By KAITLIN KLEIN
WONDERFUL ADVENTURE
Evil is present in the world. Well, duh, you may say as you laugh. The way the devil and his demons interact with the world varies from the obvious and terrifying to the subtle and ignorable. Yes, demons are real; and therefore, so is demonic activity and even possession. Exorcisms actually occur in real life and not just in the movies.
However, these cases are rarer than the more subtle tactics the devil uses in our daily lives. Through our human weaknesses, temptations and earthly allurements, to name a few, he weasels his way into our lives to subtly draw us away from truth and from God. The devil is cunning, and he often gets by with his schemes unnoticed. Although his ways are subtle, they are serious. In addition, although our sins may seem small, we should take them seriously as well. Any sin “is an offense against God” (CCC 1850). I find today’s culture a little … fluffy, too relativistic, a little too “you do you.” It’s easy to view my sins in comparison to my friends’ and downplay my faults because they’re “not as bad as other people’s.”
God’s gift of free will allows for the beauty of loving Him. By loving Him and surrendering to Him, we find holiness and happiness in our true identity as His children. Our free will also presents opportunities to turn away from Him; again, we may do this in subtle ways.
The devil takes advantage of our free will to entice us and trick us to draw us away from He who is Love. In his entertaining yet perceptive book “The Screwtape Letters,” C.S. Lewis explores the way the media, our friends, our experiences, society, and human emotions and insecurities give ample opportunity for the devil and his minions to twist our perception of truth and lead us astray.
He may encourage us to start following other humans more than God. What is louder in our lives, God or the media? God or our friends? God or society? God or earthly pleasures? If we are not grounded in our faith and in prayer, it is easier for Satan to pull us his way. Without even trying, simply by engaging in the world, we are hearing quite a chatter, including the people in our lives, the media and society; therefore, prayer as a conversation with the Lord is a necessity.
We must take the time to listen to the voice of God. His voice keeps us on track and keeps our focus on the truth. Through the Christian lens, we can better see the Lord’s hand in everything and trust in Him and His goodness. Any effort to pray, any effort to draw close to God, any effort to stay on the path to eternal life will be blessed by God, and His graces will be enough. His grace and love will always overcome evil; we can rest in this.