Reflections - Does the Devil exist?

Does the Devil exist? Hmmm

The preceding reflections were written on a Dell Inspiron computer. It is not a plug for the brand but a way to move the narrative along.  

The laptop has got a large screen and keyboard. Easy to type and read. With very little scrolling more of the content can be seen and reviewed. Very efficient for the purpose for which it has been designed and built.

In the middle of writing my last reflection I tried to charge the laptop. The adapter pin would not engage the DC port. Out of the blue, the laptop had become dysfunctional.

I called up a dear friend who works at Dell for help. He had a full day of calls, working from home, locked down as we all are. Despite the pressure his sense of Christian charity did not desert him.

He had a set of adapters for the make of the laptop and we dunzo’d (lifeline during lock down) back and forth. But the problem was not solved. However, the experimentation made one thing clear. The problem was not with the adapter pin, it was with the DC Port of the laptop that had become lax.

A thought bubble formed in my mind.

The adapter is God and the laptop is me, human. The power is flowing well through the adapter. Nothing wrong with it. It is I who have lost the connection by allowing myself to become lax. I have regressed. God, despite His best effort is not able to connect with me.

I called up Dell Support. They were happy to help - at a price.

For the connection we have lost with God, the price was paid by Jesus on the cross. “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16)

He took upon Himself the sins of the past and present repentant generation, who tried their darndest to lead holy life, but as St Paul says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Rom 3:23)

Faced with a dysfunctional laptop and interrupted flow of thought, I said to myself, ‘God, why is this happening to me. I am working to glory and honor you with the talent you have given me. 

I not sure Lord, whether you have given me 5 talents, 2 talents or 1 talent 'according to my ability' (Matt 25:14-30)

I hope it is five, or even two. But, not one talent, Lord. One talent is setting me up for failure. It is too little to trade with no cushion for loss. I would be afraid if I should lose it all. You will be furious. So, I am going to do nothing with it rather than lose it. Of course, I could put it in the bank and earn some interest. But, with bank closures, even that I could lose. God I cannot think. My mind is feeling messed up. I feel like I am already “where there is weeping and grinding of teeth”.

In the Parable of the Talent, the one who had five talents and doubled it to ten, also got the one talent that was not multiplied (1 x 1=1).

The notion of getting rewarded by God for multiplying what He has given us is further reinforced in Luke 16, the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, Jesus says, "Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. If, then, you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

I have heard it said that the ‘the devil gets angry’ when we fervently pray to God or intercede vigorously for his people to be released from bondage. Fuse blow; food on the stove gets burnt; and all forms of evidence of his agitation can be witnessed.

Is my laptop becoming dysfunctional one of the signs of an angry devil or an equipment past its sell date?

I left it at, "It is what it is". Knowing which one it is - the devil's work or of the fallible device - would not make my life any easier. The laptop is not going to repair itself. 

Nevertheless, I hoped for a miracle. My reflection was half written and I wanted to complete it before I lost my train of thought. With my eyes closed I laid my hand on the laptop and prayed that the pins would engage. 

Nothing happened.

I was reminded of the cloistered nun in a convent who closing her eyes prayed that the tree blocking her view of the world outside to be uprooted and cast in the neighboring yard. After two minutes of fervent prayer she opened her eyes. The tree smiled back at her naivete. 

"I knew it. It was not going to happen," she said. I lifted my hand from the laptop and thought I heard Jesus say, "you of little faith". (Matt 8:26)   

I am writing this reflection on another laptop with my children circling me to see when I will be done. If there are errors in this note you know whom to blame. Me.

I digress.

My contention about the devil: are we attributing to the devil power over us, consciously or unconsciously, and by doing so, empowering him to do psychological damage to us? A thought to explore with no easy answer.

The Word of God tells us about the temptation of Eve and of Jesus and the havoc caused in the life of Job. We know God permitted it all. A test. Of free will which God bequeathed on us. Some succumb to the devil. Others call him out. Through the all-powerful Lord's Prayer, we are taught to assert, "Do not us bring us to the test but deliver us from all evil".

Are we to then deduce that the evil one has power over us (as a fallen angel)? Perhaps, but with an important proviso: only when God or we give him permission (as Eve did).

We know the evil one has an all-consuming mission: to turn God’s people against their creator. Expelled from heaven; he now stalks the earth as its ruler. His perfect trick, for those who have seen actor Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint, in the movie Usual Suspects, that the semi mythical crime lord named Keyser Soze ‘’may or may not exist’’. The devil would also like us to believe that he does not exist. Have no doubt about that. He does. (John 12:31)

1 Peter 5:8 tell us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12)

Three approaches to build our defenses and arm ourselves for the spiritual warfare:

1.   Be aware of where you are – are you walking in the light or in darkness. One of the main ceremonies during the Feast of the Tabernacles was the “Illumination of the Temple”. The great blaze lit up every courtyard in the city, and it burned all night long. But the next morning, when that manmade fire began to flicker and die, Jesus stood and cried out, "I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'' (John 8:12). Follow Jesus and his teaching and be in the eternal light giving no elbow room to the devil to muscle his way in.

2.   If in perilous settings, often the status of the Shepherds of Israel, who sleep in the open with their grazing sheep - in summer on the mountain top, and in winter in the warm valleys (of darkness, Ps 23) - with just the rod (to count the sheep), the staff (for support on steep climbs and descents) and the sling (to chase away adversaries); we in modern times need to sleep with the Word of God close to our heart; have it written indelibly on our minds

3.   If face-to-face with an adversary a mountain lion, for instance, the advice given by a Canadian forest range officer is, "be very big, make noise, stare at it, back away and don’t run. And if you are attacked: fight back”. Exactly the way to deal with the evil one, should he try any of his tricks on us”. Exactly what a jogger did with the mountain lion, strangled it to death, to live and tell the story.” https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/05/colorado-mountain-lion-attack-man-suffocated-animal#referrer=https://www.google.com

The devil be damned. Let’s do all we can to live in the shadow of the almighty. Repeatedly pray Ps 91 and relentlessly claim his protection on us and our family at all times. 

It is congenital as a human species with all our ever-growing needs to easily slip into complacency. Different from resting on God's Word like St Joseph did; he was alert to Archangel Gabriel telling him not to fear to take Mary as his wife after it became known that Mary was with child (Jesus). 

The evil one is hovering around for a free pass (permission) to enter and make our life miserable. Praying the Rosary at the end of the day is a sure-fire womb of protection; the womb that held our Lord for nine months; from the one who crushed the head of the serpent.

P.S. After completing the article, later in the day (actually night), I once again prayed to Lord to make the adapter pin and DC port of the laptop sync. Wonder of wonders, it did!!!! I wound the adapter cord with insulation tape to the laptop and the charge is going through fine.

Oh! You of little faith! Praise God!