PROTECTION AGAINST THE DEVIL - 8/30/22 (Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time)

Luke 4:34-36

“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083022.cfm

Blessed Tuesday! We witness the power of Jesus as God. The power of God is so overwhelming for the evil spirits that with His command, the demon/s will flee from the body of the possessed. At the same time, we should be reminded of the real presence of Satan and his minions. This is not meant for us to be afraid of them, but it's for us to be prepared against their attacks. In today's secularized culture, more people are denying the reality of Satan, which is one of Satan's temptations for them to fall more to sins. The truth is that even today, there are still more people who become possessed or who may also experience other diabolical attacks. Below this reflection, there is a blog where the exorcist publishes his experiences. May we also pray for their ministry and for all afflicted people. 

Satan and the demons do not just influence people through demonic possession, obsession and other extreme attacks. Usually, they will tempt us to fall to numerous sins, especially grave sins, so that  our relationship with God will be broken. Why do many of us fall to Satan's traps and temptations? Unfortunately, some of us are affected by the worldly lifestyle around us that God may no longer be the center in everything we do. In cases of moral decision making, some people just think on their own instead of discerning and knowing what God's teachings are. What people may not be aware of is that we have a fallen human nature, and without depending on God's grace, we will fall to these sins. But, no matter how sinful we are, God's mercy is limitless. This is why He is always giving us opportunities to repent of our sins and be truly sorry for them. 

In the gospel reading, as Jesus commanded the evil spirits, they came out of the body of the person. This also shows us the importance of detaching ourselves and separating ourselves from the evil one and from his works. We should also be firm in staying away from occasions of sins. Sometimes, our friends or other people may influence us to commit grave sins, but we should remain faithful to God by not entertaining these temptations because when we commit mortal sins, we are rejecting the graces of God by choosing to be bonded with the devil. This is why Jesus always inspires and draws us to the sacrament of confession. Exorcists and other priests will affirm to us that one sacrament of confession is worth more than many exorcisms. It's because this is the sacrament that purifies us from all sins, including mortal sins, and it brings us back to the state of grace where we are united with God. What are the other things we can do with regards to our prayer life? 

God is reminding us that by committing grave sins, we are opening ourselves to demonic attacks. As such, we need to also renounce some actions that people think are innocent or not wrong. For example, some think that there is nothing wrong with the occult, with speaking to fortune teller, with buying lucky charms, etc. But, doing these things just keep us away from the true God. We can pray, especially in front of the blessed Sacrament like before the Tabernacle or in the Adoration chapel, "In the name of Jesus, I renounce the occult, lucky charms (and mention other specific things that are grave as well)." We should also be prepared for strong temptations that will seek to lead us to sins like lust, pride, or anger. Below this reflection, there is a YouTube video that teaches us about "binding prayers" which we can say at the moment of being tempted. Let's not be afraid of the demons because in reality, they are the ones who are afraid of God. May we always ask help from Him, and may we also remember to seek the intercession of our Mother Mary. God is powerful, and because of His mercy, He gives us the sacraments, sacramentals, prayers and the saints. Let's keep our faith in Him because He will not abandon us. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Blogs on the "Exorcist Diary":

https://www.catholicexorcism.org/

Binding Prayer:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=nUrKNi_vZdc

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Amazing Testimony on Rosary:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FFyRwJBExMk