Let's Talk Devil
Found an out-of-print jewel at Hyde Bros. a few weeks ago. The title? Satan. Published by Sheed and Ward. A collection of essays by theologians, exorcists, scientists, historians and saints regarding the devil.
The first essay instructs on the historical aspects of Lucifer which includes a discussion of angels in general. I am impressed with angels (created spirits) in that each is luminous to degrees of more and more perfection. Thus the hierarchy of angels. Lucifer was the most luminous, most perfected angel. Various theologians (including St. Thomas Aquinas) offer reasons why Lucifer went against light and goodness and flung himself from God, from Love.
The next essay delineates Scriptural passages relating to the devil and evil, and includes how the devil is allowed to tempt humans and other aspects of his operations intent upon bringing disorder. The devil is allowed to affect our imaginations, nerves, glands, and physical organism. He is not allowed to directly affect our wills; and the way he knows our thoughts (since he cannot know our inner beings) is through our reactions and responses, our physical movements and so forth. For example, the devil can observe someone losing temper, or even just beginning to show signs of weariness and strain through physical nuances. He accesses our imagination, causing it to run hither and yon with fears, lusts, and other disordered images. His main aim is to successfully bring a person to depression and weariness in well-doing, and thus to despair, and thus on the road to abandoning God.
Regarding the devil himself, on a more energized day (but trying hard to not let the devil notice how tired I am from disrupted sleep) I'll go through the essay and share thoughts and quotes. But today I share this footnote regarding the Adversary:
"It may be remarked in passing that possession in some sense by an evil or unclean spirit by no means excludes a natural disease, but rather affirms it; the devil being a spirit of disorder, his influence more or less direct is to be found wherever there is disorder, and particularly in the mental and spiritual fields." (p. 29)
The complexity of the devil's existence and reasoning must be left to other blogs. Be left with this quote, though, and the assurance that there is indeed a devil with superior intelligence and power to induce temptation to evil and deduce evil outcomes from humans.
"The world is as it is, and not as we might like it to be; it contains cobra snakes, cancer, atomic bombs--and the devil. Faith assures us of this, and assures us of the only means of victory: trust in Christ and the power of His cross. But if we neglect these only means [emphasis added], faith equally assures us that the prospect is bleak indeed: the reign of unreason, falsehood, deceit, calumny, hatred, death and unending corruption." (p. 39)
The first essay instructs on the historical aspects of Lucifer which includes a discussion of angels in general. I am impressed with angels (created spirits) in that each is luminous to degrees of more and more perfection. Thus the hierarchy of angels. Lucifer was the most luminous, most perfected angel. Various theologians (including St. Thomas Aquinas) offer reasons why Lucifer went against light and goodness and flung himself from God, from Love.
The next essay delineates Scriptural passages relating to the devil and evil, and includes how the devil is allowed to tempt humans and other aspects of his operations intent upon bringing disorder. The devil is allowed to affect our imaginations, nerves, glands, and physical organism. He is not allowed to directly affect our wills; and the way he knows our thoughts (since he cannot know our inner beings) is through our reactions and responses, our physical movements and so forth. For example, the devil can observe someone losing temper, or even just beginning to show signs of weariness and strain through physical nuances. He accesses our imagination, causing it to run hither and yon with fears, lusts, and other disordered images. His main aim is to successfully bring a person to depression and weariness in well-doing, and thus to despair, and thus on the road to abandoning God.
Regarding the devil himself, on a more energized day (but trying hard to not let the devil notice how tired I am from disrupted sleep) I'll go through the essay and share thoughts and quotes. But today I share this footnote regarding the Adversary:
"It may be remarked in passing that possession in some sense by an evil or unclean spirit by no means excludes a natural disease, but rather affirms it; the devil being a spirit of disorder, his influence more or less direct is to be found wherever there is disorder, and particularly in the mental and spiritual fields." (p. 29)
The complexity of the devil's existence and reasoning must be left to other blogs. Be left with this quote, though, and the assurance that there is indeed a devil with superior intelligence and power to induce temptation to evil and deduce evil outcomes from humans.
"The world is as it is, and not as we might like it to be; it contains cobra snakes, cancer, atomic bombs--and the devil. Faith assures us of this, and assures us of the only means of victory: trust in Christ and the power of His cross. But if we neglect these only means [emphasis added], faith equally assures us that the prospect is bleak indeed: the reign of unreason, falsehood, deceit, calumny, hatred, death and unending corruption." (p. 39)
posted by The Catholic Hermit | 7:59 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home