VATICAN CITY, April 11 (CNA/EWTN News)
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Pope Francis centered his daily homily on the topic of temptation,
observing that it has a specific structure, and encouraging attendees to
learn from scripture how to fight the devil.
“We too are tempted, we too are the target of attacks by the devil
because the spirit of Evil does not want our holiness, he does not want
our Christian witness, he does not want us to be disciples of Christ,”
the Pope expressed in his April 11 daily Mass.
Speaking to those gathered in the chapel of the Vatican’s Saint Martha
guesthouse, the pontiff highlighted that every Christian struggles
against the spirit of evil, just as Jesus did during his life and
ministry.
Drawing attention to how Jesus himself was tempted, the Pope emphasized
that as his followers, we too are the subject of spiritual attacks
which seek to deter us from the Lord, because the devil “does not want
our Christian witness.”
“And what does the Spirit of Evil do, through his temptations, to
distance us from the path of Jesus?” he asked, observing that “the
temptation of the devil has three characteristics and we need to learn
about them in order not to fall into the trap.”
“Firstly, his temptation begins gradually but grows and is always
growing,” the pontiff stated, adding that “Secondly, it grows and
infects another person, it spreads to another and seeks to be part of
the community.”
In the end, “in order to calm the soul, it justifies itself,” the
Bishop of Rome explained, reiterating that “it grows, it spreads and it
justifies itself.”
Looking to Scripture, Pope Francis recalled the temptation of Jesus in
the desert, noting that the first attempt of the devil to thwart him by
having him throw himself from the temple to show that he is the Messiah
was almost like a seduction.
However, when Satan is rejected, he grows and returns stronger than
before, continued the Pope, pointing out how even Jesus knew this when
he spoke of how the devil looks for companions and then returns with all
of them to torment the same person.
Recalling Jesus’ preaching in the synagogue, the Roman Pontiff noted
that his enemies’ words - “but isn’t this the son of Joseph, the
carpenter, the son of Mary. He never studied so with what authority can
he speak?” - illustrate how temptation begins as what seems like a small
trickle of water, but eventually turns into a flood.
“We have a temptation that grows: it grows and infects others,” he
repeated. “For example, let’s look at gossip: I’m a bit envious of this
or that person and at first I’m just envious inside” but eventually “I
need to share it and go to another person and say: ‘But have you seen
that person?’”
Inevitably, “this gossip tries to grow and infects another and
another,” he went on to say, adding, “This is the way gossip works and
all of us have been tempted to gossip!”
“Maybe not one of you, if you’re a saint, but I too have been tempted
to gossip! It’s a daily temptation. And it begins in this way,
discreetly, like a trickle of water. It grows by infecting others and in
the end it justifies itself.”
Concluding his reflections, the Pope encouraged attendees to be
vigilant in their prayer, noting, “We are all tempted because the law of
our spiritual life, our Christian life is a struggle: a struggle.”
“That’s because the Prince of this world, Satan, doesn’t want our holiness, he doesn’t want us to follow Christ,” he repeated.
Observing how some might say, “But Father, how old fashioned you are to
speak about the devil in the 21st century,” the Pope warned them to
“look out because the devil is present!”
“The devil is here…even in the 21st century! And we mustn’t be naïve,
right? We must learn from the Gospel how to fight against Satan.”
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