“‘If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul...’” (Luke 11:15).
The Evil One is incredibly strong. He is much stronger than I am. He is much stronger than the strongest saint (with the exception of the Blessed Virgin). He is much stronger than any human being ever born (with the exception of Christ and His Mother). When he has turned his attention to the Saints he has tormented them in various ways…
He has done this by deception. There are many tales of the Evil One disguising himself as a guardian angel of a Saint and trying to convince them to make decisions that are wrong or bad or simply neglectful. When trying to convince Saint Faustina to give up her work to being to light the message of the Divine Mercy of God, the Evil One disguised himself as her Guardian Angel and spoke to her trying to convince her to quit. She was able to see through his deception and send him on his way.
The Evil One tormented the Great Saints very much. Saints Padre Pio, John Vianney and Faustina were tormented during the night with temptations and other physical effects of evil. Saint Padre Pio was thrown around his room and tempted continuously to try to cause him to fail by the Evil One. Saint Faustina experienced the Evil One in the form of a cat who felt like it weighed hundreds of tonnes that used to sit on her bed at night and almost suffocate her from its weight.
Even God Himself – God the Son – was tempted by the Evil One. He was offered food and power when he was hungry and weak.
And I have been thinking about this temptation. For we are all tempted in our daily lives – perhaps in much less dramatic ways… The greatest temptation is the temptation to give up or give in. For that is all that evil needs to flourish.
And I have been thinking about that today.
“Jesus said to the Jews: ‘If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul... But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armour in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.’” (Luke 11:15-26).For we need a shield to keep us safe against that fallen angel and his minions. We need a shield. And we are so blessed that we have many shields. Our Guardian Angels, the angels and Saints, the Blessed Virgin, and God Himself. For without shields such as these we would surely fail. For how could one such as I ever be a match for an angel – especially one determined to bring me to eternal death…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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