness For Christians, November can be a special time to renew our quest for holiness . We remember all the saints, and we remember all souls in general, especially those who have died but are waiting to arrive to Heaven. The battle of their lives is over, but ours is still being waged, and the outcome has yet to be decided. We have the possibility of being holy, or of giving in to the tactics and temptations of the Devil. Christ tells us to not be afraid, because when we love him he drives out all fear, and drives the Devil away.
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