From the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has often warned about Satan, urging the faithful to be aware of the strategies of the Evil One in the world and in our own lives.
The Pope spoke again of the devil during the general audience of September 25. His catechesis series during these weeks is on the work of the Holy Spirit, and he noted how it was the Holy Spirit who led Jesus into the desert "to be tempted by the devil."
"The initiative is not Satan’s, but God’s. Going into the wilderness, Jesus obeys an inspiration of the Holy Spirit; He does not fall into an enemy snare, no, no!," the Pope noted.
And in the wilderness, "Jesus freed Himself of Satan" and now, "He can deliver from Satan. He freed Himself, He frees from Satan."
Today's outlook
The Pope then considered modern society's outlook on the devil, highlighting a number of things.
1The devil makes us think he doesn't exist
Nowadays we are witnessing a strange phenomenon regarding the devil. At a certain cultural level, it is held that he simply does not exist. He would be a symbol of the collective subconscious, or alienation; in short, a metaphor. But “the cleverest ruse of the devil is to persuade you he does not exist!” as someone wrote (Charles Baudelaire). He is astute: he makes us believe that he does not exist, and in this way he dominates everything. He is cunning.
2Superstitions, and magic, astrology, etc
And yet our technological and secularized world is teeming with magicians, occultism, spiritualism, astrologers, sellers of spells and amulets, and unfortunately with real satanic sects. Driven out the door, the devil has re-entered, one might say, through the window. Driven out of faith, he re-enters with superstition. And if you are superstitious, you are unconsciously conversing with the devil. One does not converse with the devil.
What the saints show
The Holy Father reflected that it's difficult to be precisely certain of when Satan himself is acting, and when it is our own human evil.
"This is why the Church is so prudent and so rigorous in performing exorcism, unlike what happens, unfortunately, in certain films," he noted.
However, in contrast, the lives of the saints force Satan to "come out into the open."
All the saints, all the great believers, some more, some less, testify to their struggle with this obscure reality, and one cannot honestly assume that they were all deluded or mere victims of the prejudices of their time.
How to win against Satan
The Pope reiterated his constant exhortation in regard to dealing with the devil: Don't dialogue with him.
1Don't enter into dialogue
Jesus in the wilderness, he pointed out, does not enter into conversation, instead he strikes "with the Word of God."
You see that Jesus does not converse with the devil, He never conversed with the devil. Either he casts him out, or condemns him, but He never converses. And in the wilderness, he replies not with His word, but with the Word of God. Brothers, sisters, never converse with the devil; when temptations present themselves -- “But, this would be nice, that would be nice” – stop. Raise your heart to the Lord, pray to Our Lady and banish him, just as Jesus taught us how to banish him.
2Be vigilant
Saint Peter also suggests another means, that Jesus did not need, but we do – vigilance. “Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pt 5:8). And Saint Paul says to us: “Give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph 4:27).
We are safe if we don't choose to go near
Pope Francis cited St. Caesarius of Arles in saying that, now defeated by the Cross, Satan is bound like "a dog on a chain."
"[H]e cannot bite anyone except those who, defying the danger, go near him ... He can bark, he can urge, but he can bite only those who want." If you are a fool and you go to the devil and say, “Ah, how are you?” and everything, it ruins you.
The devil – distance. One does not converse with the devil. One banishes him. Distance. And all of us, everyone, we have experience of how the devil approaches with some temptation. The temptation [against] the ten commandments: When we feel this, stop, keep your distance; do not approach the chained dog.
Online pornography
Pope Francis pointed out one place where the devil is given "an opportunity," that of online porn.
It is the devil at work, there. And this is a very widespread phenomenon, which Christians should beware of and strongly reject. Because any smartphone has access to this brutality, to this language of the devil: online pornography.
Turning Satan's work to our advantage
However, for the Christian, awareness of the devil's work should not be discouraging. Instead we should feel "trust and security: 'I am with the Lord, be gone.'"
Christ overcame the devil and gave us the Holy Spirit to make His victory our own. The very action of the enemy can turn to our advantage, if with God's help we make it serve our purification. Let us therefore ask the Holy Spirit, in the words of the hymn Veni Creator:
Drive far away our wily Foe,
And Thine abiding peace bestow;
If Thou be our protecting Guide,
No evil can our steps betide.Beware, the devil is astute – but we Christians, with God’s grace, are more astute than him.
