Fr. Roger J. Landry
The Anchor
Putting Into the Deep
February 12, 2010
Among those who, prior to this Year for Priests, had heard about the Curé of Ars but did not know much about him, most likely they had heard of two facts: that he was an heroic confessor who spent more than half his life in the confessional reconciling sinners to God; and that, more than any other modern saint, he was unrelentingly and palpably attacked by the devil. The latter seems to be even more well-known than the former. One of the only movies made about the saint is called “The Priest and the Devil” and the most popular children’s book on him is entitled, “The Priest Who Out-Talked the Devil.”
Through the decades, many have preferred to focus far more on St. John Vianney’s fighting the evil one than his valiant priestly work to free sinners from the evil one’s grasp. They have chosen to concentrate on what is rather unique about him than on what is imitable, on what is fascinating and perhaps a little bit terrifying instead of on what is ordinary and constitutes, in my opinion, the true reason for his greatness.
I have deliberately chosen to delay consideration of the subject of the Curé of Ars and the devil so that readers who had been totally unfamiliar with him might first come to relate to him as a humble man and holy priest. I tried to introduce him as a poor farm boy from a family that treasured the Catholic faith so much that they risked their lives to shelter priests and attend clandestine Masses; as a young man who, because of a poor education, flunked out of seminary and yet persevered to overcome so many obstacles to be ordained; a young priest who full of wonder for the awesome privileges of conversing with God in prayer, bringing him down on the altar at Mass, and giving the Lord Jesus and his words to others; and a pastor who made all night vigils, heroically fasted, endured multiple physical penances, preached like an Old Testament prophet, and did whatever else it took to try to bring his people to conversion and holiness.
As we approach, however, the first Sunday of Lent when the Church accompanies Christ into the desert where he is tempted by the devil, it’s a fitting time for us to focus not only on the reality of the devil, but on how he tries to thwart God’s holy ones from their mission.
Before we jump into the subject of how the devil tried to thwart St. John Vianney’s mission in particular next week, I think it’s important for us to make a few preliminary points.
First, even though in many places it’s unpopular to speak about the devil, it’s incontestable, both from the point of view of faith and reason, that the devil exists. For Christians who take the historicity of the Gospels seriously, it is absolutely clear that Jesus encountered the devil and demons directly on many occasions, not only during his temptations in the desert but also in the many possessed people whom he freed from the devil’s clutches. It is also absolutely clear from our baptismal rites and promises that Catholics must believe in the existence of Satan in order to reject him, his mendacious promises and his evil works.
For those who do not accept the Christian faith, there is the scientific evidence about the devil’s existence that comes from the exorcisms of those who have been genuinely possessed by the devil. There is simply no legitimate, alternative explanation for the phenomena that’s been observed in exorcisms: scrawny teenage girls’ speaking ancient languages they have never studied (and doing so backwards!), overpowering groups of strong men several times their size, pronouncing in detail the sins of those whom they have never met or heard of, and so many other humanly inexplicable occurrences. Only those with false and unscientific a priori assumptions that the devil can’t exist would even try to posit alternative explanations — if they don’t seek the even less rational position to deny that the existence of the phenomena themselves.
Second, the devil is clearly different from the popular images most people have of him. He’s not a fiery red animal with a pitchfork, or a snake, or someone who looks like Al Pacino. He’s a fallen angel who by definition has no body. He’s infinitely more malicious, however, than anything Dante Alighieri or the most creative Hollywood screenwriters could concoct.
Third, the devil has various modes of operation in the world. With the vast majority, he works mainly to tempt them toward evil and is content to remain in the background, undetected. With some, his action takes the form of harassment, called infestation, which is the way he mostly dealt with the Curé of Ars. When the devil begins physically to attack, beat and hurt people, this is called obsession. The most severe attack happens when the devil basically enters a person and begins to act through them, which is called possession. The most famous exorcisms have occurred on those who were possessed in this way.
It’s important to remember with those who are possessed that, while their body and their consciousness have been hijacked to some degree by the devil, and while they may have been somewhat culpable in opening the door to the devil by an act of the will or through engaging in an occult practice, they themselves are not evil. Sometimes, in fact, they may be in the state of grace despite being possessed. Fr. Gabriel Amorth, the lead exorcist for the Diocese of Rome who has written extensively on exorcisms, describes in one of his books a woman possessed for many years who at the same time piously attended daily Mass. Such a circumstance makes plain that, in all of this, there are mysteries in the interaction between the divine and the diabolical in a human person that revelation and our finite experiences and minds have not yet been able to unravel or explain.
Lastly, we shouldn’t exaggerate the devil’s power. The Catechism says, “The power of Satan is… not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign. Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries – of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature- to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence should permit diabolical activity, but ‘we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him’ (Rom 8:28)” (CCC 395).
Catholic theology is clear that Satan is not the evil equivalent of God, but is a creature who, with the other fallen angels, radically and irrevocably rejected God and his kingdom. The Book of Revelation depicts the Archangel Michael and his angels defeating Satan and the fallen angels (Rev 12:7-9). It is one of the healthiest parts of traditional Catholic piety to pray to the Archangel Michael to “be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil” and “by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all his evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.” Such a prayer, faithfully recited, does not merely remind us of the presence in the world of terrorists far worse than Al Qaeda and move us to ask for God’s protection, as we do in the last clause of the Our Father. It also demonstrates the clear limits of the devil’s power, doctrinally reminding the that the devil is the evil equivalent, more or less, of St. Michael, and that St. Michael, with God’s power, is stronger than the devil still.
Next week we will get into the specifics of how the devil harassed St. John Vianney for three and a half decades and how the saint, with God’s help, defeated him — both in his bedroom and in his the confessional.