Pope
Paul’s words, which are the title of my book, were a warning to all who, taken with
the “spirit of Vatican II” rather than the Council’s actual teachings had
fallen under the sway of the demonic. But Catholic neomodernist dissidents
scoffed at being informed they might be assisting the devil. They retaliated with
sarcasm, ridicule and contempt. For them Paul VI was definitely not a modern
man. (Yet his biographer names him the first modern pope).
Neither
is Pope Francis if by “modern” we intend a neglect of the supernatural, and a
flight from Christianity’s hardest sayings. Like Paul, Francis has made it a
point to draw the world’s attention to the snares of the devil:
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-satan-seduces-us-by-disguising-evil-as-good/
https://twitter.com/EsmeraldaKiczek/status/436181702629535744/photo/1
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-satan-seduces-us-by-disguising-evil-as-good/
https://twitter.com/EsmeraldaKiczek/status/436181702629535744/photo/1
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301741.htm
Here Cardinal
Bergoglio spoke of the devil in the starkest terms: “He is the tempter, the one
that looks to destroy the work of God, he that brings us to self-sufficiency,
to pride. Jesus defines him as the father of lies.”
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinal_bergoglio_hits_out
The
Catechism highlights the Devil’s presence , and Pope Benedict was castigating
Satan long before he became pope, notably in the Ratzinger Report . But Francis has taken the subject to a new
level in three teachings:
The
first—no one should ever use the devil to excuse scandal, immorality, and
criminal behavior “as has sometimes
happened in the Church . The faithful Christian always accepts
personal responsibility, and understands that the devil can never force us to
do anything against our will.
The
second is never to allow our fight against Satan to end dialogue with our
opponents. Back in May, Francis proclaimed , “You cannot
dialogue with the prince of the world,” and his statement immediately provoked
questions: What he meant by warning us never to dialogue with the devil is
never to sacrifice ultimate truth when meeting with our opponents, not that we
shouldn’t try to win hearts for Christ.
The
third principle is to be on constant guard against the devil, never assume we
cannot sin like those we are trying to correct, and ask ourselves some pointed
questions :
Do
I guard myself, my heart, my feelings, my thoughts? Do I guard the treasure of
grace? Do I guard the presence of the Holy Spirit in me? Or do I let go,
feeling secure, believing that all is going well? But if you do not guard
yourself, he who is stronger than you will come.
On
all these points, says Francis, “there are no nuances. There is a battle and a
battle where salvation is at play, eternal salvation.”
Those
who support Francis’ exhortations should follow his lead, knowing they will
meet resistance. Sin, evil, temptation, the devil, eternal judgment”these are
not topics the modern world wants to discuss, or even that many Christians do.
When Archbishop Chaput addressed the
reality of Satana
few years ago, he called out the “many religious leaders” who were “embarrassed
to talk about the devil” and spiritual warfare. Doing so invites charges of
harboring irrational, superstitious, even dangerous beliefs. But the real peril
is the denial of evil that began with Satan, and is still being fomented by his
legions. “I believe that the devil exists,” Francis told Rabbi Skorka. “Maybe
his greatest achievement in these times has been to make us believe that he
does not exist.”
We
need to keep driving that message home. For as Pope Francis keeps reminding us,
until the Lord returns in his full triumph and glory, the smoke of Satan is
here to stay.
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