I’M referring to that episode in the gospel where Christ
was accosted by a man possessed by many devils who called themselves,
Legion, precisely because they were many. (cfr. Mk 5,1-20)
It is said that the possessed man was so unwieldy that no
chain nor fetters nor man was strong enough to control him. And that
was because he was so dominated by many devils that nothing and no one
could help him. Only Christ could.
That gospel story somehow demonstrates what can happen to
us individually or collectively as a society. If we are not careful,
we can allow the devil to enter and possess us. And things can get
worse when, God forbid, a demonic infestation can occur.
We should always be wary of the devils and be ready to
handle them properly. They exist. And their only purpose in their
existence is to do evil, to go against God and to everyone and
everything that God loves. They were originally good angels who
rebelled against God upon their creation.
Being pure spirits and therefore are free and intelligent
beings, the devils misused their intelligence and freedom by choosing
to replace God upon their creation. That choice has plunged them,
being pure spirits, into an irreversible eternal state of enmity
against God and against everything else that comes from God and is
still with God.
Many if not all the temptations that come our way
originate or are being orchestrated by devils. The proper attitude we
should have when temptations come is to reject these temptations
immediately, never giving them a chance to advance in their plot by
dialoguing with them, and to go to God immediately.
Let’s remember that when temptations come, it is because
we have let down our guard. It means that our union with God has
loosened, if not completely broken, often without even our noticing
it.
Thus, when temptations come, we really should intensify
our prayers and presence of God, since with God can we resist them. We
should also submit our body to some severe discipline because when
tempted the body easily falls and drags our spirit with it.
And given the way the world is now, we can readily say
that the devil is having a heyday. That’s because with all the
developments we are having today, we often are easily intoxicated by
them and we become quite worldly, a perfect condition for the devils
to pull their tricks.
That is why we have a lot of disorders around—people into
addictions, violence, terrorism, suicide, envy, greed, laziness,
pride, vanity, etc.
We should try our best not to be swallowed by the worldly
allure of these developments. While these developments are good and
serve a good purpose, we have to see to it that they are always
offered to God. Their use should be an expression of our belief, love
and thanksgiving to God. Otherwise, they can only take us away from
God.
In fact, we have to figure out how these new developments
play in the abiding providence of God over us. They just cannot be
allowed to flow according to worldly laws and values. That is why we
have to spend time praying and asking God for enlightenment and
strength.
There is also a need for constant purification, since we
cannot deny that in spite of our good efforts, we cannot avoid some
moral and spiritual dirt. Not only should we rectify our intentions
constantly. We should also purify our thoughts, memory and
imagination, our feelings and passions, and our senses.
From time to time, we may have to have recourse to some
extraordinary corporal mortifications like fasting, abstinence,
denying ourselves some comfort, etc., since the body really needs to
be properly subdued.
Lastly, regular and frequent recourse to the sacraments of
confession and the Holy Eucharist would do a lot of wonders for us.
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