Visions of demons. The struggle of the saints against the spirits of evil

The devil and his subordinates are actually very, very active. They always have been, to tell the truth.
This interminable and fierce industriousness of theirs - only driven by hatred towards God and everything created by him - forces them to relate to human reality continuously, in a desperate attempt to destroy the plans of the Creator.
Popular beliefs (combined with magical-esoteric beliefs) regarding these malignant entities still today generate considerable confusion even among the faithful: there are those who believe them invincible, those who believe that Satan is omnipotent, those who even prefer not to believe it at all or, at all opposite, those who see them everywhere.

Among the misconceptions mentioned above, the most serious are certainly those of not believing in them and of considering them omnipotent.
Despite this, the Mercy of God, in its infinity, has well thought of "clarifying" the ideas on the matter also through the help - it would be better to say through sacrifice - of saints and mystics.
We have therefore decided to analyze some strong testimonies aimed at underlining just how the ferocity of these demons is a sad reality, but of how at the same time they are not at all invincible or capable of instilling fear in people of faith.

Sister Faustina Kowalska (1905 - 1938) was certainly a great saint but, like other saints, she was not spared heavy harassment by Satan and the spirits subject to him. In this regard, it remains necessary to quote the following passage from his diary ("Diary of Divine Mercy", available in ebook format in our Library):

This evening while writing on Divine Mercy and on the great profit that souls derive from it, he rushed into Satan's cell with great wickedness and fury. (...) At first I was frightened but then I made the sign of the Cross, and the Beast disappeared.
Today I have not seen that monstrous figure, but only his wickedness; the perverse rage of Satan is terrible. (...) I know very well that without God's permission that wretched man cannot touch me. So why does it act like this? It begins to haunt me openly with so much anger and a lot of hatred, but it doesn't disturb my peace even an instant. This balance of mine sends him on a rampage.

Later Lucifer will explain the reason for such harassment:

A thousand souls do me less harm than you when you speak of the Divine Mercy of the Almighty! The greatest sinners regain confidence and return to God ... and I lose everything!

The saint at this point in the diaries points out that, as a supreme deceiver as she is, the devil refuses to affirm that God is infinitely good and induces others to do the same.
This statement is of absolute importance and should always remind us that, in moments of despondency, it is only Satan who suggests the thought "God will never forgive me".
As long as we are alive, forgiveness is always accessible.
The spirits of evil (including Satan therefore) actually even go as far as to envy our condition, since for men redemption is attainable, while to them it is denied forever. Hence the second reason why they try to sprout the seed of despair of salvation in us: in every way they try to make us similar to them, to transform us into Lucifuge in order to be able to chain us in the abyss of the depression before and in Hell then.
Analogous and more continuing disturbances over time, Padre Pio also used to receive (1887 - 1968):

The other night I spent badly: that leg from around ten o'clock, which I went to bed, until five in the morning did nothing but beat me constantly. Many were the diabolical suggestions that placed my mind in mind: thoughts of despair, of distrust of God; but live Jesus, as I shielded myself by repeating to Jesus: vulnera tua merita mea (...)

This small excerpt essentially confirms our previous statement: the devil does not spare even the saints from the temptations of despair.
However, the heroic greatness of Pio of Pietralcina is highlighted in another testimony, where he even claims to have fought in the front row Satan to protect a confrere:

You want to know why the Devil made me a solemn beating: to defend one of you as a spiritual father. The guy was in the throes of a strong temptation against purity and, while invoking Our Lady, he also spiritually invoked my help. I immediately ran to his relief and, together with the Madonna, we won. The boy had overcome the temptation and had fallen asleep, in the meantime I was supporting the fight: I was beaten, but I won.

In addition to the noble gesture, the stigmatized friar wanted to confirm the existence of the so-called victim souls: souls of people who spontaneously decide to sacrifice themselves and offer their suffering for the conversion of sinners.
In the episode the defeat of the demons is very evident. Although they can cause physical evils, in the long run they are destined to lose because God always manages to draw good from the evil generated by them.
Holy is the one who, while knowing that he cannot do anything alone against these spirits, entrusts himself totally to God and makes himself His instrument to be able, in fact, to do good. And he faces them face to face, like an angel facing a wolf.
A wolf who knows what means to use to create terror: inhuman screams, appearances of horrible animals, the sounds of chains and the smell of sulfur.

The Blessed Mother Hope of Jesus (aka Maria Josefa, 1893 - 1983), a visionary, even had to be transported to hospital several times as a result of the violent beatings that Satan inflicted on her at night.
The sisters told of hearing horrible sounds - animals, screams, inhuman voices - coming at night from Mother Speranza's room, which were usually followed by extremely violent "blows" against walls and floors.
The same happened in the rooms where San Pio lived.
These scenes were often joined by others of sudden combustion of objects.

The saintly Curé of Ars (Giovanni Maria Battista Vianney, 1786 - 1859) and San Giovanni Bosco (1815 - 1888) were disturbed in the same way so that they could not find rest. The demons aimed to physically exhaust them to force them to skip masses, ceremonies and prayers of the day.

San Paolo della Croce (1694 - 1775) and Sister Josefa Menendez (1890 - 1923) were forced to witness the appearance of horrible animals, sometimes completely deformed, who molested them by shaking the bed or turning the room upside down.

Blessed Anna Katharina Emmerich (1774 - 1824), also continuously harassed by evil forces, left us with numerous testimonies and reflections on Satan's action:

Once, while I was sick (the devil), he attacked me in a frightening way and I had to fight with all my strength against him, with thoughts, words and prayer. He snarled at me, as if he wanted to step on me and tear me to pieces, spitting at me against his anger. But I made the sign of the cross and, courageously holding out my fist, I said to him: "Go and bite!" At this point he disappeared.
(...) Sometimes, the evil enemy moved me from sleep, squeezed my arm and shook me as if he wanted to tear me out of bed. But I resisted him by praying and making the sign of the cross.

Natuzza Evolo (1924 - 2009) often received visits from a black devil who punctually beat her up or made her have false visions - of death and misfortune - about the future of her family. The same happened to Saint Teresa of Jesus (1515 - 1582), towards which the same black devil spit flames.

The American mystic Nancy Fowler (1948 - 2012) could see the demons that roamed the house like black insects, trying to cause disturbance. In this regard, Fowler reports a rather curious fact:

As soon as I said "I hate Halloween" Satan appeared.
I instructed him in the name of Jesus Christ to explain why he appeared.
"Because when it comes to Halloween I have the right to be present," replied the Demon.

Of course the manifestations just described were well "studied" by evil spirits, the aim was to be able to generate the greatest possible terror effect. There is no lack of cases in which Lucifer himself presents himself as a well-dressed man, as a confessor, even as a handsome woman: any form suitable for the moment can be used for temptation.
The demons do not even plan to make some "spites": many (saints) exorcists are still disturbed today through the breakdown of PCs, fax failure, telephone lines and "anonymous" calls without anyone present on the opposite side of the handset .

Without a doubt, such ailments may seem horrible and terrifying, worthy of the worst nightmare, and in truth they are. Yet there is always to remember that the Devil and his subordinates are like bound dogs that bark, but do not bite - and cannot bite - those who have a firm faith. In the long run they are always destined to fail, even if at first they might seem like victory.
In a certain sense, we could also define them as not very intelligent, since in their attempt to cause evils they are used by God to derive good, thus coming to be even counterproductive for their own cause.
Despite the numerous beatings and the infernal visions, St. Pio never failed to call Satan with clearly derisive names: Bluebeard, leg, stinking.
And this is precisely one of the most important messages that the saints themselves wanted to leave us: we must not be afraid of them.