I will be preaching the weekend of November 7-8 about the power of the mercy and grace and presence of God in our lives. Been working on the homily the last couple of days.
I was surprised to see an article on the web about Msgr. John Esseff, who had been the exorcist for the diocese of Scranton. His comment that the devil is afraid of us struck me. We are all to often afraid of the devil, and our own sin. But here is a man who apparently has directly confronted the devil and his testimony is that the devil is afraid of us. Thus, we have no need to really fear evil, for good had conquered it completely.
Msgr. Esseff reminds us though that “we have to wake up to who we are.” Good point. Too many of us are asleep, unconscious of the reality that we are adopted sons and daughters of the Lord. We are made in the image and likeness of God, and with baptism, we are inundated, infinitely filled with the gift of the Spirit.
No wonder the devil fears us.
Let us be awake and alert to the power and presence of the love of God — his grace — within us and all the baptized.
