I pray that all who read this reflection or think upon it in the future be protected from the top of their head to the bottom of their feet in the Precious Blood of Jesus.
“do not make room for the devil.” Ephesians 4:27
In the classic Bram Stoker thriller, Dracula is powerless to cross a threshold or enter uninvited. So, he waits and lures unsuspecting victims into his domain or tricks them to inviting him into their house. When Jonathan Harker first arrives at Dracula’s castle, Dracula opens the door but does not come forward. “Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own free will! He made no motion of stepping forward to meet me, but just stood like a statue as though his gesture of welcome had fixed him as stone. The instant, though, that I stepped over the threshold He moved impulsively forward, and holding out his hand grasped mine with a strength which made me wince, an effect which was not lessened by the fact that it seemed as cold as ice – more like th hand of a dead man than a living man.”
Later in the story, Dracula’s strange behavior is explained. He can neither force a person to enter his castle or cross a threshold unless he is given permission.
So much the same for Satan and his demons. The enemy of the soul cannot enter unless invited. The bad part of that is that the soul invites him through its sin. Satan knows this, which is why he strives so hard to make sin look good from the outside. Enticed, we invite him in without realizing the danger. The same as Mina Harker did with the monster, Dracula. If we know the one standing at the doorway is a demon, disguised in a beautiful flowing cape and tuxedo, we would slam the door closed. So many though do not understand the tricks and lies of the enemy. So they welcome him into their lives and souls.
The devil is defeated when we are aware of his presence and we do not engage him in combat – we stay centered on God. We don’t allow ourselves to become ensnared in the thoughts and images he presents. In essence, we avoid his hypnotic gaze, keeping our focus fully upon God.
The good news is we have recourse against the devil as Van Helsing did against Dracula. Dracula was fought back by the crucifix and light. A stake through the heart destroyed him. We need to keep Holy objects close at hand. The crucifix, especially the Blessed Benedictine Crosses made by Patrick Campbell – go to the catalog on my homepage (see link below) to see these beautiful works of art and weapons against Satan.
Like Dracula, Satan hates the Light. The Light is Jesus Christ and He is the bane of all sin. The Divine Mercy Jesus pours out to all souls who desire is the light that fills a darkened soul and casts out all stain of sin that was previously invited in. And, Divine Mercy pouring forth from the pierces heart of Jesus defeats and destroys the devil. While the stake that destroyed Dracula had to be driven into the monster’s heart, the lance that destroys Satan was driven into Jesus’ heart as He hung upon the cross. The true cross.
”Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith,” 1 Peter 5:8-9