A Well Formed Conscience = A Well Formed Foundation

It is not a pleasant task to have to highlight the tactics of our common enemy in the faith. It would bring greater joy to be able to speak of the immeasurable love of our heavenly Father or the richness of His mercy. However, our being called to help bring to surface the severity of what is happening everyday in the realm of things invisible and unseen does have it's benefits. Even while researching material for our blogs we get first hand experience of the very thing we're writing about. The tactics of the one we're researching begin to surface before our very eyes. By the grace of the Holy Spirit we suffer for a time in wonderment but then He quickens us, opens up our eyes and reveals what's happening and why. It truly is an amazing phenomenon. As a result, two things happen. First, we gain invaluable insight on the very subject matter we're are called to bring to light and secondly we grow in knowledge of our own walk with Christ. Virtue grows and fruit is borne. Now we have that extra "push" to be able to tell you, our readers, the reality of this demonic chess game Satan plays.

 Our goal in this blog is to sear into the minds of our readers, and every faithful practicing Catholic, that we must be on full alert every single day. The reality of what happens each day on a supernatural level must not be ignored or taken lightly by any Christan. Indeed, it must be on the forefront of all of our minds when we first wake up. We need, first of all, a mind and conscience formed to that of Christ and His Church. In other words, know your faith! Know what the Church teaches and why She teaches it. Receive frequent Holy Communion and utilize the sacraments. Commit yourself to prayer daily and get to know Jesus personally.  Have the understanding that the lives we lead here on earth have heaven as their ultimate end and goal. This is of the utmost importance. Otherwise, whatever we say will be foreign and make but little sense. Until this is achieved, even if in degrees, the wiles of the devil will be hidden and have a more profound effect on you.

Hollywood's portrayal of the devil having horns, a pitchfork and a long red tail which he uses to simply scare us is far fetched. However, the old cartoons featuring the devil on one shoulder whispering temptations and other hostilities into our ear and an angel on the other shoulder telling us not to listen to the devil is not entirely far off! All of our choices, decisions and thoughts are being influenced each day in a way not far different than this. Satan is clever, he would more often disguise himself as an angel of light to deceive his foes than as a horrific beast of some sort. The world, the flesh and the devil all play a role in this celestial game of tug-of-war. Since, therefore, the world and the flesh are consumed mostly by wickedness we can safely hold Satan as our primary "care giver" of our bad choices. Our will is what is utilized as the lasting "judge" as to whether or not thought becomes sin. Sin, as we know, results in death and separation from the Almighty. Ideas are conceived within our minds and if acted out sin is born. Once this trail of sin continues to snowball downhill sin becomes easier and easier to commit and before long we are in bondage to it. We become sin's slave, having no ability within ourselves to sever the bonds. All because of the powers of darkness whispering seemingly harmless nothings into our conscience.

We need to know that once we understand our faith we can discern things spiritually more easily. One of the greatest impressions made on me when reading about the spiritual life was how we can easily decieve ourselves into thinking we are on the path of righteousness when in reality we've veered away. Satan usually penetrates our minds with certain subtle ideas or lofty thoughts of piety. As a result, little-by-little, we go off course and lose sight of why it is we were striving for holiness to begin with. The focus, then, turns away from God and onto ourselves.

We will be discussing these clever schemes of our enemy in the following blog. We want to make sure you  know exactly what you are to do and why you do it. Everyone one of us is called to live a life of virtue and love. All of us long for authentic and lasting happiness and our Precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is always quick to help and guide us! In the meantime, pick up the Catechism of the Catholic Church, read Sacred Scripture and pray like you've never prayed before because glory is on the horizon!

May the love of God the Father, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, together with the Holy Spirit be praised, honored, worshiped and glorified! forever and ever!

Copyright 2011 A New Voice for Broken Souls All rights Reserved

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Darkness Unveiled : The Truth Revealed

So what's the truth behind the devil? Exactly who is he and why is he so eager to lead us to despair? I would venture to say that if polled the majority of Americans would probably define Satan (also known as the devil) and demons as perhaps real but one who doesn't really have any significant impact in our daily lives. Indeed, they might say, Satan and his minions are evil but they don't bother most people, only "evil" people such as murders, rapists, child abusers and the like. Maybe Adolph Hitler and Osama Bin Laden where "possessed" by the devil but never your everyday hard working American who pays his or her taxes and tries to make an honest living. Most Americans are "good" people and therefore, the devil wouldn't want anything to do with them. Some may define Satan and demons as a mere figment of someone’s creative imagination. Still others might say he does exist but since he doesn't bother them they could care less.

     The ironic thing about all of this is that not only do Satan and his demons exist but also, this is precisely how they want people to define them! Let's look at our sources first. Sacred Scripture says this about Satan:

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit." (Isaiah 14:12-15)

Jesus in the Gospel according to Luke, testifies to this when He said, "I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven" (Luke 10:18) after seventy of His disciples returned to Him proclaiming in amazement that even the demons were subject to them in His name.

Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes the once good angels of light fall into death out of envy. (Cf. Genesis 3:1-5; Wisdom 2:24) The Church's Tradition and Doctrine recognizes in this revelation from Scripture a fallen angel, called "Satan" or the "devil". The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing." (Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 800.) Scripture speaks of a sin of these angels. (2 Peter 2:4) This "fall" consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and irrevocably rejected God and his reign. We find a reflection of that rebellion in the tempter's words to our first parents: "You will be like God." (Genesis 3:5) The devil "has sinned from the beginning"; he is "a liar and the father of lies" (1 John 3:8: John 8:44)

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 391-393)

Satan and his demons do not have a case against us, but against God. Satan knows that he cannot defeat the Almighty so he goes after His children; he, therefore, comes after us. God, being our Creator and the Author of life, in an act of sheer goodness, created each and every one of us not for this world but for the next; In specific, to spend it with Him for eternity in heaven. Since God has given us free will, the ability to freely choose to love Him in return we, on our own account, can refuse His love and choose to be separated from Him. Subsequently, if we choose not to love God in return He, in an act of perfect justice, cosigns us to eternal damnation. This may seem harsh but the truth of the matter is, it is not God who sends us to hell but ourselves. We are the ones who actively and conscientiously choose to go to hell by way of our refusal of His immeasurable love and forgiveness.

Satan and his demons know that they have no hope. They are already destined for the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10) resulting from their disobedience toward God. In a sinister act of revenge they attempt to claim us and drag as many souls to hell as possible. In His kindness, God has paved the way for us to avoid being deceived by these fallen angels, by way of His Son, Jesus Christ, the revelation of Truth. The question is not one of what we believe to be correct but rather, what is correct according to how God has established it.

The father of lies (John 8:44) uses our weakness as humans to prevent us from knowing Truth. As a result, we are blinded to what is authentically right and wrong and base everything according to mere human reasoning alone. Only when we are introduced to Truth, to Jesus Christ, do we experience the presence of evil for what it truly is. If not united to God by way of His prescribed commands, we have no way of knowing when and how we are affected by the devil. We are, in essence, blinded by our own ignorance and we willingly follow the devil if we reject God or take Him and what He says lightly, without even recognizing it. (See John 8:12-59)

Satan and demons are real. Make no mistake about it. They are active in all of our lives in one form or another. Everything we do on a daily basis has eternal consequences. Our actions depict where we desire to spend eternity. Jesus tells us we will be judged by the fruit we bear. (Matthew 7:16; Matthew 12:33; Luke 6:44) Aren't our fruits according to Christ's call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and give drink to the thirsty? Did we minister to those who are sick and/or in prison? These are the Corporal Acts of Mercy in which Jesus looks for in us, as being the fruit we need to bear in order to draw souls to His kingdom. (Matthew 25:44-46) Satan will influence us to do evil, to act contrary to what God has given us as the way to life. He wants us in hell with him and sadly most people fail to recognize the enormity of this. Viewed from God's eyes and according to His standards this world is heading to hell in a handbag and it doesn't even seem to care. Don't fool yourself in believing that hell will be some sort of party where you will not be held accountable for your actions and can behave anyway you want. We've heard this said many times, and perhaps in a joking manner, but nevertheless it is no laughing matter! Hell will not be a party but endless death and despair.

We say these things not as judges ourselves. For we rely on Gods mercy and forgiveness every single day. It is out of a sincere desire rooted in a love of God and neighbor to not see lives ruined and souls damned for eternity. It is a stern warning with which we feel God has placed in our hearts to share with the world. It is not exactly the most pleasant thing to talk about but an absolute necessity since this reality doesn't quite get the recognition it should. As much as we would like to inform the world, we need your help too!

May God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in union with the Holy Spirit be with you always!

Copyright 2011 New Voice for Broken Souls All Rights Reserved.

An Introduction to Spiritual Warfare

"Sobrii estote vigilate quia adversarius vester diabolus tamquam leo rugiens circuit quaerens quem devoret. cui resistite fortes fide scientes eadem passionum ei quae in mundo est vestrae fraternitati fieri."

(1 Peter 5:8-9)

     The above Scripture passage in Latin as quoted from the First Epistle of St. Peter and which is also read during the Compline prayer each night according to the pre-Vatican II Breviary, is a warning to us all.

The same speaks thus in English:

"Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world."

Ladies and gentlemen, this is real! Never before have people been so deceived of the reality that their lives are greatly influenced by the prince of the power of the air. (Ephesians 2:2) For, as St. Paul testifies, "we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12) The truth concerning the activity of the minions of hell has not only been downplayed by Hollywood and viewed as something fictitious or superstitious (which is exactly what Satan wants us to believe) but it is hardly ever spoken of in homilies or taught thoroughly enough in Catechism classes, RCIA groups, youth ministries, Bible studies and other parish workshops. As a result of this many faithful and well meaning followers of Jesus Christ are unknowingly being driven away blindly into their own ruin. By no fault of their own they have no weapons at their disposal to even recognize that this is in fact a major facet of their everyday walk of faith.

The battle we fight spiritually manifests itself temporally by our choices, our behavior and our actions by way of being deceived into something contrary to reality, namely God. It's been said that Satan's greatest tactic in slowly leading souls away from their Creator by means of infiltrating them with falsehoods and clever ways of personal manipulation, is by having them either ignorant of truth itself or even something as simple as convincing people that he doesn't even exist. The will is where sin is born and sin, then, gives berth to death. Once the enemy takes hold of the human will while still remaining oblivious to his victim it can take years to repair the damage and this only if and when he is discovered.

The adversaries of Truth are far more superior intellectually and physically than we are. They are spirit beings created by God and for God and, therefore, we cannot fight them by our own abilities. Without the very grace of God Himself these spiritual hosts of wickedness would destroy us in an instant.As the story of holy Job shows us, if God permits Satan to freely act within our lives he will certainly devour us. 

The creators of this blog felt inspired by our Lord to begin a series outlining the activity of Satan and his demons as taught by Holy Mother Church and from our own personal studies and experience. We pray to shed more light on the reality of this unfortunate truth, and by the grace of God, help at least one soul recognize, fight boldly and conquer the wiles if the enemy!

Copyright 2011 New Voice for Broken Souls, All rights Reserved