Matthew 8:28-34

This is the 21^st century, yet…do you still believe in the devil? This is the question some people ask. They think that the devil was an invention of the Church in the olden times. That might be the thinking because this is the age of computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. This is the age of technology. If you think this to be true, keep in mind it does not take away the fact the these are also the times for suicide, depression, anxiety, perversion, and atheism. We live in a generation that has lost its moral compass. If Mama Mary was already greatly disturbed in 1917 when she appeared in Fatima and told us that World War II is a punishment for man due to his sins, then what do we make of today’s times?

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus healed two demoniacs of evil spirits possessing them. Three reflections on that Gospel:

1. Ordinarily, the devil tempts us every moment of our lives. He tempts us with money, power, and fame. His classic line is the words that he told Eve, “You will be like god.” If you think about this, it was the very desire of Satan himself, “to be like god.”
2. Extraordinarily, the devil afflicts us through Obsession as the mind is the workshop of the devil. Then there is Oppression. This is a sickness that is hard to diagnose or explain; misfortunes one after the other; or sudden breakup in relationships. Finally, there is Possession. A person goes into a trance and gives out messages; a person goes into another state of mind and produces something magnificent or extraordinary. 
3. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. But then again, invite the devil and he will swiftly accept the invitation. A case that I came across is about a woman that in her intense anger made a pact with the devil so that revenge could be brought to her once upon a time friend. Now she has been seeing preternatural spirits and has frequent nightmares. 

In the Mass, now more than ever, we need to be very discerning:

• We wrongly get fascinated with the spiritual realm like inner peace, the white light, chants and meditation, astral projection, crystals and healings. Anything that is not of God is from the evil one.
• With all that is happening in this world, look at it in the eyes of faith. The devil is working overtime. Hence, we should double time our prayers, penance, fasting and charitable works.