From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

When I first read your post on how the laity’s deportment affects the priest’s soul, [HERE] I thought you were saying you’d been physically struck by the devil during Mass. When I went back to ascertain if he chucked something at you or actually smacked you, I realized my scanning made me miss the point entirely. But here’s a question it brings up….one of the reasons I initially went out of my way to go to TLM was because I read that the devil cannot enter the church during the TLM, because of the number of times the sign of the cross is made? Is that true or just a bunch of hooey blooey?

Hooey blooey… a specific theological category much in evidence in the last few years and from surprising sources!

I, unlike, St. John Vianney, have not to my knowledge been physically assaulted by any of the agents of Hell. Other kinds of assault have been incessant over the last 30 years.

Can the Devil or other fallen angels “enter” a church during a Traditional Latin Mass?

I would say, yes, of course they can. It would not be an enjoyable experience for them, if the concept of “enjoy” can ever apply to them. Since we are dealing with the experiences of angelic beings, this is way outside of what I can state with absolutely certainty. However, I suspect that their entire existence now is one of spiritual pain, which they want every human being to share for the sake of diminishing the glory that will be God’s in the summation of all things. That’s their goal. When a soul falls into Hell, they scream at God: “That’s one more you DON’T have!”

First, a church ought to be, itself, a sacramental. Demons are repulsed by sacramentals. Churches should, if possible, be consecrated. If they are ever desecrated, they should immediately be tidied up and reconciled (yes, that’s the term for it).

Also, the presence of Holy Water blessed with the older, traditional rite will be seriously annoying to them, as will the sacred images and other blessed things. Use sacramentals well! Keep your rosary with you, and blessed medals, etc. Have Holy Water in your home and perhaps even exorcised and blessed salt. They hate that stuff, heh heh.

Supremely bothersome to the demons will be the priest and, of course, the Eucharist. I assume that their well-deserved pain escalates to terrific agony during the sacred action of Holy Mass, and rightly so.

As far as the form of Holy Mass is concerned, I suspect that the TLM is far more excruciating to the Enemy than is the Novus Ordo.

Mind you, no matter the form, the priest is still a priest and the Eucharist is still the Eucharist. There isn’t more Eucharist just because the traditional form is used. I’m not sure I would say the same about Holy Water, which is why I have never and will never used the newfangled form. However, the older, traditional form of Holy Mass has simply got to be more irritating to the Enemy for reasons that are obvious, the more frequent signs of the Cross being one of them. And don’t forget the Latin! The Devil hates Latin. All reasons to increase the number of places where the TLM is celebrated.

Thank you Pope Benedict for irritating the Devil with Summorum Pontificum!

That said, the malice of the Enemy against us is so great that I imagine that they overcome their torment in order to continue their horrid mission. Their hatred is strong and they are relentless.

Ask God and your Guardian Angel and St. Joseph, Terror of Demons, for protection against the attacks of Hell. Since we are members of the Church Militant, ask them for, as I have described it elsewhere, Demon-Kevlar.

So, no, I don’t think that the sacred precincts and the Mass are themselves guarantees of expulsion of the Enemy. They certainly help, but their hostility is a strong motivator.

But if you want a force multiplier against the wiles and attacks of the Devil, examine your conscience and…

GO TO CONFESSION!

That’ll fix ’em, the hellish bastards. ¡Hagan lío!