Our Spiritual Battle, The War Within Part One

Our Spiritual Battle, the War Within   - In 2 Parts

Eileen Renders   Part One

Father Gabriele Amorth told us in 2023 that a great number of the angels fell because they rebelled against God. We recall that before admitting the angels to paradise, God subjected them to a trial of obedience and humility, of which we know the nature but not the specifics. The sin of the fallen angels was one of pride and disobedience. Satan, the most beautiful of all the angels, being aware of his extreme intelligence, rebelled at the idea of being subjected to someone. He forgot that he was a creature made by God. Many angels followed him in his folly.

The original sins of the angels are the same as those who implicitly or explicitly adhere to Satanism. Angels and men who follow Satan base their existence on three principles and practical rules of life: you can do what you wish, that is, without subjugation to God’s laws; you obey no one; and you are the god of yourself.

What happened to the angels is narrated in the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation: there was a great war between the angels and the demons. In this passage, the Bible tells us that Michael the Archangel was at the head.

We have now arrived at the specific action of the devil, and we begin with the first question: Can the devil know our thoughts? Is he able to understand what we are thinking at a certain moment in our lives? The response is simple: absolutely not. Theology agrees on this question. Only God – who is omniscient, who intimately possesses the secrets of created reality, which is His own essence – knows the depth of the thoughts of each man. The last passage from the first letter of St Peter: “Brothers and sisters, be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, remain firm in your faith” (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8-9). Fr. Amorth goes on to conclude, “The devil wanders around each one of us, searching where to devour.” That word “where” is important: the devil looks in each person precisely for their weak point and “works” on it, creating their next sinful occasion.

The above information was provided by Fr. Gabriele Amorth, as reported by Catholic Exchange.

The following information is taken from The Catholic Telegraph as follows;

Do Catholics believe in the existence of Satan? Is Satan the same as the devil?

A significant number of Christians do not believe in Satan. They consider him representative of evil, but not an active being. Yet the Catholic tradition has long acknowledged the existence of Satan and associated with him evil presences that seek to undermine humanity’s relationship with God.

VARIOUS NAMES

The Evil One has MANY various names. The most common terms include Satan, from the Hebrew meaning “to oppose”, and the devil, from the Greek word for “accuse” or “Calumniate”. These names are used frequently in the Bible, and Satan, Lucifer, the devil, the tempter, or the Evil One are usually synonymous in the Scriptures and Christian writings.

ANGELS AND DEMONS

Belief in Satan is based on the understanding that God created both the angelic and the earthly. We confess this whenever we say the “Creed”- “I believe in….things visible and invisible.” Satan, one of the invisible creatures, is a fallen angel.

GOD SAVES

Jesus came to save humanity from sin and death. His name means “God saves.”

EVIL DOES NOT WIN

Satan and his demons are powerful, but this does not mean they cannot be defeated. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, Satan has been overcome. The Church, through Christ, has power over evil. This is seen in the blessings offered by the Church and in special rites called exorcisms that sanctify persons and objects, commanding evil to flee.

Why God has permitted Satan to have influence here on earth is ot known, but we need not fear. Through the power of Christ, we can have victory over Satan’s temptations. We need only call upon Him in faith, as we pray so often in the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

This article appeared in the October 2023 edition of The Telegraph Magazine by Father David Endres of St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology

Part 2 will follow in “Our Spiritual Battle – The War Within