One of the main rules that priests abide by when conducting an exorcism is to never engage in dialogue with the demon.
And here we have the Holy Father reminding us also not to engage in dialogue with the evil one.
This is what the article said.
Christians should follow the example of Jesus in the desert by never trying to dialogue with the devil when tempted, Pope Francis said.
"Jesus does two things with the devil: he drives him away or, as in this case, responds with the word of God. Beware: never dialogue with temptation, never dialogue with the devil," the pope said March 1 during his Sunday Angelus address.
Before praying the Angelus prayer with pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, the pope reflected on the Sunday Gospel reading from Matthew, which recounted the devil's temptation of Jesus in the desert after Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.
In responding to the sinister propositions with "the word of God and not his own word," Jesus teaches the proper way to confront the devil, who often adds his voice to "the many voices that try to tame one's conscience," the pope said.
"When tempted we often begin to dialogue with the temptation, to dialogue with the devil: 'Yes, but I can do this, then I'll confess,' then this and that," he explained.
Enticements, usually come with an invitation to "let us be tempted to experience the thrill of transgression" and present an alternative to the path laid out by God.
"But all this is deceptive," Pope Francis said. "Very soon we realize that the further away we go from God, the more defenseless and helpless we feel in the face of the great problems of existence."
Reflecting on the Gospel narration of the three temptations, the pope explained that the first temptation arises from the fact that Jesus is hungry, and so, the devil suggests: "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."
Jesus' response is clear: "One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."
The devil's second attempt, the pope said, "is a bit more astute": by quoting the Sacred Scripture, he invites Jesus to put God to the test.
"But even in this case," the pope explained, "Jesus does not allow himself to be confounded, because the one who believes does not put God to the test, but instead entrusts him or herself to God's goodness."
Lastly, the third attempt, he said, reveals the devil's true reasoning: "since the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven means the beginning of his own defeat, the evil one wants to distract Jesus from accomplishing His mission by presenting him a political Messianic perspective."
But, the Pope said, Jesus rejects the idolatry of power and human glory and, in the end, drives the tempter away, saying to him: "Be gone, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"
It all reminds me of how i can tend to rationalize temptations at times like the Holy Father said "yes, but I can do this, then I'll confess,' then this and that" using all kinds of excuses and false reasoning.
Another thing that struck me is when the Holy Father said "the devil, who often adds his voice to "the many voices that try to tame one's conscience"". This is so true. Sometimes it's difficult to discern whose voice it is. Within our consciousness we have God's voice who tells us to do God's will but we also have Satan's voice who is always tempting us to do his will.
The whole speech that the Holy Father gave is about spiritual warfare, our fight against the temptations of the evil one. I know some Christians who believe they are free of such temptations or that they are somehow protected from them. They imply that they are perfect beings just like Christ yet I see them sin all the time, often in subtle ways
Spiritual warfare is not a popular subject and it is hard to find people who are as interested in it as myself.
The manifestations of the evil one is one of the things that made me look for God. Being away from God for so long gave the evil one time to build a stronghold in my mind so my war against him is real. Maybe that is why i am more conscious of it than most Christians
I pray for all Christians to be clothed in the armour of God to be able to defend against the attacks of the evil one. Amen
And here we have the Holy Father reminding us also not to engage in dialogue with the evil one.
This is what the article said.
Christians should follow the example of Jesus in the desert by never trying to dialogue with the devil when tempted, Pope Francis said.
"Jesus does two things with the devil: he drives him away or, as in this case, responds with the word of God. Beware: never dialogue with temptation, never dialogue with the devil," the pope said March 1 during his Sunday Angelus address.
Before praying the Angelus prayer with pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, the pope reflected on the Sunday Gospel reading from Matthew, which recounted the devil's temptation of Jesus in the desert after Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.
In responding to the sinister propositions with "the word of God and not his own word," Jesus teaches the proper way to confront the devil, who often adds his voice to "the many voices that try to tame one's conscience," the pope said.
"When tempted we often begin to dialogue with the temptation, to dialogue with the devil: 'Yes, but I can do this, then I'll confess,' then this and that," he explained.
Enticements, usually come with an invitation to "let us be tempted to experience the thrill of transgression" and present an alternative to the path laid out by God.
"But all this is deceptive," Pope Francis said. "Very soon we realize that the further away we go from God, the more defenseless and helpless we feel in the face of the great problems of existence."
Reflecting on the Gospel narration of the three temptations, the pope explained that the first temptation arises from the fact that Jesus is hungry, and so, the devil suggests: "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."
Jesus' response is clear: "One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."
The devil's second attempt, the pope said, "is a bit more astute": by quoting the Sacred Scripture, he invites Jesus to put God to the test.
"But even in this case," the pope explained, "Jesus does not allow himself to be confounded, because the one who believes does not put God to the test, but instead entrusts him or herself to God's goodness."
Lastly, the third attempt, he said, reveals the devil's true reasoning: "since the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven means the beginning of his own defeat, the evil one wants to distract Jesus from accomplishing His mission by presenting him a political Messianic perspective."
But, the Pope said, Jesus rejects the idolatry of power and human glory and, in the end, drives the tempter away, saying to him: "Be gone, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"
It all reminds me of how i can tend to rationalize temptations at times like the Holy Father said "yes, but I can do this, then I'll confess,' then this and that" using all kinds of excuses and false reasoning.
Another thing that struck me is when the Holy Father said "the devil, who often adds his voice to "the many voices that try to tame one's conscience"". This is so true. Sometimes it's difficult to discern whose voice it is. Within our consciousness we have God's voice who tells us to do God's will but we also have Satan's voice who is always tempting us to do his will.
The whole speech that the Holy Father gave is about spiritual warfare, our fight against the temptations of the evil one. I know some Christians who believe they are free of such temptations or that they are somehow protected from them. They imply that they are perfect beings just like Christ yet I see them sin all the time, often in subtle ways
Spiritual warfare is not a popular subject and it is hard to find people who are as interested in it as myself.
The manifestations of the evil one is one of the things that made me look for God. Being away from God for so long gave the evil one time to build a stronghold in my mind so my war against him is real. Maybe that is why i am more conscious of it than most Christians
I pray for all Christians to be clothed in the armour of God to be able to defend against the attacks of the evil one. Amen
