What does the Catechism of the Church say about Satan?
Discover the main questions and answers around Satan from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. At the end of this reading, we invite you to discover other great questions of faith.
Does Satan exist?
“The greatest of the devil's tricks is to persuade you that he does not exist.” Charles Baudelaire.
Satan, or the Devil, exists. He tempted Jesus in the desert, as number 538 shows us: “The Gospels speak of a time of solitude for Jesus in the desert immediately after his baptism by John. Driven by the Spirit into the desert, Jesus remains there for forty days without eating; he lives among wild beasts, and angels minister to him. At the end of this time, Satan tempts him three times, seeking to compromise his filial attitude toward God. Jesus rebuffs these attacks, which recapitulate the temptations of Adam in Paradise and of Israel in the desert, and the devil leaves him “until an opportune time” (No. 538)
Who is Satan?
- Satan has different names, such as the devil, the evil one, Lucifer, liar and father of lies, the accuser, the prince of darkness, the prince of the world, the tempter, the evil one, the angel who opposes God, the first murderer (John 8:44), the great dragon, or the serpent (Revelations 12:9).
- Catechism number 391 says that “The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.” (No. 391).
- “Satan or the devil and the other demons are fallen angels who have freely refused to serve God and his plan. Their choice against God is definitive. They try to associate man in their revolt against God.” (No. 414)
- “Satan is a person.” (No. 2851)
- From dia-bolos, Satan is “The devil (dia-bolos) is the one who “throws himself across” God's plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ.” (No. 2851)
- Satan is the “seducer of the whole world” (No. 2852)
Jesus triumphed over Satan
Jesus triumphed over Satan in the desert. This is what several numbers of the catechism show us.
“The evangelists indicate the salvific meaning of this mysterious event: Jesus is the new Adam who remained faithful just where the first Adam had given in to temptation. Jesus fulfills Israel's vocation perfectly: in contrast to those who had once provoked God during forty years in the desert, Christ reveals himself as God's Servant, totally obedient to the divine will. In this, Jesus is the devil's conqueror: he “binds the strong man” to take back his plunder. Jesus' victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the supreme act of obedience of his filial love for the Father. (No. 539)
“The temptation in the desert shows Jesus, the humble Messiah, who triumphs over Satan by his total adherence to the plan of salvation willed by the Father.” (No. 566).
“Jesus, “the Author of life”, by dying destroyed “him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.” Henceforth, the risen Christ holds “the keys of Death and Hades”, so that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” (No. 635)
“By the expression “He descended into hell”, the Apostles' Creed confesses that Jesus did really die and through his death for us conquered death and the devil “who has the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14).” (No. 636)
“Victory over the “prince of this world” was won once for all at the Hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to death to give us his life.” (No. 2853)
“the Son of God by his death and resurrection had freed us from the power of Satan and from death…” (No. 1086)
“Through his passion, Christ delivered us from Satan and sin.” (No. 1708)
Satan has lost, but he wants to continue taking souls
Satan has definitely lost, but he wants to continue to take souls. One of the weapons Satan can use is discouragement. In addition, Satan can try to attack man with three temptations such as the illusion of having, appearing, and pride.
It is good to be aware of actions to avoid, as they can be doorways to the devil. We can think of all forms of divination such as horoscope consultation, astrology, clairvoyance, mediums (No. 2116), magic and witchcraft practices (No. 2117), spiritualism, occultism, and dozens of other activities.
Should we be afraid of hell?
We have absolutely no reason to be afraid of the Devil, if we lead a consistent Christian life, by participating as faithfully as possible in the Sacraments, including the Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Penance, by having a life of prayer, by living the Beatitudes, by doing good deeds, and by making the best use of our freedom.
And the exorcism in all this?
Number 1673 deals with exorcism: “When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms, and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing. In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. The solemn exorcism, called “a major exorcism,” can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.” (See CCC 1172).
Generally, each diocese has an exorcist priest appointed by the bishop.
With Hozana, let us pray to be faithful to our baptism!
With Hozana, let us pray to be faithful to our baptism, and not fall into temptation. On Hozana, you can receive an annotated gospel every day or join a community to pray with your guardian angel.
