The devil

The devil hates men. The devil hates women. In general, the devil hates humanity.

Why does the devil hate men? Because men are the express image of Father. Because men are in fact created to be fathers. Because a sacred part of the male body is consecrated by God as the means by which He continues the human race. Because men are the bodyguards and protection of women.

Why does the devil hate women? Because women are the womb of the incarnation. Because women are created to be mothers. Because a sacred part of the female body is consecrated to God as the crucible of an offspring that replaces fallen angels. Because women are the protection of the world.

Why does the devil hate humanity? Because creatures that evolve from slime and must eat, drink, breed, sleep, and die are raised higher than creatures that came into existence from nothing at God’s command, already complete, not needing nourishment, nor renewal, nor rest, nor death to be immortal.

Why do I even say that the devil hates mankind, as if there really were such a being? Because though I cannot see or hear him in bodily form and know not even if he has a form that can be perceived, I can discern his existence from the effect that he has on mankind, which is evident from history.

This is not unscientific in the least. We now know that there is something in the material universe which we cannot see or hear or detect and measure with instruments. We know it is vast, that there is more of it than what is visible to us. We know it is there because of the effect it has on what we can see.

Dark matter. This is more than what we think it is. No, I am not going to trick you and assert that dark matter is the satanic hordes or anything so quackish as that. I don’t know what dark matter is, nor does anyone else, but we know it’s there. I am only asserting the existence of a force that we call the devil.

Simply enough, primitive man knows of its existence—now I daren’t say ‘his’ because it has gender no more or less than God has gender. Whether or not it’s one in number or many, the question is probably irrelevant in actuality. Even whether it’s a personal being or what once was personal and is no longer.

The facts caused by the devil are brutal. Destruction and death wielded without mercy on mankind and on nature. Whatever the devil is, it can be rebuked. It can be exorcised. We can affect it even without seeing it, just as it can affect us without showing itself. Horns, barbed tail, bat-like wings, only symbols.

The cunning of the devil consists of only one thing: its power to deceive, to trick us even by using the truth, to sell us what is already ours by God’s gift at the awful price of losing both God and His gift. And though in the present day he or she or it plays dead in our minds, the devil is still with us, waiting.

God is not dead, nor is the devil dead. But he is defeated. He is roasted. He is lying bound in chains stronger than all powers in heaven and earth that his bent will could ever muster. His captives remain in his power only until they are told the good news that he is powerless, a toothless, barking dog.

And people think that there is no place for Christ! That this modern, insane world they have created out of blocks of illusion and chains of addiction is perfectly wonderful and has no need of Him! It is as if cattle in the slaughterhouse should moo away those come to their rescue, or as holy scripture puts it,

Man in his prosperity forfeits intelligence, he is one with the cattle doomed to slaughter (Psalm 49). No, there is every place for Christ, there is every time and place for Him, but we have to invite Him, we have to say ‘Yes’ to His call, which means ‘No’ to the fall, and take our places as He has gone to prepare for us.