THE FIGHT AGAINST THE DEVIL

Taken from Chapter II, Article 11 of

“THE SPIRITUAL LIFE: A TREATISE ON ASCETICAL AND MYSTICAL THEOLOGY”

by

the Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey, S.S., D.D.

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III The Fight against the Devil

#219. (1) The existence of and reasons for diabolical temptation.

We have seen, n. 67, how the devil, jealous of the blessedness of our first parents, incited them to sin, and how well he succeeded. Therefore, the "Book of Wisdom" declares that it was "by the envy of the devil that death came into the world."2 Ever since, he has not ceased to attack the children of Adam or to lay snares for them. And even though, since our Lord's advent into the world and His triumph over Satan, the latter's power has been greatly curbed, it is none the less true that we have to battle not only against flesh and blood, but also against the powers of darkness, against the spirits of evil. This is exactly what St. Paul teaches: "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness."3 St. Peter compares the devil to a roaring lion prowling about, seeking to destroy us: "Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour.4

n1. St THOM., I, q. 114; ST. THERESA, "Life by Herself," C. XXX-XXXI;

RIBET, "L'Ascetique chret.," C. XVI.

n2. "Wisdom," II, 24.

n3. "Eph.," VI, 12.

n4. "I Peter," V, 8-9.

#220. If divine Providence allows these attacks, it is in virtue of the general principle that God governs men not only directly, but also through the agency of secondary causes, leaving to creatures a certain freedom of action. On the other hand, He warns us to be on our guard, and sends His Angels, particularly our Guardian Angels, to help and protect us (n. 186 sq), to say nothing of the assistance that He gives us directly, or through His Son. By availing ourselves of such helps we triumph over the enemy of our salvation, grow in virtue and lay up to ourselves treasures of merit in heaven. These wonderful ways of Providence show us all the more clearly the great importance we must attach to the affair of our salvation and sanctification, an affair in which both heaven and hell so concern themselves that around the soul, at times within the soul itself, fierce combats rage between the powers of heaven and those of hell,--and it is the eternal life of the soul that is at stake. In order to obtain the victory, let us see how the devil proceeds.

#221. (2) The devil's strategy.

A) The Evil One can not act directly on our higher faculties, the intellect and the will. God has kept these as a sanctuary for Himself, and He alone can enter there and touch the mainspring of the will without doing violence to it. The devil, however, can act directly on the body, on our exterior and interior senses, and particularly on the imagination and the memory as well as on the passions Which reside in the sensitive appetite. Thus, the devil acts indirectly on the will, soliciting its consent through the various movements of the sensitive appetite. The will, however, as St. Thomas remarks, remains ever free to give or refuse consent.1

B) No matter how extensive the power of the devil over our faculties, there are nevertheless limits set to it by God Himself, who will not allow him to tempt us beyond our strength. "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able; but will make also with temptation issue."2 Whoever leans upon the Almighty in humble trust can be sure of victory.

n1. "Sum. theol.," I, q. III, a. 2.

n2. "I Cor.," X, 13.

#222. C) We must not believe, says St. Thomas,1 that all the temptations we experience are the works of the demon. Concupiscence stirred up by habits formed in the past and by imprudences committed in the present, is sufficient to account for a great number of them. " Every one is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and allured."2 On the other hand, it would be rash to assert, and contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture and Tradition, that there is no diabolical influence in any of our temptations. The envy the devil bears mankind and his desire to bring men into subjection adequately explain his intervention.3 How then will diabolical temptation be recognized ? This is no easy matter, for our concupiscence itself may sufficiently account for the violence of temptation. It may be said, however, that when a temptation is sudden, violent, and protracted beyond measure, the devil is largely responsible for it. One can especially suspect his influence if the temptation casts the soul into deep and prolonged turmoil; if it excites a desire for the spectacular, for strange and conspicuous mortifications, and particularly if it induces a strong inclination to be silent about the whole affair with our spiritual director and to distrust our superiors.4

n1. "Sum. theol.," I, q. 114, a. e.

n2. "James," I, 14.

n3. "Sum. theol.," I, q. 114, a. I.

n4. See the rules for the discernment of spirits in the first and

second weeks of the "Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius."

#223. (3) The remedies against diabolical temptation.

The Saints, and particularly St. Theresa,1 point out the following remedies.

A) The first is humble and confident prayer to secure the help of God and His holy Angels. If God is for us who will be against us?2 For, "who is like unto God?" Our prayer must be humble, for there is nothing that so quickly puts to flight this rebellious spirit, who, having revolted through pride, never knew the virtue of humility. To humble ourselves before God, to acknowledge our inability to conquer without His help, defeats the schemes of the prince of pride. Our prayer must also be full of confidence. God's own glory is bound up with our triumph and we may, therefore, fully trust in the power of His grace. It is likewise a good practice to invoke the intercession of St. Michael, who, having once obtained a signal victory over Satan, will gladly complete his triumph in us and through us in the day of our struggle. He will have a powerful ally in our Guardian Angel provided we place our trust in him. But above all, we must not forget to have recourse to the Blessed virgin. Her foot did crush the serpent's head and she is more terrible to the demon than a whole army in battle array.

n1. "Life by Herself," C. XXX-XXXI.

n2. "Rom.," VIII, 31.

#224. B) The second means consists in making use in all confidence of the sacraments and the sacramentals. Confession being an act of humility routs the devil; the absolution which follows applies to us the merits of Jesus Christ and renders us invulnerable to the thrusts of the enemy. Holy Communion brings into our hearts Christ who triumphed over Satan and who now fills him with terror. Even the sacramentals, the sign of the Cross, or the prayers of the Liturgy, said in the spirit of faith in union with the Church, are a precious help. St. Theresa recommends in a special way the use of holy water,1 perhaps because of the humiliation Satan must suffer at seeing himself baffled by such a simple device.

n1. "Life by Herself," C. XXXI.

#225. C) The last means against diabolical temptation is an utter contempt of the devil. It is once more St. Theresa who assures us of this. "These cursed spirits torment me quite frequently, but they do not frighten me in the least, for I am convinced that they cannot stir except by God's leave. Let this be known well, that every time we make them the object of our contempt, they lose their strength, and the soul acquires over them greater ascendancy. They have no power except against cowardly souls who surrender their weapons. Against such they do show their power."1 It must be, indeed, a bitter humiliation to those proud spirits to be contemned by weaker beings such as men are. As we have said, if we humbly lean on the strong arm of God, it is our right as well as our duty to despise them. "If God is for us who will be against us?" The evil spirits can bark; they cannot harm us unless through lack of prudence or through pride we put ourselves into their power. Thus it is that the fight that we must wage against the devil, the world and the flesh strengthens us in the supernatural life and enables us to make spiritual progress.

n1. Ibid.

CONCLUSION

#226. (1) We have just seen that the Christian life is a warfare, a harassing warfare that entails a lifelong and intricate maneuvering ending only with death, a warfare of supreme importance since it is our eternal life that is at stake. As St. Paul teaches, there are within us two men: a) the regenerated man, the new man, with tendencies which are noble, supernatural, divine. These the Holy Ghost produces in us through the merits of Christ and the intercession of the Blessed virgin and the Saints. We strive to correspond to the higher tendencies by making use, under the influence of actual grace, of the supernatural organism wherewith God has endowed us. b) But there is also in us the natural or carnal man, the Old Adam, with all the evil inclinations which remain even after Baptism, with the threefold concupiscence inherited from our first parents. This concupiscence is stirred up and intensified by the world and the devil; it is an abiding tendency inclining us toward an inordinate love of sensual pleasure, of our own excellence, and of the goods of this world. These two men necessarily engage in conflict. The Old Adam, the flesh, seeks pleasure without regard to the moral law. The spirit in turn reminds the flesh that there are forbidden pleasures and dangerous pleasures which must be sacrificed to duty, that is to say, to the will of God. The flesh, however, is persistent in its desires; it must, therefore, with the help of grace be mortified and, if need be, crucified. The Christian, then, is a soldier, an athlete, who fights unto death for an immortal crown.1

n1. "II. Tim.," II, 1-7. St. Paul describes the Christian's armor in

"Eph" VI, 10-18.

#227. (2) This warfare is constant, for in spite of all our efforts we can never fully divest ourselves of the Old Adam. We can but weaken him, bind him, while at the same time we fortify the New Man against his attacks. At the outset the fight is keener, more obstinate, and the counter-attacks of the enemy more numerous and more violent; but as we by earnest and persevering efforts gain one victory and then another, our enemy weakens, passions subside and, except for certain moments of trial willed by God to lead us to a higher degree of perfection, we enjoy a relative calm, a pledge and a foretaste of final victory. All success we owe to the grace of God. We must not forget that the grace given us is the grace for struggle and not the grace for peace; that we are warriors, athletes, ascetics; that like St. Paul we must fight on to the end if we would merit the crown. I have fought the good fight: I have finished my course: I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that day."1 This is the means of perfecting in us the Christian life and of acquiring many merits.

n1. "II Tim.," IV, 7-8.

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