Why did God create the devil?
Catholics believe that the devil is an angelic person whose will is fixed forever in evil. When God created the angels, He made them good and gave them a share in His own divine life. But before they could enter heaven, they were tested by God. Some of the angels failed the test and sinned grievously against God. They are called evil spirits or “fallen angels.” Their leader is named Satan (which in Hebrew means the enemy), Lucifer or simply, the devil.
The devil is a spiritual being who has no body and that is why we cannot see him. Because he has intelligence and free will, he is a personal being. He is evil through his own fault. He was good when created by God, but he freely made himself evil by abusing his freedom.
The devil is under God’s control and cannot act without God’s permission. He is allowed to incite us to sin (temptation), to enter human bodies and move the imagination and locomotive faculties (diabolical possession). However, he has no power over our free will. He can never force our consent to evil. Although the devil is clever and as a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour (1 Pt. 5:8), we should not be afraid of him for, “God is faithful and will not permit you to be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also give you a way out that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
If God destroyed the devil, he would violate the precious gift of freedom and deprive man of opportunities for virtue and merit. To destroy free beings would mean God’s failure to fulfill the plan of creation. Besides, it is a far greater punishment for the devil to suffer eternally than to be snuffed out of existence. As the last, God will take from him all power and thrust him back, hopeless and helpless into hell forever.
Satan And His Legions
Satan, “the adversary,” is the brilliant chief of the fallen angels, exiled from heaven because of his envy and pride. He and his demons are a personal, malign force at loose in the world which seeks to thwart the designs of God by tempting men. “Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” (Ephesians 6:11 — 1 2).
Satan is also identified by Jesus as “the Prince of this world” (John 14:30), a murderer, and the father of lies (John 8:44). Tempting Christ in the wil- derness (Matthew 4:1-11) Satan claims to have the world in his gift and is not contradicted. He is a formidable opponent who knows Scripture well and quotes it aptly.
Satanists view the principle of evil as sharing equally with good in ruling the universe. Thomas Aquinas, expressing the orthodox Christian view, says that good is the only reality and that evil is a contingent deprivation. Satan as a person, a fallen angel, expresses this situation perfectly. Satan was created by God, banished by God, and holds his influence by God’s sufferance. The saints are confident that God loves and controls everything, and they are not daunted by the existence of apparent evils that cause such difficulty in the thinking of unbelievers who mock the idea of a just God who can allow suffering to exist.
Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be engaged by men, not even the most clever.
– MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
Now, schemes for working evil come easily to the devil, so when it was nighttime, they made such a crashing noise that the whole place seemed to be shaken by a quake. The demons, as if breaking through the building’s four walls, and seeming to enter through them, were changed into the forms of beasts and reptiles. The place immediately was filled with the appearances of lions, bears, leopards, bulls, and serpents, asps, scorpions, and wolves.
– ATHANASIUS, The Life of Anthony
Demons are very cowardly, always anxious about the fire that has been prepared for them. To bolster your courage against them, take this sure sign. When some apparition occurs, do not collapse in terror, but whatever it may be ask first, bravely, “Who are you, and where do you come from?” If it is a divine vision, they will give you assurances and change your fear to joy. If it is some devil, it will immediately be weakened by your formidable spirit.
– ANTHONY OF EGYPT
Be eager for more frequent gatherings for thanksgiving to God and his glory, for when you meet thus, the forces of Satan are annulled and his destructive power is cancelled in the concord of your faith.
– IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
It was the ground that God cursed, not Adam. And he cursed the serpent; and the fire was prepared originally for the devil and his angels, not for man.
– IRENAEUS
Christ did give the devil power over Him that He might be tempted and led into danger and persecuted even unto death, in order that He might thereby liberate man from the devil’s power.
Our Lord’s body became a bait for death so that the dragon, hoping to swallow him, might vomit up also those whom he had swallowed.
– CYRIL OF JERUSALEM
The Lord called his disciples the salt of the earth because they seasoned with heavenly wisdom the hearts of men, rendered insipid by the devil.
– CHROMATIUS OF AQUILEIA
You damned spirits! You can only do what the hand of God allows you to do. Therefore, in the name of Almighty God I tell you to do whatever God allows you to do to my body. I will gladly endure it since I have no worse enemy than my body. If you take revenge on my enemy for me, you do me a very great favor.
– FRANCIS OF ASSISI
The way to overcome the Devil when he excites feelings of hatred for those who injure us is immediately to pray for their conversion.
– JOHN VIANNEY
In the case of those who are making progress from good to better the good angel touches the soul gently, lightly, sweetly, as a drop of water enters a sponge, while the evil spirit touches it sharply, with noise and disturbance, like a drop of water falling on a rock. In the case of those who go from bad to worse, the contrary happens, and the reason for this is the disposition of the soul. When the soul is contrary to these spirits they enter with perceptible commotion, but when it is similar to them they enter in silence, as into their own house, through open doors.
– IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA
Every evil is based on some good. Indeed, evil cannot exist by itself, since it has no essence, as we have shown. Therefore, evil must be in some subject. Now, every subject, because it is some sort of substance, is a good of some kind. So, every evil is in a good thing.
– THOMAS AQUINAS
The demons were not created as the figures we now identify as ‘demonic’, for God made nothing bad. They were made good, but falling from the heavenly wisdom and thereafter wandering around the earth, they deceived the Greeks through apparitions. Envious of us Christians, they meddle with all things in their desire to frustrate our journey into heaven so that we might not ascend to the place from which they fell.
– ANTHONY OF EGYPT
Heed not the demons even if they awaken you for prayer, or counsel you to eat nothing at all, or level accusations and reproaches for actions for which, at some other time, they urged excuses on you. They do these things not for the sake of piety or truth, but to bring the simple to despair and to declare discipline useless. They want to make men sick of the solitary life.
– ANTHONY OF EGYPT
Consider that the devil does not sleep but seeks our ruin in a thousand ways.
– ANGELA MERICI
First tell the Devil to rest, and then I’ll rest too.
– JOHN BOSCO
Devil: Definition
– from the “Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible”
1. The name given to any of the fallen angels, who sinned before the creation of Adam and have been damned to hell. The devils did not lose all of their original greatness and power after their sin, and they use all their cunning now for evil. The common teaching is that their sin was one of pride: Suarez taught that theirs was a refusal to worship the Word Incarnate when God revealed to them the Incarnation.
All the gods of the Gentiles were devils. Men offered them sacrifices even of their own children (Ps. 106:37; Bar. 4:7). This was specifically forbidden (Lev. 17:7). They were driven out of possessed persons by Our Lord (Matt. 8:16, 31; 9:33; 17:17; Luke 4:35; 8:2, 28; 9:43; 13:11). They were subject to the disciples (Luke 10:17; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 16:18). They recognized Christ (Matt. 8:29; Mark 3:11; 5:7; Luke 4:33, 41; 8:28; Acts 19:15).
2. The name given to the chief of the fallen angels, who is also called Satan (“the adversary”). Sin entered the world through his jealousy (Wis. 2:24). He is always seeking to injure men (Gen. 3:1; 2 Chron. 18:21; Job 1:11; Zec. 3:1; Matt. 8:28; Luke 8:12; Eph. 6:11; Rev. 2:10; 12:9). He tempted Our Lord (Matt. 4). He transforms himself into an angel of light to deceive men (2 Cor. 11:14). He can act only as God permits (1 Kings 22:22; Job 1:12; 2:6; Matt. 8:31; 2 Tim. 2:26; Rev. 20:7). He is the father and prince of the world and of all the wicked (John 8:44; 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Acts 13:10; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; 1 John 3:10). His empire was destroyed by Christ (Matt. 8:16; Luke 10:18; 11:22; Col. 1:13; 2 Tim. 1:10; Heb. 2:14).
The Mobile Phone
It makes me ignore everyone and everything. It leads me in the path of sex and violence. For the sponsor’s sake. Yea, though I walk In the shadow of Christian responsibilities, there will be no interruption. For he Mobile Phone is with me. It prepares a commercial for me. in the presence of my worldliness consumerism. My coveting runs over. Surely, laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell in the house of watching the Mobile Phone forever.
SATAN’S GREATEST WORKS
- Abortion
- Atheism& Materialism
- Sexual Perversion
Young people beware !
The Devil is Real !
Logging on to pornography or obscenity
You’re logging in to HELL!
SATAN’S Bad-ATTITUDES
PRAYERS AGAINST DEVIL & HELL
Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians.
—They are my best workers.
Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked.
—I can use them.
Blessed are those easily annoyed.
with a bit of luck, they may stop going to church.
—They are my missionaries.
Blessed are the troublemakers.
—They shall be called my children.
Blessed are the complainers.
—I’m all ears to them.
Blessed are they who are bored with the priest’s mannerisms and mistakes.
—For they get nothing out of his homilies.
Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church.
—For he is a part of the problem instead of the solution.
Blessed are they who gossip.
—For they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.
Blessed are they who are easily offended.
—For they will soon get angry and quit.
Blessed are they who do not give their offering to carry on God’s work.
—For they are my helpers.
Blessed is he who professes to love God, but hates his brother and sister.
—For he shall be with me forever.
Blessed are you when you read this and
think it is about other people
Prayer For Protection Against Demons (St. John Bosco)
O Mary, powerful Virgin,
You are the mighty and glorious Protector of the Church.
You are the Marvelous Help of Christians.
You are Terrible as an Army set in Battle Array.
You alone have destroyed every heresy in the entire Church.
In the midst of my anguish, my struggles and my distress,
Defend me from the power of the enemy,
And at the hour of my death,
Receive my soul into Paradise. Amen.
Prayer for Spiritual Deliverance from Evils
In virtue of my baptism and confirmation I break all chains and bonds which bind me and pray to Almighty God by the intercession of the Most Blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary, St. Michael the Archangel, my guardian angel (include other angels/saints to which one is devoted, and/or the saint of the day) that He might deliver me from all diabolical temptation, infestation, vexation, obsession and influence, especially (name the type of evil) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. (Hail Mary)
After each Mystery of the Rosary the “Fatima Prayer” is said.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.
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