He is your opponent; he is a roaring lion; he is the devil and he's real

Today at Mass we heard these powerful words from St. Peter in his 1st letter: Be sober and vigilant.  Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.  1 Peter 5:8-9.

The 1st Pope, the hand picked Peter; the rock; upon whom Christ builds His church, is teaching the community about persecution and authority of the Church.  Peter, who is preaching in Asia Minor, largely to Gentiles and to many who have heard St. Paul previously, affirms that evil is real, the devil exists and persecution will come to those who claim the name Christian.  In this letter from St. Peter, the 1st Vicar of Christ is not alluding to a specific persecution, rather to the trials and tribulations of living the Christian life in a hostile, secular environment that is largely worlds apart from Christianity and even subjects Christians to ridicule and oppression.  And don't forget; the Christian population would be a huge minority.

The whole idea of the devil, evil and even sin is one that many wish to ignore in our society today.  With many people not even taking the time to believe in God or practice their faith, no wonder little attention is paid to the devil.  When this is the case, we make it all the more easier for the devil to do a little devouring.

Much like those days when Peter preached this message, we too experience persecution in a hostile, secular environment.  In these recent days we have the example of governmental evil, we struggle mightily with realities like abortion, torture, murder, racism, and armed conflict.  The devil loves these things.  And even more, the devil loves when so-called "good" people wiff at these atrocities and simply do nothing.  When we turn from God, a life of prayer, and dismiss sin as not something to be concerned about, we give the evil one a foothold to devour.

We need to recall from time to time that no one addressed hell and sin more than Jesus in the Scriptures.  Of course no one addressed love and mercy than Jesus either.  Jesus knows just how real the devil is, and we have the example of the temptation in the desert to remind us.  We also have numerous examples of evil spirits and that moment in time when pure evil seized the very being of Judas Iscariot.

May I recommend a thorough reading of both the Petrine letters in the New Testament.  With particular attention to these verses quoted above, read 1st and 2nd Peter prayerfully.  Also note how often Peter commend to us the authority of the Church; we would call that the Magisterium today.  The Church indeed is well equipped, by God Himself, to help us to resist that roaring lion; to do battle with the devil, to battle sin and by Her holy teachings(which are God's teachings) to receive His mercy and grace!