Even today, the twenty-first century, when it comes to Satan and demons, many to return with gruesome descriptions that the mind is the devils in Hell Dante Alighieri of his Divine Comedy, or imagine him with horns, tail and fork into the flames, as is the medieval iconography. Now, to have some clear ideas about the devil, we must free ourselves from these images a little childish.
The faith of the Church concerning the existence and action of the evil demon, is based on the testimony of the Bible which is God's word in both the New Testament. Jesus is always presented as the Winner of Satan and demons: In fact, in the Gospel, face Satan himself on him and gives the victory (Mt 4, 11, John 12, 31). Christ also deals with the evil spirits which possess them and sinful humanity wins in their domain. Facing illness, Jesus faces Satan, and thus giving the healing triumphs over him. The demons were thought to be settled down here masters: Jesus came to defeat them (Mk 1, 24).
before the authority he displays towards them, his enemies accuse him: "He casts out demons under Beelzebul, prince of demons" (Mk 3, 22); "It is not by chance too ' He possessed by the devil? "(Mk 3, 30, John 7, 20, 10, 20s), they ask his detractors. But Jesus gives the true explanation: He casts out demons by the Spirit of God and this proves that the Kingdom of God has come down men. By now you will do exorcisms in the name of Jesus (Mt 7, 22, Mk 9, 38). Christ, he sent his disciples on a mission, inform them of the power to defeat the demons (Mark 6, 7-13).
This will be for ever. And even today, a sign that accompanies the preaching of the Gospel is the presence of exorcists in the Church. However, the concept of hell, as all the truths of the Christian faith, was gradually revealed and understood. In the New Testament, the devil is the direct enemy of God, the tempter and seducer of men. It 'also called Beelzebul or Satan. In the Old Testament, Satan is a common noun in a process means accuser, adversary. In the Book of Job (2.1), we talk about Satan as a being that tests men.
In the first book of Chronicles 21.1, Satan seems to have the proper name of a personal being. Gradually it developed among the Israelites the conception of Satan, adversary of God, which makes people slaves of sin. The devil, then, is not an abstract concept, not a great personification of evil, but it is a reality, a person, or rather a well-defined set of people. It 'a creature of God, so good originally. It 's a pure spirit, with capacity far superior to ours, but is hopelessly corrupted as a result of his having rebelled against God
Satan has thus become the antagonist of that opposes God in every way to his Kingdom, trying to evil men. The temptation is a suggestion that he has on man's higher faculties (especially fantasy): faced with the temptation, the man still retains his freedom and responsibility. In some rare cases, to be scientifically verified, the devil, the permission of God, can also disturb the man's body with diseases and injuries of various kinds. One key aspect of Christian life, both individually and as a member of the Church, is the fight against the devil. In the past, perhaps too much emphasis has been placed on this aspect, with accents and overly terrorist, so some had created a fixation demonopatica, today, on the contrary, this struggle against the power of darkness is rather neglected. As we know from Revelation and the Magisterium of the Church, the demons are creatures who try to hurt the man.
Hence the need, by man, to defend themselves and fight against them for salvation. The victory against the devil is reached only in Christ who is the victor over Satan, chief of the demons. The work of the devil, although outstretched to offend God and harm humans, is controlled by divine power, which uses the Devil to pursue the man in virtue and thus increase the brightness of divine glory. The devil does not harm the man as much as would like, but only as far as divine Providence allows him, in order to prove the man in virtue and lead to their salvation that the devil would not want to. The devil has a freer hand to harm if he is the man himself, with his sins, he leaves the room to act. The devil will damage the man both in body and spirit.
He causes physical harm or on its own initiative, and then there is the phenomenon known as possession or obsession evil, or because human being urged by some evil intent, and then we witchcraft or black magic, which - by the man who commits such an action - is a serious sin of superstition. In its action against the person's mental and physical size, the devil causes of the great psychological suffering. But the action that is considered to be the most damaging is aiming to incite to sin and the one that should most fear. The three sources of temptation to sin are, in the Christian spiritual tradition, the flesh, the world and the devil.
called The temptation of the flesh is that which comes from ourselves, from our vices, from our weaknesses. Some sins are more related to the body, such as the throat or lust ... and others are more related to psycho-spiritual life, such as pride, envy, lies, hypocrisy.
The temptation of the world is that which comes from other people, the human environment in which we live, our declared enemies or false friends, that is hypocritical that encourage us to sin by the attraction of pleasures, honors , riches and glory of man. Then there are also those who oppress us, provoke us, haunt us in various ways, making it difficult the practice of virtue.
The temptation of the devil is not easy to recognize, but the Bible explicitly commands us to overcome the temptation of evil and to ensure (1 Pt 5.8 to 9). The kingdom of darkness of evil in our world is the establishment of an Anti-Church, that of a kingdom of lies (Darwinism, Marxism, scientism), immorality (free drugs, gay marriage, pornography, abortion and euthanasia was ) and atheism and unbelief (the relativism that Pope Benedict XVI continues the complaint), then an efficient and organized power of evil, using tools and the political, economic, social and cultural take humanity in his keeping, preventing large masses of people, especially youth, to know the truth, to live according to moral law and the right to know and worship God and His Son Jesus Christ crucified and risen for our salvation.
never forget to call in the fight against the spirit of darkness, the mighty archangel St. Michael and the holy angels of God, Benedict XVI, about San Michele, in the homily for the ordination of six new bishops September 29, 2007, said: "At this Archangel become apparent two functions. He defends the cause of God against the presumption of the dragon, the "ancient serpent" like John says.
E 'of the serpent's continuous effort to make men believe that God must disappear so that they can become great, that God impedes our freedom and that therefore we must rid ourselves of him [...] Those who accuse God also accuse the man. Faith in God defends man in all his weaknesses and shortcomings: the radiance of God shines on each. [...] The other function of Michael, according to Scripture, is that of protector of the people of God. " It 'important to invoke the principle of the angelic hosts especially through prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII and also recommended by the Servant of God Pope John Paul II: "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle against the wickedness and snares of the devil be our help. Please supplication: that the Lord commands! And you, prince of the heavenly army, with the power that comes from God, cast into hell Satan and other evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. "
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