Before we delve further into this article, I want you to do me (and yourself) a favor. I want you to pray the St. Michael prayer. Don’t know it? Now you do:

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host – by the Divine Power of God – cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Why did I ask you to pray this? Think about it. What danger can come from a simple article? Let me tell you this right now; the devil is real. As I am writing this, a statue of the demon baphomet has been unveiled in the city of Detroit. This article will not seek to explain freedom of religion or the political aspects of this; those are beyond my purview. Instead, it will serve to be a jumping off point into a battle every Christian is anointed into at their baptism; spiritual warfare.

The devil is in Detroit, yes. But he’s also at your front door.

With cries of “Hail satan” the beast was revealed, and with it, the revelation of human nature of those present. The ideologies of satanism are diametrically opposed to Christianity; it seeks to wear away our foundation in Christ. And it starts with you. Traditionally, satanism would argue that YOU are the most important person. The holiest day on the calendar is your birthday. Notice what this does; it isolates you. Going back to my article on evil (that can be found here ) I also discussed isolation. It is a tactic that is working its way like insidious tentacles across our societal fabric. The devil is like a lion, and it seeks the weakest prey. You, alone and away from the Church, are such prey.

More than that, it shows an amazing amount of dissatisfaction amongst those that were there. As it turned into a bacchanalia, they satisfied all their desires their flesh could long for. But for how long? Notice, it is not to God they look to, to satisfy the deepest longing of their hearts. No, they do not turn to the Author of their desires. They turn to each other, a bold defiance of God. But this is only a placebo, and soon they will be back at it for they refuse the Eternal Wellspring.

This is what the devil wants. The devil seeks to turn you from God. And it is rarely all at once. It is a gradual turning, a slow process by which we allow the devil to use us for his will. As we tend to work up our sins, so too does the adversary work in our hearts. Perhaps you’re tired and miss mass on Sunday. That lust in your heart turns to pornography. Turns to adultery. So does the enemy work.

But notice too the scene in Detroit. It is not taken seriously. There is only revelry. What the Church would consider a mortal sin, the devil would pose to you as, at best, a moral grey area. The Church is not absolute, the devil whispers in your ear, nothing is absolute. There is no overarching truth. And so countless people buy into the lie. The dignity of human life, all of it, gone. The sanctity of our sexuality erodes and degrades and blends into one, no longer beautiful in its complementary differences.

What the Church would consider a mortal sin, the devil would pose to you as, at best, a moral grey area. The Church is not absolute, the devil whispers in your ear, nothing is absolute. There is no overarching truth.

And what do we do about it? Revelry. We revel when we should revile, and the devil continues his unholy work in complete obfuscation because he is lord of shadows and we are most comfortable in the dark. We find safety in the dark, much as one finds bliss in ignorance. The only thing they find is a hangman’s loose and by then it may be too late.

But lean in my brothers and sisters, and I’ll reveal to you a most sacred promise; evil, the devil, will not win. It can’t. The devil too will find that he is also an unwilling agent of good. His designs, while insidious, God will turn to His glory one way or another. The devil is a whimpering child, wanting his way, his pride exalted. And he has power, make no mistake. But our God is above such pettiness, and the battle has already been won at Calvary. One question remains; will we continue the fight?

Will you continue fighting? It has been said that the only thing it takes for evil to prevail is good men to sit down and do nothing. Will you be such a man? Will you be content to let things go by? Or will you stand up with the Church, take up the holy arms of the Rosary and the Eucharist, to wage war on the front lines of your very soul? I pray you will strive to be holy, so that we can continue to fight back evil again, and again, and again.

The devil is in Detroit, yes. But he’s also at your front door.

About the Author Stephen Codekas Facebook I am 25 and a lifelong learner of Theology and Philosophy. I'm a HUGE Peter Kreeft and Christopher West fan boy. I enjoy cooking, eating, wine, the Socratic Method, cigars and listening to the Blues. Like my writing? Tell me so! Hate it? I want to hear that too! Can't get enough of my work? Then give my podcast a listen at http://catholicraw.podbean.com/

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