Pope warns:
The devil is more frightening when he is sweet and polite
We need to look at the crucified Christ and review our lives, Francis says, to see if the devil has subtly affected our actions
Pope Francis warned that the devil is trying to lure us, and he sneaks into our lives “so gently and nicely” to take over our attitudes.
The pope said this today in his morning sermon, based on today’s Gospel reading about the evil spirit who leaves a person but then decides to come back, and brings along seven other spirits “more evil than itself.” Vatican Radio reported Pope Francis’ stress that the passage shows how demons enter quietly, gradually becoming more and more part of a person’s life.
The devil slowly alters our attitudes, disguising himself to lead us to what’s called worldliness, Francis explained. This attitude makes us look at things in ways opposite to the spirit of the Gospel.
When the devil enters “so gently, nicely and takes possession of our attitudes,” the pope said, our values shift from serving God to worldliness. Thus we become “tepid Christians, worldly Christians.” Francis described this as being like a fruit salad — a bit of the spirit of the world and a bit of God’s spirit.
Prevention
However, the Holy Father also said there is a way to prevent this gradual progression of the devil’s temptation: “pausing for a while to examine my life, whether I am a Christian, whether I raise my children, whether my life is Christian or worldly.”
The daily examination of conscience is one of the spiritual practices most encouraged by the Society of Jesus, the religious order that the pope belongs to.
It involves taking a few minutes at the end of the day to look over one’s day — to see the gifts that God offered, and to thank him for them, and to see the moments when we rejected his grace and chose to act in a way against the Gospel. The examen ends with a specific resolution to work on the next day.
The pope suggested today that this examen can be done while looking at Christ crucified, saying that the crucifix saves us from the charms and temptations that lead us to worldliness.
The examination of conscience, the pope said, is done always before Christ crucified, with prayer, after which one has to break away from one’s comfortable attitudes, through works of charity, visiting the sick, helping someone in need and so on. This breaks up the spiritual worldliness that the group of demons tries to create in us, the pope said.
The devil wants to deceive us, and he creeps into our lives “so softly and kindly” to control our attitudes, Pope Francis cautioned.
The pope said this today in his morning homily, drawing from today’s Gospel reading about the impure spirit who departs from a person but then decides to return, and brings with him seven other spirits “more wicked than itself.” Vatican Radio reported Pope Francis’ emphasis that the passage illustrates how demons enter silently, progressively becoming more and more part of a person’s life.
The devil slowly modifies our attitudes, masking himself to lead us to what’s called worldliness, Francis explained. This attitude makes us look at things in ways contrary to the spirit of the Gospel.
When the devil enters “so softly, kindly and takes possession of our attitudes,” the pope said, our values change from serving God to worldliness. Thus we become “lukewarm Christians, worldly Christians.” Francis described this as being like a fruit salad — a bit of the spirit of the world and a bit of God’s spirit.
Prevention Nonetheless, the Holy Father also said there is a way to stop this gradual progression of the devil’s seduction: “stopping for a while to examine my life, whether I am a Christian, whether I educate my children, whether my life is Christian or worldly.”
The daily examination of conscience is one of the spiritual practices most recommended by the Society of Jesus, the religious order that the pope belongs to.
It involves taking a few minutes at the end of the day to look over one’s day — to see the graces that God offered, and to thank him for them, and to see the moments when we refused his grace and chose to act in a way opposed to the Gospel. The examen concludes with a specific resolution to work on the next day.
The pope suggested today that this examen can be done while looking at Christ crucified, saying that the crucifix saves us from the charms and temptations that lead us to worldliness.
The examination of conscience, the pope said, is done always before Christ crucified, with prayer, after which one has to break free from one’s comfortable attitudes, through works of charity, visiting the sick, helping someone in need and so on. This breaks up the spiritual worldliness that the band of demons tries to create in us, the pope said.
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