Pope Francis gives the homily as he celebrates morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican May 8. The pope cautioned people to stay away from the devil, likening him to an angry, rabid dog that is chained up. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

The devil is a big loser, but he still manages to trick people, pope says

819 0

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The devil is “a loser,” but he still tricks people into giving him power, Pope Francis said.

The devil “seduces us; he knows how to appeal to our vanity and curiosity and we buy it all,” the pope said May 8 during his homily at Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae where he lives.

The day’s Gospel passage from St. John ends with Jesus telling his disciples “the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

The phrase refers to the devil, Pope Francis said. With the resurrection of Jesus, the devil has been defeated, but he still pretends to have power and still tries to influence people.

“He has this ability to seduce,” the pope said. “That makes it hard to understand that he is a loser because he presents himself with great power, promises you many things, brings you gifts — beautiful, all wrapped up,” he said. “He knows how to seduce us with the package without letting us see what’s inside. He knows how to present his proposals to appeal to our vanity, our curiosity.”

Unfortunately, he said, too often “we like being seduced.”

The devil is “the great liar, the father of lies,” the pope said, “and we fools believe him.”

“We must be aware of the devil,” he said, and Jesus taught his disciples that the only way to do that was to watch, pray and fast.

And, Pope Francis said, it’s especially important that Christians don’t think they can approach the devil, see what he’s like and then just walk away unscathed.

As one of the fathers of the church wrote, the devil is like an angry, rabid dog that is chained up, he said.

People know when they are playing with fire, the pope said. They know when they are approaching that angry dog. “Please, don’t,” he said, before imagining a dialogue in which someone cries about having been bitten, but it turns out the dog was chained up and he had approached it, basically provoking the injury.

One who is afraid of the devil’s influence can always turn to Mary, he said. “When children are afraid they go to their mother. ‘Mom, mom, I’m afraid.’ When they have bad dreams, they go to mom. Go to the Blessed Mother; she protects us.”

Related Post

The Youngs of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., are the Knights of Columbus Family of the Year at the Baltimore Convention Center. Members of the family, honored Aug. 8, are from left, Christopher, 17; Mary, 9; Ryan, the father; Grace, 12; Elizabeth, the mother; Justice, 8; and Trinity, 15. The family also includes Faith, 2, and Xavier, 5 months. (CNS photo/courtesy Knights of Columbus)

God’s ‘persistent’ voice spurs Knights Family of the Year to serve others

Posted by - August 11, 2018 0
BALTIMORE (CNS) — A little more than two decades after they met at an ice cream social on the second…
Pope Francis passes youths holding cell phones as he arrives for a meeting of the international network "Scholas Occurentes" at the Vatican May 11. In remarks May 14 the pope said a few young people extended a hand when he arrived for the "Scholas Occurentes" meeting, but most were trying for a photo. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

‘Selfie’ culture leads to alienation, departure from reality, pope says

Posted by - May 19, 2018 0
ROME (CNS) — While taking selfies can be an occasion to capture treasured memories, it can also be a sign…
People travel along Dalton Highway near Coldfoot, Alaska, Sept. 3, 2017. The Catholic bishops of Alaska have released a pastoral letter affirming that all Catholic moral teachings stem from the foundational belief in the dignity and sanctity of every human life. (CNS photo/Jim Lo Scalzo, EPA)

Pastoral draws attention back to ‘God’s design for the human family’

Posted by - March 3, 2018 0
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNS) — The Catholic bishops of Alaska have released a pastoral letter affirming that all Catholic moral teachings…
Dawn Teresa Parkot and her father, Sean, discuss why they are opposed to the Aid in Dying bill at the New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton March 25, 2019. Parkot, a quadriplegic motivational speaker with athetoid cerebral palsy, was among dozens of advocates making their voices heard as the bill went to a vote in both chambers of the state Legislature. The bill passed the Assembly 41-33 and the Senate 21-16. (Hal Brown, The Monitor)

Pro-lifer says allowing assisted suicide like ‘state-sanctioned execution’

Posted by - April 6, 2019 0
TRENTON, N.J. (CNS) — Dawn Teresa Parkot does not mince words when she speaks about the Aid in Dying bill.…