Pope, at general audience, reflects on temptation and Satan

September 25, 2024

At his Wednesday general audience on September 25, Pope Francis reflected on Christ’s temptation in the desert, in the seventh talk in a series devoted to the theme of “The Spirit and the Bride: The Holy Spirit guides the people of God towards Jesus our hope.”

During the audience, entitled “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness: the Holy Spirit, our ally in the fight against the spirit of evil,” Pope Francis said that the Gospel account of Jesus’ temptations in the desert ... speaks to us of the reality of Satan, the tempter, but also the Lord’s sovereign power to set us free from his snares,” according to the Vatican’s summary of his remarks.

“The greatest proof of the existence of the devil is not to be found in the evidence of evil in our world, but in the lives and witness of the saints,” the summary continued, adding:

By their efforts to growth in virtue and holiness, the saints testify to the sinister reality of the spirit of evil and the need to struggle against temptations to sin.

The victory of the risen Lord over the power of evil and sin gives us sure hope that, by trusting in his word and strengthened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome every temptation, experience purification in our hearts and grow in union with Christ.

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Previous audiences since series begin:

• 1. The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (May 29, 2024)
• 2. “The wind blows where it wishes”: Where there is the Spirit of God, there is freedom (June 5, 2024)
• 3. “All Scripture is inspired by God”: Knowing God’s love through God’s words (June 12, 2024)
• 4. The Spirit teaches the Bride to pray: The Psalms, symphony of prayer in the Bible (June 19, 2024)
• On the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (June 26, 2024; no audiences in July)
• 5. Incarnate by the work of the Holy Spirit, from the Virgin Mary: How to conceive and bear Jesus (August 7, 2024; no audience on August 14)
• 6. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”: The Holy Spirit in the Baptism of Jesus (August 21, 2024)
• Sea and desert (on migrants) (August 28, 2024; no audiences on September 4 and 11)
• The Apostolic Journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore (September 18, 2024)

 

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Further information:

• General Audience (September 25, 2024)