NOISY DEMONS!

30 August 2005
Tuesday in the Twenty-Second Week of the Ordinary Time

Lk4:31-37

Demons believe in God. Of course, believing is not the same as obeying. Demons believe in God but they refuse to obey Him. “Non serviam!” ("I will not serve!") – this is the battle cry of Lucifer and his demonic legion. Demons are not afraid of God. If they are they will not challenge God, in the first place. In today’s Gospel, they even taunt Jesus, the Son of God: “Ha! What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God!” St. James wrote in his epistle, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder” (Jas 2:19). This truth is very frightening!

Because demons believe in God and are not afraid of God, anyone can be possessed by them. Yes, even a person who enters the church, crosses himself with holy water, hears the Mass, and appears like a saint can actually be possessed by demons. That demons melt when sprinkled with holy water happens only in the movies. That demons turn to ashes when merely shown the crucifix is good only for cinematic plot. That demons usually manifest themselves as abominable creatures is not always true. Demons may disguise themselves as holy, friendly, and attractive. Demons are deceivers. Beware!

But though they believe in God and are not afraid of Him, demons are powerless before Jesus, the Son of God. Believing in God and not being afraid of Him does not mean stronger than God. Remember, St. James said that in believing in one God the demons shudder. Deceivers as they are, demons are stripped of their disguises when the Incarnated Word of God, Jesus, cast them out from the person they possess. They are no match to the power of Jesus. Cling to Jesus.

In our world today, we need to recover our lost sense of fear of evil. Evil is real. Many are no longer afraid of demons because the world, especially through the mass media, has trivialized evil. We must remain vigilant. We must beware anywhere, including in the Church. St. Peter the Apostle warns us: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). We must remain in Christ because He alone has power over evil. Yes, demons know and believe in Jesus’ identity. Yes, they even dare challenge Him. But they never win.

“Be quiet!” Jesus rebukes the demons today. Do we hear Him say the same thing to us now?