Does the Devil Exist?
There is a well-known quote from the 1995 movie Usual Suspects: “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” The quote actually goes back at least to the 19th Century. You can read more about that historical tracing here.
Isn’t this quote true, though? And we could take it a step further to say that Satan has not created anything at all in his entire existence. He just subverts good things created by God. Satanism, even, is nothing more than a hollow reversal of the truth, goodness, and beauty of Christianity.
If I showed you an upside down cross, what would you think of it? Would you immediately recoil and say that it’s satanic? Today, that might be the expectation. But what if I told you that the upside down cross is the Cross of St. Peter who did not believe himself to be worthy of crucifixion in the same manner as Jesus. It wasn’t made a satanic symbol until the 18th Century.
What about the five-sided star enclosed in a circle? This is universally recognized as a satanic symbol. The so-called church of Satan and the Satanic Temple have taken it on as their symbol. However, the pentagram (and pentacle) is traditionally associated with both the five senses of the human body and also with the five Wounds of Christ! The hermeticists of the Renaissance period hijacked it and made it an image of magic. And it wasn’t made a satanic symbol until the 1960s.
The demons are real. They actually exist. They are fallen angels. They hate God. They hate each other. They hate you and me. The demonic stand as one of the traditional sources of temptation and sin (i.e. - the world, the flesh, and the devil). The chief amongst the fallen is Satan. He stands as the Accuser, Deceiver, and the Prince of Lies.
Unlike the horror movies, the demons are not trying to scare you like a boogeyman. Instead, like the quote from the Usual Suspects, Satan and the fallen angels aim only to deceive us, usually in an unseen way. If the demons can do as they wish without being sent away, then they are twistedly thrilled. Of course, apart from God, the demons can never be happy. Instead, they simulate pleasure by causing the heart of God pain. The demons are ecstatic when someone does not believe in them or the person refuses to associate the demons’ effects with their existence. I would also venture to guess that Satan and his minions are pleased with the recent string of celebrities openly using satanic symbolism in their music performances or videos (Demi Lovato, Doja Cat, Sam Smith, etc.). This is in itself a denial of the reality of the demonic because who would be insane enough to do what these narcissistic and attention-seeking celebrities are simulating?
Jesus healed many people from demonic possession and oppression during His earthly ministry. After Jesus says to the demon, “Be quiet! Come out of him! (Lk 4:35)”, the people witnessing it said: “For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out (Lk. 4:36).”
This same power and authority rests in His Catholic Church. It is interesting that many non-Catholics will malign Holy Mother Church, but when they believe they are dealing with the demonic… who do they call? No, not the Ghostbusters. They call a priest! Possession is fairly irregular these days and it takes a real intentionality to be possessed. However, demonic oppression, infestation, or obsession happen with frequent regularity. The best antidote for combatting the demonic is simple: the sacramental life.
By making a good confession, the demons flee the presence, power, and authority of Jesus Christ as He reclaims you for Himself in the Sacrament of Penance. By the worthy reception of Holy Communion, the demons flee from Jesus. We have nothing to fear from the demons if we are in a state of grace and moving in tandem with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan and his minions know that Jesus is the Son of God. They know His power and they fear Him. They want us to be immobilized and distracted. Instead we must be faithful and do what is required and commanded by God.
As we hear in the Letter of James:
“But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” (James 2:18-20)
So, do not be afraid of the demons. They are powerless compared to God. As fallen angels, their intellect towers above our own. So, we cannot underestimate them. But we still need not fear. We must be in union and communion with Jesus Christ and the demons will have no claim on our lives.