Love Satan?

Fr. Jordi Rivero The idea that we should love Satan is floating around even in Catholic circles. The argument goes that Jesus commanded us to love our enemies so that should include Satan. No doubt this is part of the inclusiveness mentality of our times. Love everyone, even Satan! There is a serious theological error behind this thinking as I will try to explain. Jesus told us to love our enemies, but he was referring to human beings. How does Jesus love us? Not by loving the sin we do but by seeking to bring us out of it, out of darkness and into the His light, into His love, into His flock. That is also the love we should have towards our enemies. We pray for their conversion, we seek to bring them into God's love and into His flock. Even if they don't want turn to God we still should love them by being an instrument of God's love for them. But with Satan it is different and this is why: Satan is not only our enemy. Unlike human beings, Satan is evil personified. Even the worse criminal retains something of God's goodness that can be loved. We can love him and still reject the sin. In Satan, however, there is nothing good, nothing to love. His person cannot be separated from evil. Though he was created by God as a beautiful angel, he turned himself into evil by turning away from God. He did so by an angelic decision which means that his decision was done with full knowledge and forever. He has irrevocably chosen to hate God and to hate us. He is the tempter who seeks the ruin of all. To love is to be an instrument of God's love. Satan detests God's love and goodness. He wants no love, no goodness. He is the opposite of love. Therefore there is no possibility of dialogue, no communication with Satan based on love and goodness. When Peter acted influenced by Satan Jesus told him "Get behind me Satan" (Mt 16:23). Well, Satan always acts like Satan! So we should always rebuke him as Jesus did! Jesus is love. There is no hate in Him. But, unfortunately, the fallen angels have made themselves incompatible with love and seek only to turn all into hate. That is why Jesus seeks to deliver us from Satan which is evil and to keep us away from any relationship with him. Benedict XVI: "A relationship with Satan is always a separation from God and enslavement. Jesus came to cast out demons in order to reconcile us with God. Benedict XVI said: Among the "lost sheep" that Jesus rescued there was also a woman called Mary, a native of the village of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, who for this reason was

known as "Magdalene". Luke the Evangelist says that Jesus cast out seven demons from her (cf. Lk 8:2), that is, he saved her from total enslavement to the Evil One. In what does this profound healing which God works through Jesus consist? It consists in true, complete peace, brought about by the inner reconciliation of the person, as well as in every other relationship: with God, with other people and with the world. Indeed, the Evil One always seeks to spoil Gods work, sowing division in the human heart, between body and soul, between the individual and God, in interpersonal, social and international relations, as well as between human beings and creation. The Evil One sows discord; God creates peace. Indeed, as St Paul says, Christ is our peace, he who made us both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh (cf. Eph 2:14)." -Angelus, July 22, 2012 Those who seek to "love Satan" are really being deceived into the opposite of love, into the bowels of the of hell. Lord Jesus help us! Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host - by the Divine Power of God cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. SPANISH VERSION

Amor a Satans?

Padre Jordi Rivero Ver tambin demonio La idea de que debemos amar a Satans est flotando por ah, incluso en los crculos catlicos. El argumento es que Jess nos manda amar a nuestros enemigos por lo que debe incluir a Satans. Sin duda esto es parte de la mentalidad inclusivista de nuestros tiempos. Ama a todos, incluso a Satans! Hay un grave error teolgico detrs de este pensamiento el cual quiero explicar. Cuando Jess nos dijo que amemos a nuestros enemigos, se refera a los seres humanos. Cmo Jess nos ama? No amando nuestro pecado sino sacndonos de el, de la oscuridad y adentrndonos en su luz, su amor, su rebao. Ese es tambin el amor que debemos tener hacia nuestros enemigos. Oramos por su conversin, les ayudamos a entrar en el amor de Dios y en su rebao. Incluso si ellos no quieren a Dios an los amamos siendo instrumentos del amor de Dios para ellos. Pero con Satans es diferente y es por esto: Satans no slo es nuestro enemigo. A diferencia de los seres humanos, Satans es el mal personificado. Incluso el peor criminal conserva algo bueno de Dios que podemos amar. Podemos amarle y rechazar el pecado. En Satans, sin embargo, no hay nada bueno, nada que amar. Su persona es inseparable del mal. A pesar de que fue creado por Dios como un hermoso ngel, l mismo se convirti en el maligno por su repudio de Dios. Lo hizo con su potestad anglica, lo cual significa que su decisin fue en pleno conocimiento y determina todo su ser para siempre. l ha elegido de manera irrevocable odiar a Dios y por ende odiarnos a nosotros sus criaturas. l es el tentador que busca la ruina de todos. Amar es ser un instrumento del amor de Dios. Satans odia el amor de Dios y la bondad. l no quiere ni al amor, ni a la bondad. Es lo opuesto al amor. Por lo tanto no hay posibilidad de dilogo, ni comunicacin con Satans basada en el amor y la bondad. Cuando Pedro actu bajo la influencia de Satans, Jess le dijo "aprtate de mi Satans" (Mt 16:23). Pues bien, Satans siempre acta como Satans! Siempre debemos rechazarlo enrgicamente como hizo Jess lo hizo. Jess es amor. No hay odio en l. Pero, por desgracia, los ngeles cados se han hecho incompatibles con el amor y slo buscan convertirlo todo en odio. Por eso Jess nos quiere mantener lejos de cualquier relacin con Satans.

Una relacin con Satans es siempre separacin de Dios y esclavitud. Jess vino a liberarnos de Satans y reconciliarnos con Dios. Benedicto XVI: Entre las ovejas perdidas que Jess llev a salvo hay tambin una mujer de nombre Mara, originaria de la aldea de Magdala, en el lago de Galilea, y llamada por ello Magdalena. Dice el evangelista Lucas que Jess expuls de ella siete demonios (cf. Lc 8, 2), o sea, la salv de un total sometimiento al maligno. En qu consiste esta curacin profunda que Dios obra mediante Jess? Consiste en una paz verdadera, completa, fruto de la reconciliacin de la persona en ella misma y en todas sus relaciones: con Dios, con los dems, con el mundo. En efecto, el maligno intenta siempre arruinar la obra de Dios, sembrando divisin en el corazn humano, entre cuerpo y alma, entre el hombre y Dios, en las relaciones interpersonales, sociales, internacionales, y tambin entre el hombre y la creacin. El maligno siembra guerra; Dios crea paz. Es ms, como afirma san Pablo, Cristo es nuestra paz: el que de los dos pueblos ha hecho uno, derribando en su cuerpo de carne el muro que los separaba: la enemistad (Ef 2, 14). Para llevar a cabo esta obra de reconciliacin radical, Jess, el Buen Pastor, tuvo que convertirse en Cordero, el Cordero de Dios... que quita el pecado del mundo (Jn 1, 29). Slo as pudo realizar la estupenda promesa del Salmo: S, bondad y fidelidad me acompaan / todos los das de mi vida, / habitar en la casa del Seor / por aos sin trmino (22/23, 6). -Angelus, July 22, 2012 Aquellos que buscan "amar a Satans" estn realmente siendo engaados hacia lo contrario del amor, hacia las entraas del infierno. Seor Slvanos del maligno! San Miguel Arcngel, defiendenos en la batalla.