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OVERCOMING THE WILES OF SATAN - stephenkhoo - 10-11-2013 10:17 AM
OVERCOMING THE WILES OF SATAN
SCRIPTURE READINGS: : JOEL 1:13-15; 2:1-2; LUKE 11:15-26
http://www.universalis.com/20131011/mass.htm
In the first reading, we have Prophet Joel calling the people to repentance in view of the Day of Judgment which was imminent. The talk about the Day of Judgment is inevitable because we cannot avoid speaking of the eternal justice of God and the frightening consequences of sin. Only in the light of evil and judgment, can we be awakened and be inspired to fight against evil! Of course, this should not be motivated by fear primarily, yet there’s nothing wrong in considering the two options for eternal life: Heaven or Hell.
Yes, many people in the world today believe that there is no hell and they assume that no sin committed could warrant Hell or that God is so merciful He would never send anyone to Hell. Otherwise, there are those who presuppose that they will live long enough to make amends for their sins.
Whilst it is true that we must believe in the Good News of the infinite mercy of God, this cannot also contradict in any way the eternal justice of God – as the psalm asserts, “The Lord will judge the world with justice!”
So what are the causes of sin in us and in the world today? In other words, what are the obstacles to the fuller coming of God’s Kingdom into our world? Classical spirituality explains sin as due to three causes, “the world, the flesh and the devil.” “The world” stands for external cultural attitudes militating against living for God and others, such as secularism, individualism, materialism. “The flesh” stands for internal personal dividedness inhibiting our free response to the Spirit, such as the capital sins of pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony, lust. And “the devil” is Satan who seeks to tempt us into sin and evil. So we have indeed a formidable triad to content with in our struggle against sins!
However, today’s Gospel just wants us to focus on the third member of the triad, Satan. Jesus and His culture acknowledge the existence of preternatural forces – the devil – that work mightily against God’s Kingdom. Nevertheless, Jesus’ power as God’s Messiah is not limited or threatened by the power of Satan. Whatever current debates go on in our post-modern age concerning the existence or non-existence of demons, the Gospels assure us that the Devil is real on one hand; and on the other hand, the power of Jesus is always superior to the power of Satan.
So in our fight against sin, we must recognize and affirm the existence of the devil and his activities. As the author of the First letter of Peter exhorts us, “Our adversary, the devil prowls the earth seeking the ruin of souls (1 Pt 5:8-9).” In the gospel, we read of Jesus’ confrontation with Satan. Jesus Himself encountered personal opposition and battle with Satan when He was put to the test in the wilderness just before his public ministry.
In our fight against the Devil, we must recognize that we will surely face opposition either directly from Satan if he were exposed, or indirectly when he worked through the weaknesses of men. Indeed, those of us who try to expose the Devil and his deceit very often have to face opposition and all kinds of slander. This is not surprising, for in the gospel today, we read of Jesus performing many exorcisms, freeing many who were troubled and oppressed. He, too, battled with Satan. But people reacted to His healings maliciously by accusing Him of exorcising in the power of Satan, Beelzebul.
Hence, a clear sign that the Devil is working in our midst is when we see a growing discord and division in community life. Jesus warns us of the danger that when a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot survive for long. Satan’s strategy is to divide us from within so that he can destroy us. That is why we must be alert for Satan can lends his power to us unwittingly.
How do we deal with devil? How can we defeat him? For us Christians, the Good News is that Jesus is the strong man whom we can rely on. What comfort to know that the presence of Christ in us is stronger than any power of evil that may assail us, whether from “the world, the flesh or the devil.” This is indeed good news!
Jesus affirmed His authority over the Devil by claiming that His power and authority to release us from Satan’s power is through the finger, that is, the power of God. God’s power is clearly at work in the exorcisms which Jesus performed and they give evidence that God’s kingdom has come. Indeed, His power and authority to cast out demons is a clear demonstration of the reign of God.
Yes, we have been saved from domination by evil through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We too must exercise our freedom from sin through our union with Christ. Only in union with Him, can we be assured of His protection from spiritual harm. “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:9-11)
Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we must resist the devil and make full use of the spiritual protection which the Lord provides for His people. There is a danger in Christian complacency and inactivity. If we refuse to imitate Jesus, even for one moment, God won’t force us to obey Him and serve Him, but the devil won’t be so kind. Our lack of Christ-like living is a void that demons seek to fill. They don’t care whether or not we invite them in. They don’t care if we’ve already tossed them out. When we clean sin from our lives, we must fill our souls with love for the Lord, doing what He wants to do through us. Otherwise, we’re an open door for evil spirits. Deciding in favor of keeping a void means we’re tempting demons to come on over and take advantage of us. But the busier we are doing the Lord’s will, the less we have time to notice, let alone give in to, their temptations.
Hence, we must always be growing in the Spirit and in our spiritual life. This is the point of Jesus’ grim story about a vacant house left by an evil spirit, only to be re-inhabited with more of the same. If we think of it in terms of getting rid of a bad habit, we all know what happens when we don’t substitute something good to replace the addiction. It is not enough to banish evil thoughts and habits. We must also fill the void with God who is the source of all that is good and upright. What do you fill the void in your life with? We must fill this void with a strong discipline and fervent prayer.
At the same time, we must remember that in life there is no middle road. It’s either Satan or God. There are no neutral parties. We cannot serve two masters. We are either for Jesus or against Him, for the kingdom of God or against it.
If we disobey God’s word, we open the door to the power of sin and Satan. If we want to live in freedom from sin and Satan, then our house must be occupied by Jesus where He is enthroned as Lord and Savior. We are not living in God while rejecting, for example, a moral teaching of the Church, no matter how inconvenient or difficult it is to obey. There is no neutral corner where it’s safe to go and do whatever we want, then go to Mass on Sunday to make sure we won’t go to hell, then return to a life apart from God. If we want to find peace and security, we must surrender our life to the Lordship of Christ by obeying his word.
We are the presence of God in the modern world. Whatever we do that works against this calling is what makes our hearts become a kingdom that’s divided against itself. We are laid waste by our Christian inactivity. In fact, every action that is contrary to the life of Jesus brings evil into the world and infects the Body of Christ. If we truly want to be with Christ, we need to honestly examine our lives to seek out the places where we have left a void. What Christ-like deed have we been reluctant to do? What sin are we enjoying too much to quit? Which teaching of the Church is too difficult to trust and embrace?
We cannot draw a line and say that we don’t need to imitate Christ farther than this. Yet, we often rationalize: “I can’t be expected to live that way! Only a saint could do that. I’m an ordinary Christian.” There is no line. There is only a choice between Christian activity and a void that makes us vulnerable to evil. The good news is that we have but to decide in favor of Christ and he rushes to our aid. God graces us with the ability to do whatever he asks of us.