Things Devilish

Even though this blog is read by a crowd of one, or maybe two on occasion, I have been very reulctant to share exactly what has been going on in my conversion process Anglican >> Roman Catholic. The reason is that what I think is going on, is kinda spooky. Well, it is to me at any rate.

What I failed to mention in my Wednesday, Easter 2 post, is that when I told Fr. James about my sudden reluctance to the idea of becoming RC, he almost jokingly said, "the devil's after you." I know, funny, haha. But, what do you say when something within you says that is precisely what happens, that the devil begins to oppose the change, because it is movement in a positive spiritual direction. The devil is opposed to positive spiritual moves. Because I don't like to think about the devil

I have always gone by the belief that the less power given to the devil, the better. Paying any attention to the devil is a way of giving power to the devil. Let me be very specific: we do not have to see the "unseen" enemy, AKA the devil, for evils work to be accomplished. Satan does not require us to imagine him or even to believe in him for his power to work.

Yet, by relegating Satan and all his angels, pomps, etc. to the guardianship of Christ Jesus, then what can Satan do to me? The Love of Christ is greater than the power of Satan. The devil suggests things better left un-thought, and nudges in directions that seem perfectly reasonable, but are better left undone.

The problem has always been called the personification of evil. There is danger that such personifications are projected onto someone else, the 'other.' That is how genocides are 'reasoned out.' That is how scapegoating occurs. That is how we justify our personal and petty hatreds, resentments, jealousies, imagined slights, blah blah, the list is endless! It seems that the problem of the personification of evil is not some possible problem, it already is a problem.
We say that genocide or scapegoating is a personified evil, then how much further is it to imagine Satan?

There is the evil that is in the world, that kills and rapes, maims and abuses in every way. That is one set, or Uber set if you will. Then there are the sins of the community. And finally, the sins that are inside of me, and you. My sins are part of the problem of evil. Your sin, every sin committed contributes to an energy source that feeds the evil things that are at work in creation. If I look at it in this way it makes my own sins seem dreadful in the extreme. No one I know wants to feed evil.

Again, I need to reassert that my faith is that the Powers of this world are in subjection to God, through Christ Jesus, at every millisecond we exist. A fully developed hierarchy of evil is not required. Know that it exists, and know that it cannot prevail unless you let it happen. It's easy to just let it happen, so the eyes of the heart must be left open.

This wasn't meant to be a meditation on things "devil," but Fr. James remark set me to thinking about it. Also, I am a little surprised to see my conversion to the Catholic Church is being opposed in this way. All this is going on because I made a decision to pursue the path of a Solitary. Now my sins are reeking in my own nose, and I am humbled.