The Catholic faith holds that God created an angelic world, composed of beings that are pure spirits. At Christmas we sing that we
have heard their song on high. Some remained faithful to God and reached their
heavenly destiny, while others, though gifted with divine grace, lost it and
were thereby condemned to eternal punishment. It is part of God's providence to
have the heavenly angels minister our needs and assist us in reaching heaven.
It is also part of divine permissive providence to allow the fallen angels to
try and tempt us into sin in order to keep us from heaven. Thus, though it is often
ignored, the Church does teach that there exists a dark kingdom, employing the same intelligence and power as have the heavenly angels, to prevent the spread of God’s kingdom, get more recruits, and unite the powers of evil in the world. It has been said: we are as ants to them (Good news: demons are as ants
to Christ).
Indeed, in Luke’s gospel Satan declares that power over the kingdoms of the world have been delivered to him. He offers Jesus a share in
this power, if Jesus would worship him. Jesus dodges the temptation, but
does not deny Satan’s claim of power. Thus the spiritual landscape we
are faced with these days includes extraordinarily intelligent, gifted, influential
and murderous demons proficient in outwitting all the powers of “the other
side.”
In my book I recounted the story of Pope Leo XIII’s
account of a vision of Satan, which gave rise to use of the St. Michael prayer following Mass prior to Vatican II. Popes yet to come also discerned
diabolical opposition—one thinks of Pope Paul VI’s warning about the “smoke of
Satan” in the Church, and Pope Francis’ recent remarks ascribing thepersecution of Christians to the devil, and exhorting “Let us renounce Satan
and all his works and seductions because he is a seducer.” Think of those times
you have renewed your baptismal promises:
V. Do you renounce Satan? R. I do.
V. And all his works? R. I do.
V. And all his empty
promises? R. I do.
Perhaps the greatest advantages in his plan for
subverting the Church is the experience he has had with Christians for two thousand
years. Theologians posit that He probably doesn't know whether most individuals
who have died are in heaven or purgatory,
but has very accurate knowledge of all those human souls who have
joined his forces in hell, as well as what things brought him or her to this
final destiny. Tempting people to murder and steal and lie would be on his
agenda. But, as I recount in my third chapter, sex may take first place here—i.e.,
fornication, adultery, sodomy, pornography/sex addiction, the sex trade and the abortions triggered
by those seeking to avoid the consequences of sex, or the use of abortifacients for purposes of “safe sex,” all efforts to reduce procreation so as to block
God’s plan, outrageous sins against God Himself.
The dissent that followed Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae vitae on contraception was
the point of departure for widespread dismissal of papal authority in matters
of faith and morals. Today we do not hear priests preaching about Catholic teaching on contraception, divorce, sodomy, etc. offering the excuse that to do so would
keep some in their congregation from entering their doors again. Does silence
from the pulpit in the hope of not giving offense reduce evil in the world? (to be continued...)
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