This Lent we propose once again some words from the Popes on the reality of the devil, “the tempter par excellence,” who “has invaded the earth with hatred.” An enemy with whom there is no dialogue, which must be fought with the “spiritual weapons” of faith. An evil “sorcerer” who “cannot prevent the establishment of the kingdom of God”
Amedeo Lomonaco – Vatican City
Lent is a time of conversion, penance and reconciliation. A time to welcome the new life that Easter brings. An opportune moment to undertake journeys of faith, even through deserts full of emptiness and uncertainty, rejecting the temptations and deceptions of evil. The popes have repeatedly spoken of the reality of the devil, “a sinner from the beginning” and “father of lies.”
Benedict XVI: Jesus allows himself to be tempted and remains the Son of God
In the Gospel of Mark we read that “the Spirit pushed Jesus into the desert and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.” Pope Benedict XVI. recalls this page during the Angelus prayer on March 1, 2009. “Even in a situation of extreme poverty and humility, tempted by Satan, Jesus remains “the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lord.”
Benedict XVI: Jesus allows himself to be seduced by Satan
In the Holy Land, west of the Jordan and the Jericho oasis, lies the Judean Desert, which rises through stony valleys to Jerusalem and overcomes a height difference of about a thousand meters. After Jesus was baptized by John, he went into solitude, led by the same Holy Spirit who had rested on him, consecrated him and revealed him as the Son of God. In the desert, a place of testing, as the experience of the Holy One shows the people of Israel, the reality of kenosis, the emptying of Christ, who has freed himself from the form of God (see Phil. 2:6-7), becomes vividly dramatic clearly. Those who have not sinned and cannot sin face the test and can therefore have compassion for our weaknesses (see Heb 4:15). He allows himself to be seduced by Satan, the adversary, who has opposed God's plan of salvation for humanity from the beginning.
Pius XII: The evil one has invaded the earth
Satan's actions corrupt people, sow hatred and war. Pope Pius said these words
Pius XII: The devil has invaded the earth
The devil has entered the earth with hate: revival, arrogance, love. Many people still feel bad because they haven't been loved enough. Enliven everything that falls under the influence of your rays. So be like Mary and with Mary be instruments of life in the souls who are dying of cold and hunger today, but who could return to the Father's house if they were moved by your words and carried away by your example.
Listen to the episode of the “Papale Papale” podcast on the word “devil.”
Paul VI: The devil is an evil sorcerer
The devil is “enemy number one, he is the tempter par excellence”. At the general audience on November 15, 1972, Pope Paul VI recalled. remember that one of the Church's greatest needs is “defense against the evil we call the devil.” Through numerous cracks, including “ideological seductions,” this disturbing, cunning, and occult sorcerer can “easily penetrate and alter human mentality.”
Paul VI: The devil really exists
So we know that this dark and disturbing being really exists and that it still acts with insidious cunning; It is the hidden enemy that sows mistakes and misfortune in human history. (…) This would be a very important chapter of Catholic teaching that needs to be studied again about the devil and the influence that he can exert today on individual people, but also on communities, on entire societies or on events is.
John XXIII: The devil is fought with faith
“Spiritual weapons” must be used in the fight against the devil. This is emphasized by Pope John XXIII. in a history shattered by the Cold War, in his 1961 radio message addressed to the whole world “for the harmony of the people and the tranquility of the human family.”
John XXIII: Spiritual weapons against the devil
If we want to follow St. Paul in his warnings relating to the attitude towards these evil spirits scattered in the air, the description he leaves us is of every good fighter who is ready to fight against his opponent is interesting. “In omnibus perfecti stare: Gird yourselves with the truth; Wear the breastplate of righteousness on your chest, put it on your feet, so that they may quickly conquer the gospel of peace, evangelical pacis. Take up the shield of faith, against which you will extinguish the fiery arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of strength and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” A whole range of spiritual weapons through which you, beloved Our brothers and children, see indications of what can be, what must be, the attitude of good Christians at any time and in any situation and in the face of any event. Spiritual warfare arising from evil and undisciplined natural tendencies; but always war: and always a shameful flame that can penetrate and overwhelm everything.
“To make oneself master of good and evil is a temptation!”, it is “the most dangerous trap for the human heart.” Francis said this at the general audience where he announced a new series of…
Francis: The evil one sows division
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis repeatedly reminded us that “you never talk to the devil.” “Jesus – emphasizes the Pope at the general audience on December 27, 2023 – never spoke to the devil, he drove him out. When he was tempted in the wilderness, he did not respond with dialogue; he simply answered with the words of the saint.” The Holy Scripture, with the Word of God. The only possible answer is the Word of God. In the homily during Mass on October 11, 2022, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, Francis underlines that “the Good Shepherd sees his flock and wants to unite them”.
Francis: The devil sows discord
The Council reminds us that the Church is community in the image of the Trinity. The devil, on the other hand, wants to sow discord and division. Let us not succumb to his blandishments, let us not succumb to the temptation of polarization. How many times have Christians worked hard after the Council to choose a part of the Church without realizing that they were tearing their mother's heart! How often have we preferred to be “fans of our own group” rather than servants of all, progressives and conservatives rather than brothers and sisters, “right” or “left” rather than Jesus; positioning themselves as “guardians of the truth” or “soloists of the new” instead of recognizing themselves as humble and grateful children of Holy Mother Church. The Lord doesn't want us like that. We are all, we are all children of God, we are all brothers in the church, we are all the church, we are all. We are his sheep, his flock, and we are only together, united.
John Paul II: The devil cannot hinder the kingdom of God
Although powerful and cunning, the devil is but a creature “subject to the will and dominion of God.” John Paul II emphasized at the general audience on August 20, 1986 that “the history of humanity can be seen as a function of total redemption, in which the victory of Christ is inscribed.”
John Paul II: Good will triumph
If Satan acts out of hatred against God and his kingdom in the world, this is permitted by divine providence, which directs the history of man and the world with power and goodness (“fortiter et suaviter”). Although Satan's actions certainly cause great harm to individuals and society – spiritual and indirectly physical – he is not, however, able to nullify the ultimate goal towards which man and all of creation aim, good.
Pope Wojtyla concludes that “the Church participates in Christ’s victory over the devil.” And even as earthly history continues to be marred by the devil's deceptions, every believer is called to “fight for the final triumph of good.”