How to fight the devil. Councils of Don Gabriele Amorth

The Word of God instructs us to overcome all the pitfalls of satan. Particular strength of forgiveness to enemies. The Pope to young people: "We call the real enemy by name"

If we re-read the abundant passages in which Our Lady in Medjugorje warns us about Satan, we realize that the remedies to overcome him are also indicated. These are the remedies that we find punctually in the Word of God: everything is there. We begin by remembering that the action of the evil one (this is the preferred term of the New Testament to indicate demons) has two aspects: there is an ordinary action to which we are all subject. Even Jesus, wanting to be like us in everything, except in sin, accepted to undergo the ordinary action of the devil, that is, the temptations. How to win them? Jesus himself shows us the two indispensable means: "Watch and pray not to fall into temptation" (Matthew 26,41). In all her messages the Queen of Peace encourages us to pray; and continually warns us of the evil one, from the temptations of the world, from the weaknesses of our wounded nature. A specific study on this issue would be useful.

There is also an extraordinary action of the devil. In addition to the aggravation of temptations, the evil one has powers, by divine permission, such as to cause particular torments. I usually list them in five forms: external torments, possession, harassment, obsession, infestation. We will talk about it in more detail next time. Here I would like to point out that Our Lady does not insist so much on these individual forms, as instead on the means we have to defeat Satan. Sometimes prayer and vigilance are not enough; the Lord asks us more. We are asked for fasting and above all the exercise of virtues, especially of humility and charity. These two typically Christian virtues baffle Satan and completely displace him. The evil one is all pride, rebellion against God, arrogance. And there is no doubt that pride is the strongest of vices, so much so that in Psalms (18) it is called "the great sin". In front of a humble soul the devil can do nothing. Note that humility has two complementary aspects: feeling us nothing, because we are aware of our weakness; trust in God, who loves us and from whom every good comes to us. The devil knows these things very well and attacks us either with the satisfaction of ourselves or with any form of discouragement.

Charity is then the queen of virtues and has many aspects: giving, giving oneself, being meek and understanding ... and it is incomprehensible to the devil, who is all hate. But there is a particular aspect of charity which is truly heroic (it is perhaps the most difficult precept of the Gospel) and which has a very particular strength against the assaults of the devil, as well as against the particular victories that Satan may have achieved over us: to forgive and love the enemies (that is, those from whom we have had evil and who perhaps continue to do with it).

It has often happened to me to exorcise people possessed by the devil or affected by minor evil disorders; and I happened to notice that my exorcisms had no effect. Then I tried to identify, with the help of the affected person, if there was any cause that prevented the action of grace. I always started from charity in these two particular forms: I asked to find out if there was hatred in that person's soul, or even just a grudge; if there was no "forgiveness of heart" that Jesus requires to grant us his forgiveness. And I asked about love: if there was any person who was not sincerely loved. Together we searched among the closest relatives, among friends, among colleagues, among the living and also among the deceased. And almost always I found shortcomings and I said clearly that it was useless to continue with my exorcisms if that obstacle was not removed. I have seen cases of heartfelt forgiveness, heroic reconciliations, prayers and celebrations discharged in favor of people from whom people continued to receive evil. Removed the obstacle, the grace of God descended abundantly. It is clear that we can free ourselves from Satan even with the Word of God, prayers, sacraments, forgiveness, sincere love: without exorcisms. But exorcisms have no effect if these exercises are missing.

I would like to end by recalling a truth: who are the most attacked, the most affected by satan? They are young people. So their victory is doubly meritorious. St. John reminds us of this when he exclaims: “I write to you, young people, that you are strong and have overcome the evil one (John 2,14:11). The Holy Father referred to this phrase when he went to the Island of St. Michael in the Azores (last May XNUMX); and continued: “Be strong for the fight. Not for the fight against man, but against evil; or rather, let's call it by name, against the first architect of evil. Be strong in the fight against the Evil One. The tactic of the latter consists in not revealing itself openly, so that the evil, triggered by him, receives its development from man himself ... It is necessary to constantly go back to the roots of evil and sin, to reach its hidden mechanisms. Young people, you are strong and you will overcome the evil one if the Word of God remains in you ".

D. Gabriele Amorth