In the two Seraphim Isaiah saw in the heavenly court, St. Augustine sees a symbol of the two Testaments of Scripture—both of them singing “Holy, holy, holy” in perfect tune. Hear this as well: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth” (Ps. 50:2). The psalm clearly agrees with the Gospel, which says, “to all na- tions, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty” means that the beauty of his gospel begins there. From... Read more
It’s true that the devil tempts us to sin, says St. Cyril of Jerusalem. But the sin itself is entirely our own doing. We have the power to give in or to resist. But you may say, “What can sin be? Is it a living thing? An angel? An evil spirit? What is this working inside us?” It is not an enemy from outside fighting with you, but a shoot of evil growing from inside you. “Let your eyes look directly... Read more
Quoting two very early Christian writers, Origen tells us that an evil angel might suggest an evil thought, and a good angel a good thought. But in either case we have free will: we can choose to do evil or good. That certain thoughts are suggested to our hearts either by good or evil angels, is shown both by the angel that accompanied Tobias (in the book of Tobit), and by the language of the prophet, where he says, “The angel... Read more
When our sins let Satan into our hearts, says St. Gregory the Great, our hearts become so many graves for the doomed spirit, who is bound for eternal death— and ready to take us with him. There is a great difference between the natures of human beings and angels. But those who are bound together by one and the same guilt in sin are caught in the same punishment. The prophet conveys this in a few short words when he says, “Assyria... Read more
The devil has the perfection of an angel, says St. Augustine, and that makes him proud. Our weakness and mortality should help us overcome pride and confess that we can do nothing without God. Man offended by a kind of strength, so it had to be corrected by weakness. We offended by a certain pride, so it had to be chastened by humility. All proud people call themselves strong. But “many will come from east and west and sit at table... Read more
It’s easy to get all puffed up with even the humblest honor, says Sulpitius Severus. If the Church puts you in a position of responsibility, you may think you’re some sort of But you’re not. You’re just making a fool of yourself. But when I think about these things, it occurs to me how unhappy and weak we are. Who is there among us who isn’t elated with pride right away, or puffed up with vanity, if one miserable fellow... Read more
People were often superstitious in St. John Chrysostom’s day, and many of the uneducated were afraid of ghosts. St. John says that it’s not dying a violent death that makes you an evil spirit: it’s acting like an evil spirit. Here, before I go on, I want to remove a wrong impression from your minds. For it is a fact that many of the less instructed think that the souls of those who die a violent death become wandering spirits. But... Read more
Satan told Christ that he controlled all the kingdoms of the Earth. But he lied, says St. Irenaeus. God controls all the governments of the world, not Satan. Since the authorities that exist “have been instituted by God” (Rom.13:1), the devil obviously lied when he said, “These have been delivered to me, and I give them to whom I will” (Luke 4:6). Kings are appointed by the law of the same Being who calls us all into existence, and those kings... Read more
Popular Catholic author and speaker Robert J. Wicks has been helping people take greater stock of their lives for almost forty years. He is professor emeritus at Loyola University Maryland, has taught in universities and professional schools of psychology, medicine, nursing, theology, education, and social work, and has a consulting practice. Wicks, a Queens, New York, native, received a master’s degree in clinical psychology in 1973 from St. John’s University and a doctorate in psychology from Philadelphia’s Hahnemann Medical College... Read more
One of the most common charges against the first Christians was that they were atheists! Well, says St. Justin Martyr, we are atheists—if you mean that we refuse to worship the demons who masquerade as gods in the pagan mythology. But we worship the only true God. Since ancient times evil demons, making apparitions of themselves, both defiled women and corrupted boys, and showed such fearful sights to men, that those who did not use their reason in judging of the... Read more
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