Unmasking the Devil

I preached a homily, this week, for the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel & Raphael. Afterwards a parishioner requested a copy of the thoughts from the homily...

On 13th October 1884 the story is told that, after offering Mass, Pope Leo XIII had a vision. He apparently "turned paled and collapsed as though dead." He later shared that he had seen a vision of Satan boasting about his plan to destroy the Church. 

According to Pope Leo XIII the Lord reminded him that his Church was imperishable. Satan then replied, “Grant me one century and more power of those who will serve me, and I will destroy it.” Our Lord granted him 100 years.

The Lord then revealed the events of the 20th century to Leo XIII. He saw wars, immorality, genocide and apostasy on a large scale. Immediately following this disturbing vision, he sat down and wrote the prayer to St. Michael. For decades it was prayed at Mass until the 1960’s. Like many of the Church’s spiritual defenses, it was discontinued in the second half of the 20th century. (The New (& the Old) Evangelization: The 100 year test, Joe Tremblay, Catholic News Agency)

The prayer to St. Michael is a beautiful prayer that the great Archangel, through the power of God, would defeat the work of Satan. There is a long version and well as the better known short version. As noted above, the shorter form was frequently, publicly recited before the liturgical reforms in the '60s, as part of the 'Leonine Prayers' said in the vernacular at the end of low Masses. Some have certainly seen a link between the removal of these prayers and the rise of destructive forces in the Church.

While I make no comment on the spiritual link here, I think it is unarguable that the roots of the current crisis in the Church can be found in the tumultuous movements emerging out of the 1960s. 

• This was the era of the sexual revolution, when a definitive break took place between the society's conception of the place and purpose of sexuality in the human experience, and that which has consistently been taught and understood within the Christian Church. 'Free love' replaced the idea, in many minds, that sexual intercourse belongs only within marriage (between one man & one woman).
• It was also in this decade that a momentous event in the life of the Catholic Church took place: the Second Vatican Council. This Council, known commonly at Vatican II, ushered in a significant number of changes - most notably for lay Catholics, the reform of the liturgy, with most of its parts being said in the vernacular language of the people, rather than Latin. It must be observed, however, that in many places changes were introduced that went beyond what the Bishops had agreed on at Vatican II. Proponents of the changes appealed to the so called "Spirit of Vatican II", as indeed certain people in the Church do today.
• An important mention must also be made of the episode around Humanae Vitae, which Pope Paul VI issued in 1968. There had been much speculation in the '60s, in light of the sexual revolution and the Spirit of Vatican II, that the Catholic Church might be about to change its teaching on artificial birth control or contraception. Humanae Vitae brought this to an end, when Paul VI reaffirmed this teaching definitively, and essentially said that the Pope would have no power to change this. Many in the Church, however, encouraged by the spirit of change, simply rebelled against this teaching - in spite of the fact that it came from the Church, safeguarded in her teaching by the Holy Spirit.

In many ways the great winner from what happened here is the Devil, who loves to divide. We see today great division in the Church, and it is deeply, deeply saddening; and, more seriously, it is having a devastating effect on the Church's mission to bring others to Christ. It is horrendously unedifying to see Bishops publicly, and often not terribly politely, correcting one another in the Catholic media; and, increasingly, all events in the life of the Church are being seen as a struggle between polarised liberals and conservatives. The fact that the struggle is usually portrayed as being about either sexual morality or the  Liturgy shows us that the damage done in this period was immense.

In 1972, Pope Paul VI preached in a homily "“the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God from some fissure”. There is doubt, uncertainty, problems, anxiety, dissatisfaction, confrontation. One no longer trusts the Church; one trusts the first profane prophet who comes to speak to us from some newspaper or from some social movement to chase him and ask him if he has the formula of true life."

Dealing with the Devil

Now, how does one fight against the Devil. The beginning of dealing with the devil is to unmask him. He is, in the end, a coward, and he can only work in the darkness. When the light of Truth is shone upon him, he runs away. How do we do this?

1. To begin we must recognise the problem. As our culture focusses increasingly on issues of identity, what is subtly occurring is that we are becoming more attentive to what divides us. Polarisation has led many people to quite enjoy defining themselves in opposition to others, even within the Church. We need to see that division is of the Devil - Jesus does not want this.
2. Having seen the division, we need to reject it, acknowledging that there is more to unite us, than to divide. Please God, as men and women seeking the will of God in His Church, our union of faith and sacrament must be genuinely understood to unite us far more than the issues that divide us. 
3. That said, the issues division are real. These issues must be humbly explored in the light of revealed truth. Those who may disagree with us, or oppose us, in the Church may have real and genuine questions. There needs to be an authentic, charitable and humble submission of everyone's questions to the light of revelation found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

In the end, the defeat of the devil will yield blessing for the Church, if it becomes a means for her renewed commitment to the teaching of Jesus Christ, handed down in Her midst.

Facing the Devil in our own lives

We should be careful never to fall into the trap of looking for demons around every corner in our lives. When sin or darkness begins to take hold of us, the world or the flesh are as likely, as not, the source of the problem. However, sometimes things do happen, for which something a little more supernatural might be an explanation. When division between myself and someone else pops us out of nowhere; where a darkness or sadness grabs me, out of which no ordinary human means seems to shake me - dividing me from myself; or, perhaps where something has caused me to mistrust or be divided from Christ's body, the Church.

If we see something in our lives that hints of the Devil's activity, then we too should unmask him. Name the problem for what it is. In naming devilish division, we cause him to lose his power. We should then, instead, look for the unity, and look for it in the light of the truth. If necessary, do not be afraid to seek help. The devil - again, working in darkness - is terrified when we open the secrets of our hearts, because it brings light to a situation.

As Christians, we should never be afraid of fallen angels. In Jesus Christ we have the victory over all the powers of darkness. However, we need to live that victory in our lives, and bring the power that Christ promises to the forefront of our lives.

St. Michael the Archangel... pray for us.