Do not dialogue with Satan, but take refuge in God’s Word, Pope says
March 10, 2014
In his Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis reflected upon the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
“The tempter tries to divert Jesus from the Father’s plan, that is, from the path of sacrifice, of love that offers itself in expiation; to make Him take an easy road, [a road] of success and power,” the Pope said. “The devil, in fact, to divert Jesus from the way of the Cross, makes present to him the false messianic hopes: economic well-being, indicated by the ability to turn stones into bread; a spectacular and miraculous style, with the idea of casting Himself down from the highest point of the Temple of Jerusalem and being saved by angels; and finally the shortcut of power and domination, in exchange for an act of worship to Satan.”
“Jesus decisively rejects all these temptations and reaffirms [His] firm intention to follow the path established by the Father, without any compromise with sin or with the logic of the world,” the Pope continued. “Note well how Jesus responds: He doesn’t dialogue with Satan, as Eve did in the terrestrial Paradise. Jesus knows well that one can’t dialogue with Satan, because he is so cunning. For this reason, instead of dialoguing, as Eve did, Jesus chooses to take refuge in the Word of God and to respond with the power of this Word.”
“Let us remind ourselves of this in the moment of temptation, of our temptation: not arguing with Satan, but defending ourselves with the Word of God,” Pope Francis added. And this will save us.”
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Further information:
- Pope Francis at Angelus: One can't dialogue with Satan (Vatican Radio)
- Angelus: Do Not Enter into Dialogue with Satan – Only God's Word Will Save Us(VIS)
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Mar. 11, 2014 2:26 AM ET USA
Christ shows us the way of the catechist: to teach true religion. And the way of the apologist: to show how truth supports truth. The lesson given by Pope Francis should serve as a guide for all apologists. The only quibble I have with the Pope's instruction is his suggestion that Jesus "chooses to take refuge in the Word of God." Rather than taking refuge in God's word, as you and I must do, Christ exercised his own power as an example for us of how to effectively contend with Satan.
