THE DEVIL - OUR GREATEST ENEMY
Mt. 4:1-11
Someone in this church today is not very happy. He is the Devil. He knows I am going to talk about him and tell the truth about him and he doesn’t like that. He likes us to think that he doesn’t exist, so that furtively he can do his evil work. People sometimes say that we priests do not preach about the Devil. Well I am going to talk about him today. He is such a powerful force of evil in our lives. He never leaves our side, and he is always there to try and get us in his clutches. He hates God and us. There is no love in him at all. God loves and creates; Satan hates and destroys.
Jesus knows Satan all too well and He wants us to be aware that we are constantly in danger from him and we must be vigilant. That is why He told His apostles how He was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness and made one of the petitions in His prayer the Our Father deal with Satan. ‘Deliver us from the Evil One.’
Satan originally enjoyed the company of God in Heaven, but through his pride and envy he said with other angels, “I will not serve!” He turned his back on God’s love and so placed himself in Hell, which is simply a place devoid of love. Now his one ambition is to encourage us, through subtle ways, to follow him there. Satan has a great deal of power and experience, and he knows all our human weaknesses. But we have our weapons. He has a great dread of the crucifix, of the holy Name of Jesus, and especially Our Lady. He is panic-stricken at any mention of Mary and recognises the damage she has done to him. He has never forgotten the words of God, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike your head….." (Gen. 3:15).
The powers of the devils are limited. They are powerful, but they are “chained dogs.” None of us, however, is safely beyond their reach, so we always need to pray for God’s help. Let us ask our heavenly Father to protect us from all their evil schemes. We thank God that He has given each of us a Guardian Angel to protect us and keep us safe.
In cartoons and comics, the devil appears as a cute, benign tempter, pushing you to do something that's fun or a little bit wrong. In reality however, Satan is anything but cute. His mission is to kill, destroy or enslave us. St. Peter warns, "...be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." He has the capacity to ruin a person's life.
His primary tactic is to deceive us. He twists and distorts what is true. He managed to trick Adam and Eve to believe that if they disobey God they could be equal to God. Look at the trouble he caused them and all their children. His greatest desire is to keep all of us far away from God. But God repeatedly affirms His love for us. "I have loved you with an everlasting love.." "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
We all face problems. It's part of life. What Satan neglects to tell us is that if we have a relationship with God and depend on Him, God can lead us through those problems. We do not need to shoulder or solve them on our own. God can give us wisdom and real strength in the midst of those problems. Not only that, but He says while we face difficulties, "...My peace I give to you..."
Satan, not only tells lies, he tempts people towards slavery and addictions. "Go ahead,” he says, “One more won't hurt you. No one will find out. You're not really hurting anyone. And you'll feel so much better."
If you decide to begin a relationship with God, you will still be tempted by Satan. But God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
I love C.S. Lewis’s story of the three apprentice devils. It was their final exam before they could roam the world to tempt people and bring them to hell. They had just one question to answer, “What tactics will you use to bring men and women rushing headlong into hell?”
The first one said, “I’ll tell them there is no hell.” “Don’t be stupid,” cried Satan, “every man has a conscience and he knows there will be a day of reckoning – that there is a hell. You’ve failed.”
The next one said, “I’ll tell them there is no God.” “Will you never learn,” said Satan in disgust, “although we hate the Bible, we have to accept what it says, ‘That only the fool says in his heart there is no God.’ You too have failed.”
Finally, he asked the third apprentice. Very confidently this little devil said, “I’ll tell them they have plenty of time.”
“Marvellous, marvellous,” said Satan, “do that and you’ll have them rushing into hell.” Yes, Satan is very subtle and we must never underestimate his skill.
Lord Jesus, we saw in the Gospel today how You were tempted by the Devil but he never overcame You. Now he wants to tempt us by his lies and lead us away from You. May we remain close to You and Your mother and never allow him to come close to us. May our Guardian Angel protect us.
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