Pope cautions against the wiles of the devil

October 11, 2013 - Pope Francis is urging Christians to always watch out against the wiles of the devil, saying one cannot fight for Christ’s victory over evil ‘halfway’, nor confuse and relativize truth in the fight against the evil one. Celebrating Mass Friday morning at the Casa Santa Martha residence in the Vatican, the Pope shared a reflection on day’s Gospel reading where people say Jesus was casting out demons with the power of the prince of demons. The Pope said there is always the temptation to want to diminish the figure of Jesus as a mere healer of mental and physical sickness, an attitude, he said, that has “reached our present day”. Some priests deny possession by the devil saying it is mental illness, the Pope said, adding that the presence of the devil is largely written in the Bible which culminates with Christ’s victory over the devil. For this reason, the Pope said, “we should not be naïve” and follow the victory of Jesus” only “halfway” through. Either you are with me, says the Lord, or you are against me,” the Pope recalled. Jesus came to destroy the devil, “to give us the freedom” from “the enslavement the devil has over us”. And this is not “exaggeration” the Pope added. He thus urged all to watch out against deceit and the seduction of evil in three ways - do not confuse the truth. Jesus fights the devil: first criterion. Second criterion: he who is not with Jesus is against Jesus. There is no half way. Third criterion: watch over our hearts because the devil is cunning.