M
mick321
Guest
At one time, young Catholics were taught about the Blessed Trinity and the Creation of the world. God was described as all-powerful, all loving and was well pleased with the goodness of the world he created. He was so pleased that he created our first parents Adam & Eve, set them up in paradise, and gave them dominion over the Earth and everything on it.
Then there was Satan. Once among the highest ranking and most beautiful of all the angels, Satan became prideful, arrogant and jealous of the high status that God assigned to Adam and Eve. He became an agitator and organized other like-minded angels into rebel army. After a brief struggle with the army of God, Satan and his followers were ejected from heaven. Embittered by all of this, Satan dedicated his life to the corruption of everything that was good. Right out of the box, he drew first blood by tempting Adam and Eve into original sin.
Then there was Christ. “…And the Word was Made Flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth…”.
But Christ’s visit to Earth did not send Satan into retirement. Several attempts were made to derail Our Lord’s mission here on Earth. The temptations in the Desert and in the Garden are two examples. If Christ Himself was considered a fair target, we can probably count on Satan to remain a persistent enemy of God, His Church and the entire human race for the foreseeable future. The notion of common ground between God and Satan is unthinkable, right?
So here’s the question:
Is it possible for human behavior – particularly behavior related to the reception of the Sacraments – to be pleasing to both God and Satan at the same time?
.
Then there was Satan. Once among the highest ranking and most beautiful of all the angels, Satan became prideful, arrogant and jealous of the high status that God assigned to Adam and Eve. He became an agitator and organized other like-minded angels into rebel army. After a brief struggle with the army of God, Satan and his followers were ejected from heaven. Embittered by all of this, Satan dedicated his life to the corruption of everything that was good. Right out of the box, he drew first blood by tempting Adam and Eve into original sin.
Then there was Christ. “…And the Word was Made Flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth…”.
But Christ’s visit to Earth did not send Satan into retirement. Several attempts were made to derail Our Lord’s mission here on Earth. The temptations in the Desert and in the Garden are two examples. If Christ Himself was considered a fair target, we can probably count on Satan to remain a persistent enemy of God, His Church and the entire human race for the foreseeable future. The notion of common ground between God and Satan is unthinkable, right?
So here’s the question:
Is it possible for human behavior – particularly behavior related to the reception of the Sacraments – to be pleasing to both God and Satan at the same time?
.