Pope Francis has spoken of the seductive powers of the devil, who he said uses people's vanity and curiosity to gain power over them.
Delivering his morning meditation in the Santa Marta chapel, he said the devil is "like a rabid dog", chained and not to be approached, that promises "well-wrapped gifts" in a nice "package, without revealing what's inside.
If the dog bites, it will destroy, said the Pope. It must be fought with weapons of prayer, penance and fasting.
The devil is not dead, he is alive, said Pope Francis. But even though he is dying, and a cowardly "loser", sometimes it is not easy to be convinced about this because of his powers of seduction. And like a crocodile who can send the hunter to his death with one stroke of his tail, the devil is at his most dangerous when closest to defeat.
As part of the danger inherent in the devil, he knows how to speak, play and sing "very well", even the Easter Alleluia.
"He is the great liar, the father of lies." All his proposals are lies, but unfortunately, he "moves like a winner" and his lies are too often believed.
While the light of the devil is dazzling, like a firework, and short-lived, vanishing in a moment, the light of the Lord is "gentle but permanent".
There is no point in dialoguing with the devil. Just because a mad dog is chained up does not mean he can be approached and petted safely.
The correct response was to watch, and pray.
"Jesus tells us, says to the apostles, what to do: to watch and pray." And the Lord's Prayer offers solutions. "When we pray the Our Father, we ask for the grace not to fall into temptation, to protect us so as not to slip into temptation." Penance and fasting are other good weapons in the Christian arsenal to deploy against the devil.
"Jesus drives out demons, drives them away or responds with the word of God. Sometimes, he asks for the name. He does not dialogue with them," the Pope said.
And Christians should also go to the mother, the Madonna, who guards them. Pope Francis said: "The fathers of the Church, especially the Russian mystics, they say -in the time of spiritual disturbances, take shelter under the mantle of the great Mother of God ".
Pic: Pope Francis gives the homily as he celebrates morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican May 8. The pope cautioned people to stay away from the devil, likening him to an angry, rabid dog that is chained up. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
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