tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post3584293626700940918..comments2024-03-25T11:09:41.538-04:00Comments on a minor friar blog: Discerning the DiabolicalBrother Charleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-89678701358650793852009-06-05T20:01:12.480-04:002009-06-05T20:01:12.480-04:00Not at all, anonymous! Pious souls who are advanci...Not at all, anonymous! Pious souls who are advancing by truly despising the passing pleasures of this world and who set their sight on what is above are blessed indeed!<br /><br />The devil's tactic with such souls is to make them self-satisfied in their own excellence, and to look down on everyone else. The gift of sanctity--and this is the secret of the saints--is that holiness places us below everyone else, in the place of our humble and suffering Lord.<br /><br />Thanks for the comment!Brother Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-59935238808485980512009-06-05T19:19:13.689-04:002009-06-05T19:19:13.689-04:00Scary point in your post where you write, and then...Scary point in your post where you write, and then also in your comements, "I think it's a mistake for a devout person to think that the devil will try to tempt her to sin in ways that are obviously crude and worldly. It is the devil's joy to have us be as religious as could be, so long as we do it his way. So the diabolical attacks on devout people take the form of temptations to spiritual vanity, self-righteousness." It sounds like you are saying that the pious souls who are actually advancing (since we are either advancing or going backwards, according to all the saints who have written about the spiritual life) who sees that crudeness and worldlines are things which they prefer to avoid out of love for God are lying to themselves and slaves to the demonic? <br />In other words, something that is crude and wordly is not something that should be avoided if possible, and to think so is "self-righteous" and "over-religious". Then you write that one must combat such pious souls (such as were the saints):<br />"The first tactic is mockery. Humorlessness and self-importance are two of the great weaknesses of all sin and evil. Exploit them." <br /><br />Wow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-16979245778857267742009-05-29T16:06:21.290-04:002009-05-29T16:06:21.290-04:00Friar Charles: I heard the same story about Leo XI...Friar Charles: I heard the same story about Leo XIII. It must be true. Get the parish to pray the prayer aloud following Mass. Would the pastor allow it?<br /><br />Jeanne: You will hear more and more of this type of spiritual talk in homilies and catechism/faith formation.<br /><br />Spiritual combat is not well-favored in many seminaries but all would admit the rise of attachment to evil. Let's call it what it is: Satan's influence. In the sacristy one of the 4th graders referred to the rosary as able to help in spiritual combat. Wasn't I surprised!Paul A. Zalonskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05762528016500986067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-8562818311573946342009-05-29T10:41:27.761-04:002009-05-29T10:41:27.761-04:00Great post Brother Charles. I went through 12 year...Great post Brother Charles. I went through 12 years of Catholic school and something like 20+ years of homilies and never once heard about things like this until I went to a friend's Protestant church! Now I am hearing more Catholic clergy talking about this. We need more sound teachings from the church on this. They exist, but aren't spread (at least not where I am or lived in the past).Jeannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18217797935437208044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-61093855816025636192009-05-29T05:39:30.124-04:002009-05-29T05:39:30.124-04:00Your comment about mockery reminds me of a story I...Your comment about mockery reminds me of a story I think I read about St Theresa(?). She is asleep and is woken up by the Devil and simply says "Oh, it is you again!" and then she turns over and goes back to sleep! Nothin' doing just the Devil again!jakenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-68587972584622145452009-05-28T20:30:27.768-04:002009-05-28T20:30:27.768-04:00I agree Paul, that the desuetude of the Leonine pr...I agree Paul, that the desuetude of the Leonine prayers is a loss.<br /><br />I once heard that at least the inclusion of the prayer to St. Michael in them derives from an experience that Leo XIII had of the devil, but I don't know this to be true.Brother Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-40816914468088618772009-05-28T20:23:43.309-04:002009-05-28T20:23:43.309-04:00Yes, this is good post. Thanks. I have to admit th...Yes, this is good post. Thanks. I have to admit that theological training at WJST never addressed the matter of the diabolical and yet the seriousness of the diabolical in life is so very crucial today. Anecdotally I've heard the exorcists in various US dioceses and in Rome are busy. Moreover, there's been "in service" days in dealing with the spiritual life viz. the diabolical and other sins.<br /><br />Hence I think you are on to something here, especially by raising our awareness of the role of Satan in leading people to sin especially those claiming to be pious. The type of sin the penitent asserts always needs context. I tend to think the devil is not going to work his magic in profound ways. That is, I am inclined to think most people are mediocre sinners they are mediocre pray-ers.<br /><br />Your second point, Friar Charles, is accurate. Experience indicates this point.<br /><br />I believe Ben is correct: the reduction of the "I", that is, the dignity of the WHOLE person, is heart of sin. Fr Luigi Giussani spent a lifetime to speaking about this problem man and woman today. You can read his take on the reduction of the "I" in The Religious Sense and other works of his.<br /><br />Finally, I find myself praying the prayer to St Michael following Mass and others times during the day. The prayer to St Michael was one of the prayers after Mass prior to the V2 "renewal" of the Mass and sadly dropped. The Leonine prayers make an impact. In my summer parish assignment the faithful pray St Michael's prayer aloud after the priest enters the sacristy. Prayer to the Guardian Angel is important, too.Paul A. Zalonskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05762528016500986067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-12426271779243438922009-05-28T13:20:58.750-04:002009-05-28T13:20:58.750-04:00I used to work with the psychiatrically ill adoles...I used to work with the psychiatrically ill adolescents. Prior to this work, I never took the diabolical very seriously. Over the course of working with these young people I developed a strong devotion to St. Michael. <br /><br />I have come to believe through my experience that what the diabolical really wants is to degrade the human person, both body and soul. My sense is that the diabolical is more involved in sins when the dignity of the person is being attacked or destroyed. I have seen this most often in cases where people degrade themselves, but the time it most disturbed me was a case that involved the degradation of others as well.ben in denvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-84835693747268332392009-05-28T10:12:56.383-04:002009-05-28T10:12:56.383-04:00The first tactic is mockery. Humorlessness and sel...The first tactic is mockery. Humorlessness and self-importance are two of the great weaknesses of all sin and evil. Exploit them.Brother Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-61709253786308372012009-05-28T10:06:10.829-04:002009-05-28T10:06:10.829-04:00What advice would you give someone who you thought...What advice would you give someone who you thought might have diabolical influence? I guess the better question is, how would you, as a priest, "arm" such a person for spiritual combat?Matthew Ignatiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00275476255186723128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-38580766902600591112009-05-28T09:29:46.095-04:002009-05-28T09:29:46.095-04:00This is a great post, Father, thank you!This is a great post, Father, thank you!Adorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02853244433854822731noreply@blogger.com