June 8, 2005
Devils Abound, but be not afraid
In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis' classic book on demons, there is a most illuminating idea. Lewis said that there are two things Satan would have us believe, and he would be equally pleased if we were to believe either of them. The first is that he does not exist. The second is that he and his minions are lurking under every rock. If we believe the first, then we are easily deceived by him and will unwittingly wind up under his influence without any fight. If we accept the second, then he has us gripped with fear because we think he has power and influence that he does not have. Lewis is quite right. So, let's put the devil in perspective.
The Church teaches that "the devil and the other demons were... created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing." (CCC 391) They sinned by rebelling against God and his plan of creation. Their choice was made irrevocably, just as when after we die our choice to follow God, or not, is made permanent. Because they are angels, they have all the gifts and powers of angels, no more and no less. So, as powerful as Satan may be in comparison to a human, when compared to God he is next to nothing because he is a limited creature, and God is infinitely powerful.
How does Satan work? He cannot make us do anything. He is like a hawker, selling his wares and making promises that he cannot keep. He calls out and plants ideas in our heads in order to distract us from the things of God. He is effective because he knows our human frailties and he capitalizes on them. When we buy his sales pitch, we place ourselves in sin. His hope is to get us addicted to some sin pattern, thus forming habits of sin. The more serious the sins we partake in, the more hold we let him have on us. "To lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil." (1 Jn 3:8) He works incessantly and subtly, hoping to get us to join his infernal rebellion for eternity when we die. But, why didn't God get rid of these troublemakers? Just as when we sin, God does not blink us out of existence for mercy's sake; neither did he destroy the demons. So, for us the battle is on and we must join the fight against his rebellion.
The good news is that in the sacraments and scripture we have all the weaponry we need to be victorious. In fact, the victory is won. "It was to undo all that the devil has done that the Son of God appeared."(1 Jn 3:8) We simply need to "put God's armor on so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics. ...or [we] will not be able to put up any resistance" against him. (Eph 6: 10&12) For more information on demons, see the Catechism # 391-395, Ephesians 6:10-20, and read The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis.
Fr. John Anthony Boughton, CFR
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