St. Jerome and 'The Skull'

[Clovis]

I know St. Jerome kept that skull around because of the symbol of ‘Golgotha’. I can’t help but wonder if Lucifer was just a man and not Satan, and this ‘morning star’ will re-emerge as a Christ’s Helper with no will of his own, but a servant of Christ, after all once in Sheol, he must have realized himself what it is like to be “a worm” – Psalm 22

 

[jmj603]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say:

II. THE FALL OF THE ANGELS

391 Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy.266 Scripture and the Church’s Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called “Satan” or the “devil”.267 The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing."268

392 Scripture speaks of a sin of these angels.269 This “fall” consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and irrevocably rejected God and his reign. We find a reflection of that rebellion in the tempter’s words to our first parents: "You will be like God."270 The devil “has sinned from the beginning”; he is “a liar and the father of lies”.271

393 It is the irrevocable character of their choice, and not a defect in the infinite divine mercy, that makes the angels’ sin unforgivable. "There is no repentance for the angels after their fall, just as there is no repentance for men after death."272

394 Scripture witnesses to the disastrous influence of the one Jesus calls “a murderer from the beginning”, who would even try to divert Jesus from the mission received from his Father.273 "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."274 In its consequences the gravest of these works was the mendacious seduction that led man to disobey God.

395 The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign. Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries - of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature - to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence should permit diabolical activity, but "we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him."275

266 Cf. ⇒ Gen 3:1-5; Wis 2:24.
267 Cf ⇒ Jn 8:44; ⇒ Rev 12:9.
268 Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 800.
269 Cf. ⇒ 2 Pt 2:4.
270 ⇒ Gen 3:5.
271 ⇒ I Jn 3:8; ⇒ Jn 8:44.
272 St. John Damascene, Defide orth. 2, 4: PG 94, 877.
273 ⇒ Jn 8:44; cf. ⇒ Mt 4:1-11.
274 I ⇒ Jn 3:8.
275 ⇒ Rom 8:28.

Sympathy for the devil is a long, dark road that sends you through a lot of pain that never ends. Happily, Christ died to set men free from bondage to the devil, and He instituted His Church to be the means of deliverance here on earth.

The mission of the St. Padre Pio Center for Deliverance Counseling, as an outreach of the Order of the Legion of St. Michael in its apostolate of educating the Faithful on issues of spiritual warfare, is to glorify our Lord and our Blessed Mother. This is accomplished by assisting the Faithful, according to the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Catholic Church, to participate in the Spiritual Warfare against Satan as Apostles of the Latter Times.

Spiritual Warfare Prayer

 

[Clovis]

I am not having sympathy for the devil, but asking the question if Lucifer is not the devil, but just a word tide to him accidentally, it actually refers to a Babylonian King who said he was like God, because of his wisdom, but he learned the error of his ways when he was cast into Sheol. Christ himself said, of a man “who will rule all nations with a rod of iron” , and “I will give him the morning star” , which means in Latin, Lucifer.

“God brakes open a shaft far away, forgotten by feet of men, they swing to and fro” - Job (describing ‘The Watcher of Men’ Satan)

 

[jmj603]

“I will give him the morning star” , which means in Latin, Lucifer.

Lucifer literally means “light bearer”. The literal Latin for “morning star” is stella matutina, which is one of the titles of Our Lady the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

[Clovis]

I’m simply trying to have without the many dogmatic words of men, but in the spiritual flow of the bible’s showing of Christ love and mercy; that God could make all the light that was ever in men, being separated from all the darkness that was ever in men. As I said, Lucifer was referred to by Isaiah as a Babylonian King, and as we all know people can be foolish. Maybe God will release him from Sheol one day?

 

[jmj603]

Here’s some more info for you, from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Lucifer

(Hebrew helel; Septuagint heosphoros, Vulgate lucifer)

The name Lucifer originally denotes the planet Venus, emphasizing its brilliance. The Vulgate employs the word also for “the light of the morning” (Job 11:17), “the signs of the zodiac” (Job 38:32), and “the aurora” (Psalm 109:3). Metaphorically, the word is applied to the King of Babylon (Isaiah 14:12) as preeminent among the princes of his time; to the high priest Simon son of Onias (Ecclesiasticus 50:6), for his surpassing virtue, to the glory of heaven (Apocalypse 2:28), by reason of its excellency; finally to Jesus Christ himself (2 Peter 1:19; Apocalypse 22:16; the “Exultet” of Holy Saturday) the true light of our spiritual life.

The Syriac version and the version of Aquila derive the Hebrew noun helel from the verb yalal, “to lament”; St. Jerome agrees with them (In Isaiah 1:14), and makes Lucifer the name of the principal fallen angel who must lament the loss of his original glory bright as the morning star. In Christian tradition this meaning of Lucifer has prevailed; the Fathers maintain that Lucifer is not the proper name of the devil, but denotes only the state from which he has fallen (Petavius, De Angelis, III, iii, 4).

 

[puzzleannie]

I’mMaybe God will release him from Sheol one day?

Satan is in hell, a condition he chose and which exists only because he and the dark angels separated themselves from the eternal presence of God through pride.

 

[Clovis]

I didn’t say Satan, I said Lucifer!

 

[jmj603]

I didn’t say Satan, I said Lucifer!

You sure started a strange thread to ask the question, will the King of Babylon condemned by Isaiah go to Heaven. Of all the men cut down in the pages of the Old Testament, you sure picked an interesting man of which to ask such a generic question. Why did you do it? Do you know?

 

[Clovis]

I don’t now exactly, but when Christ said, ‘all who come to me will be saved, except the son of perdition, as the scripture must be fulfilled.’ I’m beginning to come around to the conclusion that the son of perdition, as Christ says, comes to Christ assistance for some reason, but even though, simply because of the scripture, it must be fulfilled that he is rejected. But the words by Christ hint that the son of perdition will serve him even though he is damned. Notice ‘the Angel’ that appears at the grave of Christ in Mathew. How vividly similar the description is to the resurrected Christ in Revelations?

 

[jmj603]

The devil will not come willingly to Christ’s assistance, but he will serve Him. Just as the corpse of the enemy who did not surrender can still be used to keep one’s feet dry.

This unwilling service begins even now. The exorcism of demons in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ is a sign of the saving power of Jesus Christ over hell. One saintly priest, whose congregation was being harassed by a demon at Mass, ordered the demon to serve Mass at the altar instead. It caused the demon intense pain to be so close to the really present Body and Blood of Christ, especially at the moment of consecration when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ through transsubstantiation, but the demon served anyway because the Church has authority over demons.

 

[Clovis]

Satan says to Lucifer, “Last night, I saw inside my breast, there was a big sore.” Lucifer replies, “You saw your heart.” Satan screams back, “No, It was living. Lucifer!”

 

[jmj603]

Evil is a mystery. The culture often doubts evil and acts as though evil, if it does exist, is a vague, impersonal force. Yet the culture is also fascinated by evil, as the success of horror films, literature about Satan and demonic possession, and endless newscasts about evil acts (kidnappings, murders, violent crime, etc.) indicates. We must work to show that the mystery of evil should not attract us, but repulse us. The challenge is to show that the Cross is about true life and victory, while acts of evil are indicative of death and defeat.

 

[Clovis]

I do not think any evil is impressive, or I wouldn’t give Lucifer the identity of a worm. You misunderstand that evil is also in many places simply ignorance or pomposity, indifference or laziness.

 

[Clovis]

I think of evil more like Isaiah did. The oppression of the poor, while wealthy people don’t show concern. As for the satanic stuff in Hollywood, it is silly, because it doesn’t even nearly express anything similar to Job, (one of my favorite text). Dealing with Satan and the laments of Job, who searches for death more than the world’s finest treasures.