St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, “Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12). He admitted that we are often assaulted by demonic spirits and we need to be ready to combat them.
While spiritual warfare might sound frightening to some, the good news is that our strength does not come from ourselves, but from Jesus Christ. It is God alone who can assure us victory, as left to our own devices, we would certainly fall.
Exorcists recommend a number of ways to defend yourself from demonic attacks. One of the most common ways requires an effort to frequent the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist.
The most common way a demon can harm us is through a habitual state of mortal sin. The more we distance ourselves from God through sin, the more susceptible we are to a demon’s attack. Even venial sin can chip away at our relationship with God and can expose us to the enemy’s advances.
Confession of sins, then, is the primary way we have to put an end to our life of sin and start out on a new path. It is no coincidence that the devil relentlessly tried to scare St. John Vianney away from hearing the confessions of hardened sinners. Vianney knew a big sinner was coming to town if the devil harassed him the night before. Confession has such power and grace that the devil must flee from a person who frequents that sacrament.
Along with confession, the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is even more powerful in driving away the influence of the devil. This makes perfect sense as the Holy Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ, and demons have absolutely zero power in front of God himself.
Another way to be protected from demonic attacks is to make prayer a habit and stick to a consistent prayer life. This puts a person in a daily state of grace and relationship with God. A person who regularly converses with God should never be afraid of the devil.
Satan and his minions may seem frightening to us, and the darkness in the world can often lead us to anxiety. However, if we stick close to God, we have nothing to fear.
If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
And today we celebrate...