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But before that was the report that Fr Jacques Hamel cried “ Begone , Satan !” to his attackers just before he was murdered in Saint- Étienne-de-Rouvray on 26th July .
September 2016 Page 5
“ Begone , Satan !”
Snapdragon has been contemplating two mentions of Satan in the news
Satan has been in the news lately . The most recent appearance was at the behest of
Pope Francis , who is reported as saying in Krakow on 27 July that “ There are parishes with parish secretaries who seem to be ‘ disciples of Satan ’” — which popular commentators took to tar with the same brush every one of these essential parish workers as Gorgonesque gate-keepers .
I don ’ t suppose the Pope knew the details of events in France when he answered bishops ’ questions the next day in Poland .
A real threat to the Church and the Kingdom exists from people who espouse a certain Fr Jacques Hamel form of Islam . There is a fundamental and irreconcilable difference between Christians , who hold that Christ is divine and the culmination of Revelation , and Muslims , who hold that he was not only just a prophet but not even the final prophet . Both religions hold the other as a blasphemy , and there are those who are on a crusade now to eliminate it , as part of a “ holy war .”
Fr Hamel was killed in odium fidei , “ in hatred of the faith ”, by those who were hell-bent on destroying it . The red stole on his coffin was a powerful and poignant statement .
But Satan can act much more subtly , much more insidiously , in order to undermine the Church and the faith of those who come to her . We may not even see it . C . S . Lewis ’ Screwtape provides many examples of how evil can seek to thwart almost any good efforts .
“ It ’ s too much bother ”; “ We don ’ t normally do it ”; “ There ’ s no way we could afford to do anything like that .” How many times a week do these phrases pass through our minds — or even our lips — when we
are considering the daily worship of God , or what to provide someone at their funeral or wedding , or how to put faith actually into action ? How often are we simply satisfied by mediocrity ? How often do we stifle enthusiasm because it could easily mean more work ?
Pope Francis ’ rather glib and , in the circumstances , unfortunate comment does contain a truth . We may not act in grand and murderous statements , but every time we frustrate the will of Christ in joyfully sharing the faith and the ministry of the Church , we inflict another little cut .
As with so many of the Holy Father ’ s soundbite moments , this one needs unpicking . The Devil is in the detail .
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