Posted on 03/08/2014 6:01:21 AM PST by markomalley
Pope Francis has spent his pontificate in a full frontal assault against the devil.
“There is no shadow of a doubt,” Pope Francis said in October, “A battle exists, a battle in which the eternal salvation of us all is at stake.”
The battle is two-sided, he said in a June audience. “Look around us — it is enough to open a newspaper, as I said — we see the presence of evil. The Devil is acting.”
What is it that we find when we open the newspaper?
But Pope Francis likely has in mind not this open Satanic activity, but the more subtle activity of the evil one.
But clearly the battle is raging, said Pope Francis, and there are no alternatives to joining it. “No! Either you are with Jesus or you are against him.” Over at the Register, my wife and I point out that this Sunday’s readings offer a little tutorial on “How to Tell Satan to Go Away.” Here is some of Pope Francis’ own advice on how to fight the devil.
Fight for salvation.
Pope Francis told Argentinian bishops “There’ll be trouble if the devil robs me of a single soul!” He was quoting his countryman, Blessed Jose Brochero. He praised the “Gaucho Priest” for going out to his people to preach the Gospel, saying he wasn’t content to sit in a Parish office. “With God’s help, he overcame those inner forces that the devil uses to chain us to comfort, to the search for fleeting pleasure, to the lack of incentive to work.” We need to be that serious about the salvation of souls.
Fight against complacency.
Pope Francis warned that “the devil’s strategy” relies on our complacency:
Pope Francis says this is the devil’s bargain: “You become a Christian, go forward in your faith, and I will leave you alone; I will leave you in peace. But then, once you have grown accustomed to it, are no longer watchful and feel secure I will return.”
To fight back, he said, be on guard. Ask: “Do I keep watch over myself? Do I guard my heart? My feelings? My thoughts? Do I guard the treasure of grace? Do I protect the Holy Spirit’s presence within me?”
Fight against hate.
Hatred is a constant temptation in the world, but on all Saints Day the Pope warned that hatred belongs to the devil.
“Hatred does not come from God but from the devil. And the Saints removed themselves from the devil; the Saints are men and women who have joy in their hearts and they spread it to others. Never hate but serve others, the most needy; pray and live in joy. This is the way of holiness.”
Fight against worldliness.
“Worldliness is the enemy,” said the Pope, and “the devil derives great pleasure from seeing us live according to its ways.”
This, he said later, is because the devil “could not endure that man be superior to him, that man and woman be made in the image and likeness of God. This is why he made war on them” and entices us onto “a road that leads to death.” That road is idolatry, spent in thrall to Mammon.
… But Don’t Expect to Win on Your Own.
All of which comes with a giant papal caveat: “you cannot dialogue with the prince of the world,” said Pope Francis. “With that prince, there is no dialogue; you can only answer him with the Word of God who defends us.” The prince of the world “hates us. And what he did with Jesus, he will do with us.”
But Christ will guard the Church from the devil, ultimately, said the Pope.
“I would like to say out loud: God is stronger! Do you believe this, that God is stronger? Let us say it together, let us say it all together: God is stronger!”
Yes, the Devil is real — but God is stronger.
Significantly, the only joint public appearance by both Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict was July 5. This has been reported as simply the dedication of a statue. But that’s not what Pope Francis said in his prayer that day. He said:
“In consecrating the Vatican City State to St Michael the Archangel, let us ask him to defend us from the Evil One and cast him out.”
So St. Michael is fighting the Pope’s battle with the devil. We should be too.
Is that Satan’s job? To fight the Pope I thought was his task.
a battle in which the eternal salvation of us all is at stake.”
Not mine.
-—“With God’s help, he overcame those inner forces that the devil uses to chain us to comfort, to the search for fleeting pleasure, to the lack of incentive to work.”-—
Very wise and insightful statement from the Pope.
-— Not mine. -—
“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” -—St. paul
It is actually a blasphemous sentence. Compared to the price Jesus paid on Calvary, Vatican politics is laughably insignificant.
I was already p!ssed off with Satan and his minions...but now I'm getting seriously angry.
FWIW, Paul was not referring to salvation, rather, he was referring to falling into sin. When read in context;
1 Cor 10:11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,e he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Man can do nothing to keep his salvation, for he does nothing to gain it, it is ALL a work of God, even our ability to believe. It is His gift to us, and gifts are given freely without obligation. There is a myriad of verses to this end, and I will offer 2:
Eph 2: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Phil 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
The fact that the Body of Christ atomized after the Reformation is to be celebrated, not normed. It made the Body a thousand times tougher.
This article makes that point. Imagine how easy it would have been for the Enemy if he only had to subvert one body. Instead he has to contend with thousands at once.
Another question to which I believe we all know the answer....Is media of any kind Satan’s best tool?
normed = mourned. Spell checker is the devil’s tool.
Undermines monotheism.
What would 0bama have against the Pope? :-)
Why would falling into sin be bad if our salvation is assured?
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re·main ri-meyn
verb (used without object)
1. to continue in the same state; continue to be as specified: to remain at peace.
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“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love...."
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"If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love." --Jesus
When you sin, you are disobeying Christ's commands. If you don't remain in Jesus, or in His Love (Love = God = Jesus), you will be "thrown into the fire and burned."
In what way?
Chapter and verse please.
God Bless Pope Francis who day in, day out, in season and out of season preaches the GOOD NEWS of Jesus for the salvation of souls.
America could not have been founded without Christianity.
That being said, I’m an OT guy, and IMHO monotheism is undermined by other than the God of Abraham, Issac and Israel.
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