Numerous saints have “Battled Satan,” but they all had the same trust in God and knew the devil could not overcome them. Some of them, like Saint John Vianney who encountered demons on a daily basis, took it rather lightly. He once said, “Oh! the grappin and myself? We are almost chums.”
[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]Hop-o’-My-Thumb steals the ogre’s seven-league boots. (Illustrated by Gustave Doré.) – Wikipedia[/featured-image]
After reading Paul Thigpen’s new book, Saints Who Battled Satan, I discovered Saint John Vianney wasn’t the only one to nickname the devil. Here are four diminutive names that the saints had for their spiritual Enemy:
- Saint Catherine of Siena called him, “Pickpocket”
- Saint John Vianney, “the Grappin”
- Saint Padre Pio, “the Ogre”
- Saint Gemma Galgani, “the Burglar”
These names remind us that God is infinitely more powerful than Satan.
The Catholic Church has always tried to guide her faithful members and to instruct them not to be too interested in the power of the devil or think that he has ultimate power over those who walk in the light of Christ. In the Directory on Popular Piety it is written,
“When, as sometimes can happen, the faithful are taken by the idea that the world is subject to demiurgical struggles, or an incessant battle between good and evil spirits, or Angels and daemons, in which man is left at the mercy of superior forces and over which he is helpless; such cosmologies bear little relation to the true Gospel vision of the struggle to overcome the Devil, which requires moral commitment, a fundamental option for the Gospel, humility and prayer” (217, emphasis added).
A temptation for all of us as we explore the workings of the devil is that Satan has a sort of death grip over the world and that we are helpless in the struggle against evil. Sometimes we can be driven to despair and believe that God is absent or that He has allowed Satan free reign to destroy the earth.
Above all things, we need to remember that Satan is not an equal match for God. God is not duking it out with Satan and somehow Satan has recently gained the upper hand.
God is an uncreated being, Satan is a created being; let us remember that. Satan flees at the sprinkle of a little holy water or at the sight of a crucifix. It is our free-will that is the biggest factor in Satan’s presence in the world. Satan cannot force himself into a person’s soul, we have to open the door. That is why a consistent and strong prayer life easily defeats the power of Satan in our lives.
Seasoned exorcists are not afraid of the devil when they begin to drive him out of a possessed person. Sure the devil tries to scare the exorcist with various things, but it is useless to a priest who believes in the power of God. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
Sure, we should fear Satan, but not so much that we believe his power. That is exactly what he wants us to do! He wants to drive us to fear him so much that we start to worship him as all powerful.
Remember, as long as we stay faithful to God and believe His power surpasses all things, we do not need to fear the devil. The saints didn’t.