Daily Reflections

October 7, 2011
The Cleansed House and the Devil

Scary, sensational movies about satanic possessions and exorcisms attract crowds. But reactions to possession vary. One extreme is that people see the devil everywhere and claim possession even when a person is just psychologically ill. On the other extreme, some people do not believe in the devil at all, calling it an ancient or medieval superstition. But a Catholic university in Rome introduced some time ago a course in demonology, and every diocese is supposed to have an exorcist, duly appointed by the bishop. That shows that the Church takes the devil seriously!
Evil is a reality. And evil forces can be seen at work everywhere: in our personal lives, in national politics and on our TV’s international news. The devil, of course, does not appear with horns, goat feet, tail and pitchfork as our ancestors imagined Satan. No, the devil is too clever for that. First, he tries to make people believe that he does not exist, and secondly he appears, as St. Paul already wrote, as “an angel of light” to deceive us. A sweet-speaking politician who advocates abortion or contraceptives might be used by the devil to do his job of leading people astray.
Towards the end, Jesus makes an important point when He speaks about the cleansed house. It is not enough to have one’s sins forgiven and to renounce evil. A cleansed and empty soul is only the first step towards overcoming evil. The empty soul has to be filled with good works, with prayers, with love for God and neighbor so that the evil One will not be able to enter anymore.
Here might be the reason for the frustrating experience of many: After a good confession, promising “not to sin again,” they have to confess the very same sins again and again and again. A confession, a cleansing of the soul, will be successful only when we begin immediately afterwards to do something good to others and not give up in our effort to fill the soul with deeds that are pleasing to God. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

Reflection Question:
Am I aware that having my soul cleansed is not enough but that I should fill the void with good works?

Lord, so often You have me cleansed from my sins but I have done again what is evil. Thank You for reminding me that I have to be more active in resisting and avoiding the snares of the devil by doing good deeds.

St. Sergius, pray for us.