Satan whispers his promise in each person's ear: "You will drink the cup of this world's best!"

“Do not confuse the truth. Jesus fights the devil: first criterion. Second criterion: he who is not with Jesus is against Jesus. There are no attitudes in the middle. Third criterion: vigilance over our hearts because the devil is astute. He is never cast out forever. It will only be so on the last day." – Pope Francis

Gospel Text: (MK 3:7-12)
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known

Millions of people think that the Devil is a figment of human imagination; a non-existent being akin to hobgoblins and elves. They are mistaken. Let us now consider this evil spirit: for, believe it or not, of all the enemies the human race has, he is the most dangerous.

The Devil was originally a holy arch angel of light called Lucifer. He was a being of astonishing beauty, intelligence and power. He stood in the very presence of the Creator. The Devil was in Eden at the creation of the world. The Devil was symbolized by a 'serpent' who tempted our first parents to mistrust the Almighty and break His commandment. Scripture tells us that Lucifer was “cast out” of heaven. Why? Because he “would not serve”. In essence he was the number two man and wanted to be number one. God was having none of it, so he was “cast out”.

Pope Francis tells us, “Some may say, but, Father, you're too old fashioned. You're frightening us with these things.’ No, it's not me! It is the Gospel! And these are not lies: it is the Word of the Lord. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to take these things seriously. He came to fight for our salvation. He won against the Devil. Please, let's not do business with the Devil. He wants to come back home, to take possession … Don't accept relativism, be vigilant. And always with Jesus!”

Do we love God above all things? Do we want to be served rather than serve?

The devils greatest lie is to convince mankind that he does not exist. Don’t be deceived and don’t be naïve.