Q. Yo! Dude. But doesn't this look like blaming invisible demons for all the bad things we humans do?
A. It shouldn't. The devil cannot force us to do anything. All these evils result because we fall into temptation and cooperate in evil. But neither the devil nor God can force our will.
Q. Reading all of these systematic attacks and seeing just how successful they have been doesn't leave one too optimistic...
A. True. Against the fallen angels, precisely because they are angels, their intellect and their will far surpasses all our Einsteins put together. There simply is no comparison even between the lowest of the angels and the greatest of men. We will lose every single time, hands down.
Q. So basically we're doomed to defeat.
A. Yes. If we rely on our own intelligence and will. Best advice when dealing with the devil and with temptation: DON'T DIALOGUE! Flee! Don't wait to see how bad the scene gets, don't rationalise how unimportant that gossip is, don't argue it's only fair since they did such and such to you first. If your conscience tells you there's something off about some thought, word, action or omission, turn 180 and flee!
Q. So... we are NOT doomed to defeat?
A. Nope. Because of Christ:
-and our connection to him through prayer
-our assistance from him through the sacraments
-our protection from him through the good angels (Mt 18:10, Ex 23:20 ff)
Let us make good use of these means to fight in all those besieged areas mentioned last week.
11th October 2015