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Satan Does Exist

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

Satan does exist. One need only speak to a Catholic exorcist or sit in a confessional hearing confessions for a few hours to know that the devil and demons are real. And, their sole aim is to draw each of us into darkness and sin, where we become closed to God’s will, persistent in our error, and blind to His unfathomable ways.

In the Gospel for this weekend, Jesus speaks very severely to St. Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as man does.” Initially, it might seem like Jesus was being too severe and exaggerating by calling Peter Satan. Peter thought that Jesus could be spared from fulfilling His mission. Jesus, on the other hand, knew very well that, if He did not endure His Passion, Heaven would remain closed to all people and Satan and his reign of terror and death would not be overcome. What a disaster that would have been for both Peter and all of mankind! And so when Jesus calls Peter Satan, He knows very well that Satan’s primary goal is to oppose and thwart the will of God. And, unbeknownst to him, this is precisely what Peter was doing.

God’s ways are not our ways. It is important to remember this whenever we are tempted to judge other people, to think confidently about our own solutions to problems, or to rely on our own strength to avoid sin. We know what happens when we are left to our own devices: we only need look at what happened to Adam and Eve after they relied on themselves and opposed God’s plan. Let us make acts of humility every day by thanking God that His ways are not our ways, because His ways, despite how difficult and painful they can be, are what free us from Satan’s grip and bring us closer to Heaven, which He opened up before us through His death and resurrection.

Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur

PS: I’d like to personally invite you to Our Lady of the Wayside’s Ministry Fair this Sunday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. A key differentiator of a successful parish is active, difference-making ministries. What makes ministries successful are parishioners who actively participate in them. And, on a related note, we are in serious need of catechists for our Religious Education program. Please contact Danielle Pitzer at (847) 398-5043 or dpitzer@olwparish.org for more information or to volunteer. Christ calls us to be #doers and #differencemakers. Are you ready to help?

Readings for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Lectionary 131