I sometimes contemplate the Devil. .. his purpose and goals.

There are those who doubt the existence of Satan.  Needless to say, I am not one of those.  I see evil regularly.  I know others who probably see it all the time.  I know that with God’s great love in the world, there has to be someone who is His antithesis.  Someone who works to undermine the goodness in the world. 

Knowing that the Devil exists and understanding the way he works are two different things.

It’s obvious that he goes after the weak and easily corruptible . . .but doesn’t it make sense that in order to try to prove his superiority and to pit his will against God’s that he would also go after the devout, particularly those that seem incorruptible.  What a great achievement for him if he could turn those of the strongest faith away from God.

They say that Pope John Paul II, one of the holiest if not THE holiest man of this generation, that he had doubts, especially towards the end of his life.  I’m sure he saw the darkness that seemed to spread like an eclipse over the world.  It must have given him grave doubts …doubts certainly exploited if not planted by Satan.

How excruciating that must be for someone of such Faith as he…to have doubts about the ONE to whom you’ve devoted your whole life.

Mother Teresa apparently also expressed some doubts about the Lord’s existence.  She saw the pain and suffering of the world everyday in the poverty she served unceasingly for most of her life.  What torture it must have been for her to have Satan’s evil ideas infiltrate even a mind and heart as holy as hers. 

We read about St. Peter’s doubts when he stepped out of the boat and walked towards Jesus on the water.  He who saw the great works of Christ every day of his life with Christ and yet even he doubted, if only for a split second.  I think Satan preys on us in those split seconds.  But we have to take this from that story – that even though Peter doubted and started to sink, Christ reached out his hand and saved him – even then. 

And so it is with us.  Each day we stumble in our faith.  We may even sink in the mire.  But each day, Christ again offers his hand to us, to help us climb back out and believe again.  It is the choosing to believe again and again that actually brings us closer to God.  How easy it must be for those who never question their faith.  But on the other hand, those who doubt and still cling to their faith despite their doubts, how much more welcome they must be in heaven.  How much more joyous it must be to actually look on the face of Christ and find validation in your faith.

“Faith is believing what you do not see; the reward of faith is to see what you believe.”

            — Saint Augustine