10th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
‘It is the end of Satan’
The teaching of the Church, based on the
Scriptures, leaves us in no doubt as to the
existence of the Devil and the demonic realm.
The Church further counsels against two equal
and opposite errors in this regard. One is to
disbelieve in his existence. The other is to believe
and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest
in him. Pope Francis often refers to Satan as
the ‘Father of Lies’, the one who sows seeds of
division and disunity, confusion and conflict,
the one who attacks us at our most vulnerable
moments. In His earthly ministry Jesus Himself
came face to face with the ‘Powers of Darkness’.
Satan it is who constantly tries to obstruct His
plans to bring about the reign of the Kingdom.
In the end, goodness trumps evil and it always
will. There is only one God and Satan cannot go
beyond the limits set by God. In the meantime,
the struggle goes on. As children of the light,
we are warriors on the frontline of this spiritual
battle, which requires the utmost diligence. It is
highly significant that the Lord’s model prayer
concludes with the petition: ‘deliver us from the
Evil One’.
