Other times we become astutely aware of his presence when the light of truth reveals his abhorrent work of lies and murder, especially of the most innocent, or when we are hounded by his temptations. The devil is certainly dangerous, but we know that in God we’ve already won the battle.
Several years ago Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan gave us ten practical rules to resist Satan. And they are certainly worth remembering.
Rule one: "Do not forget that the devil exists."
Rule two: "Do not forget that the devil is a tempter."
Rule three: "Do not forget that the devil is very intelligent and astute."
Rule four: "Be vigilant in the eyes and the heart."
Rule five: "Be strong in spirit and virtue."
Rule six: "Tireless prayer."
Rule seven: "Adoring God."
Rule eight: "Listening to God's Words."
Rule nine: "Remembering Christ's victory over temptation. Remembering man's sharing in that victory."
Rule ten: "Be humble and love mortification."
Several of those rules nicely sum up the life of Mary, our ever-ready help in times of temptation. And of course, no one can forget the intercession of St. Michael and our guardian angels.
Let us always be vigilant, strong, prayerful and attentive to God. And we can be confident in his – and our – victory over evil.
Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.
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