Yesterday's first reading from Hebrews is striking: Jesus saved us, not the angels. This is something to ponder. We are saved; are being saved; will be saved. But not the demons.
The demons are eternally damned. This is hard to comprehend. Actually, impossible for us to comprehend. How could a loving God condemn, forever, his creatures to hell?
The first thought: Mercy is NOT the only face of God. He shows no mercy to the demons. With them his face is Truth and Justice....and a harsh one (to our minds) at that!
A second thought: They must deserve that. They are not like us: they are not flesh, but pure spirits. As such, theirs was a pure freedom in intelligence and will. Their choice was not clouded or dimmed by weakness of the flesh, intelligence or will. It was pure freedom. So they knew what they were doing...completely. And they get what they deserve, in justice. Mercy is not at play here.
With us it is different. Adam and Eve in the garden were not yet wounded by sin but as fleshly beings they were vulnerable, fragile and prone to weakness. With sin this became more pronounced. But it seems that God has a compassion, a weakness himself for us in our weakness. Therefore, for us, his face is Mercy. But not without truth and justice.
So we know there is a hell; and it is populated, by demons for sure. And possibly by humans.
This must give us pause. There is a Kingdom of Darkness. It is comprised of spirits, intellects and wills, who are intelligent and purposeful...in their intent to destroy the plan of God and bring our souls to perdition.
This is serious stuff! We are living in a war zone: God vs. Lucifer; the angels vs. the devils; light vs. darkness. We need to get serious about this.
When I was young we prayed the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel in every mass. That stopped with the Council. It is back...in many parishes. This is a very good thing.
The primary strategy of Satan in our time is his Covert Operation: the Great Diabolic Deceit...that he does not exist. In earlier times he preferred to manifest his power and intimidate. But now he operates in secret, deceiving us that he does not exist. The Superior of the Jesuits recently stated just that: Satan is a myth, a symbol of the darkness within us. He thus endorsed a Jungian, psychological view that denies the supernatural. This is a huge victory for Lucifer.
Calmly, soberly, realistically...we need to gird ourselves for spiritual battle. We need to pray for Divine and angelic protection. Especially for those we love. We need to examine our consciences and confess our sins. We need to invoke our guardian angels. We need to do acts of charity. We need to seek the Eucharist, penance and all the sacraments.
The trials and sufferings of the present are nothing (today's reading states) compared to the glory that awaits us. But now we need to stand our ground. Encourage each other. And prevail in combat to the end!
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