The Mass: The Great Amen

 

The Warning

Revelaciones 

MESSAGE OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
TO LUZ DE MARÍA
OCTOBER 10, 2024

Beloved children of the Holy Trinity, My protection is with each one of you.

I COME IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY TRINITY TO WARN YOU.

I call you to conversion, to prayer, to receive Our King and Lord Jesus Christ duly prepared.

Be love, as the Holy Trinity is Love (cf. I Jn. 4:7-9). It is the duty of each one of you to focus on and be aware of your personal actions, since these will determine how you resist the deceptions of the evil one, who attacks human beings through desires, in their thoughts, in their minds, and in their hearts, to lead them to fall, and to keep them in the mire unable to take flight again.

Children of the Holy Trinity, you face The Warning (*). You will see a light coming from above, and it will illuminate even the shadows. Then, as you are shaken by this great event, silence will arrive. You will hear nothing, and nothing will move. Everything will be in the silence of God, where each one of you will be before your own conscience, and you will examine yourselves, in your actions and deeds, even if you do not wish to do so.

This act of Divine Mercy is, for all mankind, the opportunity for conversion. Before this outpouring of Divine Mercy, make up your minds to change interiorly, and though you will have examined your sins, the good you have failed to do and the good you have refused to receive, you will see them and it will hurt you.

THE FIRM COMMITMENT TO ADVANCING ONE'S INTERNAL TRANSFORMATION (cf. I Jn. 8-10)
IS A TREASURE FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE IT.

Beloved children of the Holy Trinity, you, as a human race, will continue to face the onslaught of nature.

Children of the Holy Trinity, you will suffer from the emanations of the sun causing unexpected electrical storms, diverse climates in America and Europe. Several countries will have no electricity. Water and wind will not stop; they will continue to be scourges for humanity.

Human beings feel that they have passed the test and laugh at the announcements of the Father’s House; but when they look around, they see what has been announced. Hurricanes and atmospheric phenomena that will surprise you continue.

* WHAT WILL THE UNIVERSAL WARNING BE?

Marriage, Divorce, Annulments: A Catholic View

 Yesterdays Mass readings for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time had to do with Jesus' teaching's on Marriage and Divorce.  

First Reading Genesis 2:18-24 

"The LORD God said: "It is not good or the man to be alone.  I will make a suitable partner for him."  So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all wild animals; but none proved to the suitable partner for the man.  So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.  The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man.  When he brought her to the man, the man said:  "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken".  That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh."

Bishop Barron's commentary on today's readings

  

Gospel Mark 6:2-16 

 "The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"  They were testing him.  He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?"  They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her."  But Jesus told them "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment.  But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.  For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.  So they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate."  In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.  He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." And the people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.  When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,  "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it."  Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them."

Fr. Mike Schmitz's commentary on today's readings

For more commentary on these difficult teachings listen to Fr. Alar's discussions below on a Catholic view of marriage, divorce and annulments.

2024 Election: What is Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's Stance on Abortion

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of all pregnancies. When deliberate steps are taken to end a pregnancy, it is called an induced abortion, or less frequently "induced miscarriage". The unmodified word abortion generally refers to an induced abortion. The most common reasons women give for having an abortion are for birth-timing and limiting family size. Wikipedia  

My definition of abortion is: One heart stops and another heart breaks. I am a pro-life Catholic.  I have attended the Walk for Life and written about Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice, Roe v. Wade, Margaret Sanger, and Planned Parenthood over the years. Every election cycle my decision for which candidate to vote for is made on the candidates pro-life stance. Or as in the last three presidential elections, which candidate is most pro-life.  

As a Catholic it is a moral duty to vote.  So I must think, decide, and make my vote according to my conscience.  I pray that the Holy Spirit makes my conscience well formed to discern moral truth. After I access both political parties and each candidate, then using the Catholic view of moral truth, I choose the candidate that has the higher moral truth according to my conscience. Fr. Kirby's homily explains this better than I can.

The following are some of the videos, articles, and statistics that I used to help determine my vote.  Do your own research, follow your conscience, and make your own decision.         

Harris vs. Trump on Abortion by the Washington Post (September 10, 2024)

                                                     Kamala's Georgia Speech on Abortion 

                                     Tony Levatino A Former Abortion Doctor Speaks Out 

Interactive Map: US Abortion Policies and Access as of 2024 by Guttmacher.  No gestational ban is available in 9 states and DC.  These states to not restrict abortion based on gestational duration.  

Are infants born alive after abortion? YES (for more information see Abortion Survivors Network)
A “born alive abortion” is a failed abortion resulting in an infant's live birth. Currently, 0.21% of infants survive abortions, but that figure is rising. In 2020 alone, an estimated 1,927 infants were born alive after abortion in the United States.

What happens if a baby is born alive after an abortion?

Whether care for a child born alive after an attempted abortion is legally required currently depends on the state. Ideally the baby would receive life saving care. Currently 31 states do not adequately protect the lives of infants who survive abortion.  As a result healthcare workers have reported infants being left to die after a failed abortion.   On this site scroll down to "Addition Pro-Life Maps" and click on "Born-Alive Protections" here you will find what states require.  Born Alive legislation would help ensure that all infants born after failed abortions are given life saving care. 

117th Congress (2022) In the 117th Congress, the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection bill (HR 619) received the support of nearly all GOP members of the House but failed to garner any Democrat support.

118th Congress (2023) Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (HR 26) Currently (9/2024) it has passed the House. 

Watch the video below for an honest conversation between two former abortionists and two abortion survivors

Is Abortion Ever Medically Necessary? Check out the videos below.

Many believe that children of rape should be aborted.  Savethe1.com takes on the question of rape and abortion by documenting the stories of children who were born after their mothers were raped.  

Vaccines A Deep Dive: Be Informed and Do Your Own Research

 

This post is for informational purposes.  Do your own research.  I went down this rabbit hole after my 58 year old brother-in-law died less than 48 hours after recieving his second Pfizer vaccine for COVID 19 in April 2021.  After having no issues from the vaccine he fell asleep in a chair in front of the TV and never woke up.  My deep dive lead me from COVID vaccine to all vaccines.  I remain open minded, but now do my research before ever taking another vaccine again. At the time of his death when we reported to VAERS there were less than 1,000 deaths associated to this vaccine. As of this writing, (Sept 2024) on VAERS there are close to 37,000 death associated with this vaccine, but the vaccine is still being pushed on the market.  In 1976 the swine flu vaccine program was halted after about 200 people developed Guillain Barre syndrome. What has changed? Anyway the following is just provided for informational purposes only.  Do your own research.  The followings charts, videos, articles and books may help answer questions and offer informed consent when consenting to a vaccine in the future.   As always I bid you peace and blessings in this journey of life. 

Charts 

Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule by Age 2024 

Clinical Trials with or without placebo  (None of the vaccine doses the CDC recommends for routine injection into children were licensed by the FDA based on a long-term placebo-controlled trial)

Videos 

Get Informed - ICAN - Informational Videos on Vaccines (plethora of information if you want to really go down the rabbit hole)  

Protecting Vaccine Exemptions with ICAN Lead Attorney Aaron Siri - September 2023 
This video discusses childhood vaccines, mandates and exemptions.  Do vaccines stop the spread of disease? (timestamp 14:00) "It is important to note that FDA's licensure standards for vaccines do not require demonstration of the prevention of infection or transmission." FDA September 5, 2023 (22:00) In 1980 there were only 3 vaccines on the childhood list.  These caused so much harm that the vaccine manufacturers demanded immunity.  In 1986 Congress gave the vaccine manufacturers with vaccines on the childhood list immunity with the National Childhood Vaccine Act. (1:05)  What is a good clinical trial? (1:14) Were any vaccines on the childhood vaccine list tested against a placebo?  No. (Also see the book Turtles All the Way Down listed below) Do vaccines cause autism? (1:23) 

Highwire Del Bigtree: Episode 347: Vaccine Experts Under Oath - November 2023
This video is a discussion between Aaron Siri and Del Bigtree on vaccine's and features videos of vaccine experts. Stanley Plotkin(15:32) Article 2013 - New Report Reveals that the U.S. has the highest first-day infant death rate of all the industrial countries in the world. Article 2023 - Infant mortality rate for U.S. in 2022 rose 3% from 2021, the first year-to-year increase since 2001.  Why is that? (21:28) Vaccine post licensure (22:00) Vaccines that parents with injured children feel cause autism are HepB, DTaP, MMR (24:40) Dr. Bernadine Healy on susceptibility to vaccines in children (27:00) One study thrown out that found correlation between DTaP and autism (31:00) Dr. Kathryn Edwards (39:00) Religious exemption (48:00)

Highwire Del Bigtree: Episode 352: The Informed Consent Imperative December 2023 (Aaron Siri presents 'What is Informed Consent' before members of the Novel Coronavirus Southwestern Intergovernmental Committee in Arizona. Explains the pillars of informed consent and the essential tenant of freedom and liberty.) 

Highwire Del Bigtree: Episode 359: Safeguarding Vaccine Exemptions with Aaron Siri February 2024 (Second of two presentations to Arizona's Novel Coronavirus Committee.  Explains vaccine exemptions both religious and medical) 

Highwire Del Bigtree: Episode 378: Siri Testifies: New Hampshire "Market Forces" June 2024 (Aaron Siri, gives expert testimony on COVID Response Efficacy)

Highwire Del Bigtree - Episode 379: Siri Testifies: New Hampshire "Clinical Trials"  June 2024 (Aaron Siri's expert testimony before the New Hampshire House Committee on COVID Response Efficacy.  Testimony drills down on serious concerning missteps with regulators handling of vaccine safety.)

Highwire Del Bigtree - Episode 388: Aaron Siri Testifies: New Hampshire "Post-Licensure Safety" Sept 2024 (ICAN's lead attorney Aaron Siri exposes the shortcomings of post-licensure safety, and shatters the claim that the connection between vaccines and autism has been 'thoroughly studied.') 

Covid Vaccine Victim Exposes the System
This is the story of Brianne Dressen, a participant in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trials.  After experiencing severe side effects, she was abandoned by the drug company and later diagnosed with 'Post Vaccine Neuropathy' through a study by the NIH.  Both the NIH and the FDA buried the study while continuing to roll out the vaccines.

   Documentary

Video Documentary - VAXXED: From Cover Up to Catastrophe (2016)

Video Documentary - VAXXED II: The People's Truth (2023)

Video Documentary - VAXXED III: Authorized to Kill (2024)

Reports 

We Can Do This: An Assessment of the Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 Public Health Campaign - The House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has conducted an investigation into the effectiveness and scientific accuracy of the “We Can Do This” COVID-19 vaccine promotional campaign (“Campaign”) launched by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in partnership with the Fors Marsh Group (FMG), which describes itself as a full-service behavior change research and strategy firm. This nationwide multimedia advertising campaign ran from August 2020 through June 2023 and cost over $900 million in taxpayer funds.

Books and Articles 

The Pfizer Papers: Pfizer's Crimes Against Humanity by Naomi Wolf - Learn how Pfizer intended to cover up vaccine adverse effects as well as 1223 deaths during the initial 3 month roll out of the vaccine.  This statistic is on page 333 of the book.  The book also shows how Pfizer's mRnA COVID-19 clinical trial was flawed and the pharmaceutical company knew by November 2020 that the vaccine was neither safe for effective.  

Deception the Great COVID Cover-Up by Paul Rand

First Chapter Turtles All the Way Down tinyurl.com/TurtlesBookChap1Eng (Explanation on how childhood vaccines should be tested and how they are tested) 

If you are considering vaccines for your children take a look at Dr. Paul Thomas' The Vaccine Friendly Plan .  Also read this article by Dr Thomas The Alarming Rise in Autism and Chronic Childhood Health Issues (September 19, 2024).  Coming soon (fall 2024) Vax Facts: What to consider before vaccinating at all ages and all stages of life book by Dr. Paul Thomas and DeeDee Hoover

Article - STD Vaccine that Exploited Cancer Fears (HPV Vaccine Part 1):  In this two-part series learn what HV is and how big a threat it is.  The article also looks at the creation of the vaccine and its effect on cervical cancer rates.  For informational use only.  Be informed.  

Article - STD Predatory Shot Peddlers (HPV Vaccine Part 2): This part dives into the marketing machine behind the HPV Gardasil shot and the safety risks. For informational use only.  Be informed.    

Article - 10 Years after HHS asked CDC to Study Safety of Childhood Vaccine Schedule, CDC Hasn't Produced it by Brian Hooker August 2023

Article - 58% of Infant Deaths Reported to VAERS occurred within 3 Days of Vaccination Research Shows by Brian Hooker August 2021 

CATECHESIS ON THE ANGELS Pope John Paul II Catechesis on the Holy Angels by Pope John Paul II (August 20, 1986)

 

Resurrection by Anthony VanDyke (Public Domain Wikipedia)

General Audience August 20, 1986
Christ's Victory Conquers Evil

The Holy Father concluded his catechesis on God as the Creator of "the things that are unseen" by speaking of the victory of Christ over the spirit of evil.

1. Our catechese on God, the Creator of the things "that are unseen", have brought fresh light and strength to our faith concerning the truth about the evil one, or Satan; he is certainly not willed by God, who is supreme Love and Holiness, and whose wise and strong Providence knows how to guide our existence to victory over the prince of darkness. The Church's faith, in fact, teaches us that the power of Satan is not infinite. He is only a creature - powerful, in that he is pure spirit, but nevertheless always a creature, with the limits proper to creatures, subordinated to the will and dominion of God. If Satan is at work in the world because of his hatred of God and of his Kingdom, this is permitted by Divine Providence which directs the history of man and of the world with power and goodness (fortiter et suaviter). It is certainly true that Satan's action causes much damage, both of a spiritual kind and also indirectly of a material kind, to individuals and to society, but he is not able ultimately to neutralize the definitive end towards which man and all creation tend. the Good. He cannot block the construction of the Kingdom of God, in which at the end there will be the full realization of the righteousness and the love of the Father for the creatures who are eternally "predestined" in Jesus Christ, his Son and Word. Indeed, we can say with St. Paul that the work of the evil one cooperates for the good (cf. Rom 8:28) and that it helps to build up the glory of the "chosen" ones (cf. 2 Tim 2:10).

Total salvation

2. Thus, the whole history of humanity can be considered as serving total salvation which means the victory of Christ over the "prince of this world" (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). "You shall bow down only before the Lord your God, you shall adore him alone" (Lk 4:8), says Christ eternally to Satan. At a dramatic moment of his ministry, when he was openly accused of casting out the demons because of his alliance with Beelzebul, the chief of the demons, Jesus replied with these words that are at once severe and comforting. "Every kingdom that is divided falls into ruins, and no city or family that is divided can stand upright. Now if Satan drives out Satan, then he is divided in himself. How then can his kingdom stand upright?... And if it is by the power of the Spirit of God that I cast out the demons, then it is certain that the Kingdom of God has come among you" (Mt 12:26-26, 28). "When a strong man, well armed, guards his palace, all his goods are secure. But if one stronger than he comes and overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which he trusted, and divides his spoils" (Lk 11:21-22). The words which Christ speaks about the tempter find their historical fulfilment in the cross and resurrection of the Redeemer. As we read in the Letter to the Hebrews, Christ became a sharer in human nature even to the cross "in order to reduce to powerlessness, by means of death, the one who has the power over death, that is, the devil... and thus to free those who... were held in slavery" (Heb 2:14-15). This is the great certainty of the Christian faith: "the prince of this world has been judged" (Jn 16:11); "the Son of God has appeared, in order to destroy the works of the devil" (1 Jn 3:8), as St. John bears witness. It is therefore the crucified and risen Christ who has revealed himself as that "stronger one" who has overpowered "the strong man", the devil, and has cast him down from his throne

The Church shares in Christ's victory over the devil, for Christ has given to his disciples the power to cast out demons (cf. Mt 10:1 and parallels; Mk 16:17). The Church uses this victorious power through faith in Christ and prayer (cf. Mk 9:29; Mt 17:19ff.), which in particular cases can take the form of exorcism.

3. It is to this historical phase of the victory of Christ that the announcement and the beginning of the final victory, the Parousia, belongs: this is the second and definitive coming of Christ at the close of history, and it is towards this that the life of the Christian is orientated. Even if it is true that earthly history continues to unfold under the influence of "that spirit who now is at work in rebellious men",  as St. Paul says (Eph 2:2), believers know that they have been called to struggle for the definitive triumph of the Good. "for our battle is not against creatures made of blood and of flesh, but against the Principalities and Powers, against those who hold dominion over this world of darkness, against the spirits of evil that dwell in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12).

Definitive victory

4. As the end of the struggle gradually draws nearer, it becomes in a certain sense ever more violent, as Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, shows in a special emphasis (cf. Rev 12:7-9). But it is precisely this book that emphasizes the certainty that is given to us by all of divine Revelation, that the struggle will finish with the definitive victory of the good. In this victory, which is contained in anticipation in the paschal mystery of Christ, there will be the definitive fulfilment of the first announcement in the Book of Genesis, which is significantly called the Proto-Evangelium, when God admonishes the serpent: "I will put enmity between you and the woman" (Gen 3:15). In this definitive phase, God will complete the mystery of his fatherly Providence and "will set free from the power of darkness" those whom he has eternally "predestined in Christ" and will "bring them over into the kingdom of his beloved Son" (cf. Col 1:13-14). Then the Son will subject even the whole universe to the Father, so that "God may be all in all" (1 Cor 15:28).

5. Here we finish the catecheses on God as the Creator of "the things that are visible and invisible", which are united, in our structuring of the catecheses, with the truth about Divine Providence It is obvious to the eyes of the believer that the mystery of the beginning of the world and of history is joined indissolubly to the mystery of the end, in which the finality of all that has been created reaches fulfilment. The creed, which unites so many truths in such an organic manner, is truly the harmonious cathedral of the faith.

In a progressive and organic way, we have been able to admire, struck dumb with wonder, the great mystery of the intelligence and love of God, in his action of creation, directed to the cosmos, to the human person, and to the world of pure spirits. We have considered the Trinitarian origin of this action and its wise orientation towards the life of man who is truly the "image of God", called in his turn to rediscover fully his own dignity in the contemplation of the glory of God. We have been enlightened about one of the greatest problems that perturb man and characterize his search for truth: the problem of suffering and of evil. At the root, there is no mistaken or wicked decision by God, rather his choice - and in a certain manner the risk he has undertaken - of creating us free, in order to have us as friends. Evil too has been born of liberty. But God does not give up, and he predestines us with his transcendent wisdom to be his children in Christ, directing all with strength and sweetness, so that the good may not be overcome by evil.

We must now let ourselves be guided by Divine Revelation in our exploration of the other mysteries of our salvation. We have now received a truth which must be profoundly important for every Christian: that there are pure spirits, creatures of God, initially all good and then, through a choice of sin, irreducibly separated into angels of light and angels of darkness. And while the existence of the wicked angels requires of us that we be watchful so as not to yield to their empty promises, we are certain that the victorious power of Christ the Redeemer enfolds our lives, so that we ourselves may overcome these spirits. In this, we are powerfully helped by the good angels, messengers of God's love, to whom, taught by the tradition of the Church, we address our prayer: "Angel of God, who are my guardian, enlighten, guard, govern and guide me, who have been entrusted to you by the heavenly goodness. Amen".

CATECHESIS ON THE ANGELS Pope John Paul II Catechesis on the Holy Angels by Pope John Paul II (August 13, 1986)

 

Fall of Rebel Angels by Luca Giordano (Public Domain Wikipedia)

General Audience August 13 1986
The Fall of the Rebellious Angels 

1. Continuing the theme of the previous catecheses, which were dedicated to the article of the faith that concerns the angels, God's creatures, we shall begin today to explore the mystery of the freedom which some of them have turned against God and his plan of salvation for mankind.

As the evangelist Luke testifies, when the disciples returned to the Master full of joy at the fruits they had gathered in their first missionary attempt, Jesus utters a sentence that is highly evocative: "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning" (Lk 10:18). With these words, the Lord affirms that the proclamation of the Kingdom of God is always a victory over the devil, but at the same time he also reveals that the building up of the Kingdom is continuously exposed to the attacks of the spirit of evil. When we consider this, as we propose to do with today's catechesis, it means that we prepare ourselves for the condition of struggle which characterizes the life of the Church in this final time of the history of salvation (as the Book of Revelation asserts: cf. 12:7). Besides this, it will permit us to clarify the true faith of the Church against those who pervert it by exaggerating the importance of the devil, or by denying or minimizing his malevolent power.

The preceding catecheses on the angels have prepared us to understand the truth which Sacred Scripture has revealed and which the Tradition of the Church has handed on about Satan, that is, the fallen angel, the wicked spirit, who is also called the devil or demon.

2. This "fall", which has the character of rejection of God with the consequent state of "damnation", consists in the free choice of those created spirits who have radically and irrevocably rejected God and his kingdom usurping his sovereign rights and attempting to subvert the economy of salvation and the very order of the entire creation. We find a reflection of this attitude in the words addressed by the tempter to our first parents: "You will become like God" or "like gods" (cf. Gen 3:5). Thus the evil spirit tries to transplant into man the attitude of rivalry, insubordination and opposition to God, which has, as it were, become the motivation of all his existence.

3. In the Old Testament, the narrative of the fail of man as related in the Book of Genesis, contains a reference to an attitude of antagonism which Satan wishes to communicate to man in order to lead him to sin (Gen 3:5). In the Book of Job too, we read that Satan seeks to generate rebellion in the person who is suffering (cf. Job 1:11; 2:5-7). In the Book of Wisdom (cf. Wis 2:24), Satan is presented as the artisan of death, which has entered man's history along with sin.

4. In the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), the Church teaches that the devil (or Satan) and the other demons "were created good by God but have become evil by their own will". In fact, we read in the Letter of St. Jude: " . . . the angels who did not keep their dignity, but left their own dwelling, are kept by the Lord in eternal chains in the darkness, for the judgement of the great day" (Jude 6). Similarly, in the second Letter of St. Peter, we hear of "angels who have sinned" and whom God "did not spare, but... cast in the gloomy abysses of hell, reserving them for the judgement" (2 Pet 2:4). It is clear that if God "does not forgive" the sin of the angels, this is because they remain in their sin, because they are eternally "in the chains" of the choice that they made at the beginning, rejecting God, against the truth of the supreme and definitive Good that is God himself. It is in this sense that St. John writes that "the devil has been a sinner from the beginning..." (Jn 3:8). And he has been a murderer "from the beginning", and "has not persevered in the truth, because there is no truth in him" (Jn 8:44).

Satan: cosmic liar and murderer

5. These texts help us to understand the nature and the dimension of the sin of Satan, which consists in the denial of the truth about God, as he is known by the light of the intellect and revelation as infinite Good, subsistent Love and Holiness. The sin was all the greater, in that the spiritual perfection and the epistemological acuteness of the angelic intellect, with his freedom and closeness to God, were greater. When, by an act of his own free will, he rejected the truth that he knew about God, Satan became the cosmic "liar and the father of lies" (Jn 8:44). For this reason, he lives in radical and irreversible denial of God, and seeks to impose on creation - on the other beings created in the image of God, and in particular on people - his own tragic "lie about the good" that is God. In the Book of Genesis, we find a precise description of this lie and falsification of the truth about God, which Satan (under the form of a serpent) tries to transmit to the first representatives of the human race: God is jealous of his own prerogatives and therefore wants to impose limitations on man (cf. Gen 3:5), Satan invites the man to free himself from the impositions of this yoke, by making himself "like God".

6. In this condition of existential falsehood, Satan - according to St. John - also becomes a "murderer", that is one who destroys the supernatural life which God had made to dwell from the beginning in him and in the creatures made "in the likeness of God": the other pure spirits and men; Satan wishes to destroy life lived in accordance with the truth, life in the fullness of good, the supernatural life of grace and love. The author of the Book of Wisdom writes: ". . .death has entered the world through the envy of the devil, and those who belong to him experience it" (Wis 2:24). And Jesus Christ warns in the Gospel: "... fear rather him who has the power to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (Mt 10:28).

7. As the result of the sin of our first parents, this fallen angel has acquired dominion over man to a certain extent. This is the doctrine that has been constantly professed and proclaimed by the Church, and which the Council of Trent confirmed in its treatise on original sin (cf. DS 1511): it finds a dramatic expression in the liturgy of baptism, when the catechumen is asked to renounce the devil and all his empty promises.

In Sacred Scripture we find various indications of this influence on man and on the dispositions of his spirit (and of his body). In the Bible, Satan is called "the prince of the world" (cf Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), and even "the god of this world" (2 Cor 4:4). We find many other names that describe his nefarious relationship with man: "Beelzebul" or "Belial", "unclean spirit": "tempter", "evil one" and even "Antichrist" (1 Jn 4:3). He is compared to a "lion" (1 Pet 5:8), to a "dragon" (in Revelation) and to a "serpent" (Gen 3). Very frequently, he is designated by the name "devil": from the Greek diaballein (hence diabolos), which means: to "cause destruction, to divide, to calumniate, to deceive". In truth, all this takes place from the beginning through the working of the evil spirit who is presented by Sacred Scripture as a person, while it is declared that he is not alone: "there are many of us" as the devils cry out to Jesus in the region of the Gerasenes (Mk 5:9); and Jesus, speaking of the future judgment, speaks of "the devil and his angels" (cf. Mt 25:41).

8. According to Sacred Scripture, and especially the New Testament, the dominion and the influence of Satan and of the other evil spirits embraces all the world. We may think of Christ's parable about the field (the world), about the good seed and the bad seed that the devil sows in the midst of the wheat, seeking to snatch away from hearts the good that has been "sown"in them (cf. Mt 13:38-39). We may think of the numerous exhortations to vigilance (cf. Mt 26:41; 1 Pet 5:8), to prayer and fasting (cf. Mt 17:21). We may think of the strong statement made by the Lord: "This kind of demon cannot be cast out by any other means than prayer" (Mk 9:29). The action of Satan consists primarily in tempting men to evil, by influencing their imaginations and higher faculties, to turn them away from the law of God. Satan even tempts Jesus (cf. Lk 4:3-13), in the extreme attempt to thwart what is demanded by the economy of salvation, as this has been pre-ordained by God.

It is possible that in certain cases the evil spirit goes so far as to exercise his influence not only on material things, but even on man's body so that one can speak of "diabolical possession" (cf. Mk 5:2-9). It is not always easy to discern the preternatural factor operative in these cases, and the Church does not lightly support the tendency to attribute many things to the direct action of the devil; but in principle it cannot be denied that Satan can go to this extreme manifestation of his superiority, in his will to harm and lead to evil.

9. To conclude, we must add that the impressive words of the Apostle John, "The whole world lies under the power of the evil one" (1 Jn 5:19), allude also to the presence of Satan in the history of humanity, a presence which becomes all the more acute when man and society depart from God. The influence of the evil spirit can conceal itself in a more profound and effective way: it is in his "interests" to make himself unknown. Satan has the skill in the world to induce people to deny his existence in the name of rationalism and of every other system of thought which seeks all possible means to avoid recognizing his activity. This, however, does not signify the elimination of man's free will and responsibility, and even less the frustration of the saving action of Christ. It is, rather, a case of conflict between the dark powers of evil and the powers of redemption. The words that Jesus addressed to Peter at the beginning of the Passion are eloquent in this context: "... Simon, behold, Satan has sought to sift you like wheat: but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail" (Lk 22:31).

This helps us understand how Jesus, in the prayer that he taught us, the "Our Father", that is, the prayer of the Kingdom of God, terminates almost brusquely, unlike so many other prayers of his era, by reminding us of our condition as people exposed to the snares of evil and of the evil one. The Christian, appealing to the Father with the Spirit of Jesus and invoking his Kingdom, cries with the power of faith. let us not succumb to temptation, free us from evil, from the evil one. 0 Lord, let us not fall into the infidelity to which we are seduced by the one who has been unfaithful from the beginning.