A SLIPPERY CUSTOMER: The Devil has come to Church!

By Rev Sr. Elizabeth Ngozi Opkalaenwe

It is true the devil has really come to Church. He has put on sandals which make no noise when he walks and has joined Christians in every gathering, so as to sow the seeds of discord and to disorientate their prayers. St Paul, writing to Christians in Corinth, talks about counterfeit apostles; dishonest workers disguising as apostles of Christ.

He says that "there is nothing astonishing about this; even Satan disguises as an Angel of Light. It is nothing extraordinary, then, when his servants disguise as the servants of uprightness. They will come to the end appropriate to what they have done" (2 Cor. 22:14-15). Since the Prince of Darkness has sent his children to all corners of the world, he therefore tactfully deceives them by giving them this advice, which we glean from Fr. Anthony Nwachukwu's publication 'The Devil Has Come to Stay'; "My children, listen to the Church, do whatever Christians, especially Catholics, are supposed to do. If it is at Offertory, give more, if it is in singing, shout louder, in dancing, raise up your two hands, and in receiving the Sacraments, look more devoted and serious, but in all these, do not obey God by keeping any of his commandments." He Means Business Indeed, the devil has come to Church. That is why some Christians go to church on Sunday, lead prayers, take Readings and sometimes conduct the choir and on Monday or during the week, go to consult the 'ngambe man'. Some Christians receive Holy Communion today and the very next day, take their brothers to court over trivial matters. Sometimes, we see a Christian who preaches in the street in broad daylight with a Bible in hand and a scapular round the neck and is the very person who belongs to a satanic cult. The rate at which the devil uses the Church to destabilise and break Christian homes and marriages today is alarming. How can a Christian man, who married lawfully in the civil registry and in Church, abandon his wife to marry another, defying his conscience and the teaching of Christ on the indissolubility of Christian marriage? How can a person in the name of religion abandon his old parents to die of hunger because of religious fanatism? The gifts of the Holy Spirit have been misunderstood and privatised by some Christians. Today a good number of believers quarrel over and try to measure the quantity of the Holy Spirit they possess. The Holy Spirit has never been and shall never be a magic potion. Some Christians have been decamped by the devil, who offers them not only spiritual guidance but also success in their job and marriage. Thus a woman properly married in Church shamelessly abandons her husband and children for another marriage. Another person is quite willing to change his faith because of a job or marriage opportunity. Such people are perfect instruments of the devil. The Door Our heart is the entrance through which the devil comes to Church. The more our hearts yearn for material things, the more mushroom churches spring up here and there in the name of bringing God nearer to the people, and by this the devil is better equipped and given freer grounds for operation. It often happens that when huge sums of money fall to the lot of aspirants, God is pushed to the background and the devil leisurely walks in. Money is the tool, and when you have a lot of it, it provides the perfect lubricant for you to slide down the ladder of perfection to self-destruction. When shall people stop deceiving themselves as those who matter in the Church, in the name of holiness, in the name of belonging to many devotional groups, that they sometimes have visions and that they are worshipping the living and true God? The devil is sparing no effort to reduce to nothingness the objectives for which the Church exists. Hence the devil leads people to believe that going to church is not what would save them but that the Church is in one's heart. Yes, the Church starts with the individual, from the heart, but then it must manifest itself by our worshipping together as God's people. Wake Up! Prayer is the most powerful weapon against the devil and the greatest obstacle to his capricious plans. That is why the devil joins us at prayer to misdirect our minds from achieving their intended purpose. We must never forget that the devil is the most subtle of all the creatures that God created. It is sad to see that the devil also finds his way into Presbyteries and Convents to destabilize those who have dedicated their lives to the service of God and his Church. The devil was very bold to tempt our Lord Jesus Christ although the attempt was in vain. Priests and Reverend Sisters need to be calm but vigilant because their enemy, the devil, is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. They must stand up to him strong in faith (1Peter 5:8-9). Today, many people do not show respect for their Priests, Bishops and other Consecrated persons and even right up to the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ here on earth. The writings in newspapers, the spread of tracts, some programs over the radio and television are clear pointers to this. Indeed, the devil has entered the Church and is working day and night in a bid to pull it down - especially the Catholic Church. Unfortunately for the devil, this is what Christ himself said; "So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it" (Matt.16:18). The Church, founded by Christ himself, will stand till the end of time. Another aspect of the problem is that today some Christians go to church to look for the faults of the Priest to add to their stock of gossip instead of going to look for God. In this frame of mind they cannot find God at all. Hence they end up in despair, just precisely where the devil has been leading them. As a consequence, the devil succeeds and can then rejoice for a job well done. Let us open our eyes wide and ask God to help us see the snares of the Evil One among us, which are always very attractive and gratifying to the senses. The Christ in us is greater than the devil even though God's ways are not always very attractive and are often rather difficult. At Baptism we were claimed from the devil and Christ took full charge of us. The power we received at Baptism and reinforced at Confirmation is the power of God which makes us cry out "Abba, Father". It is a power that outclasses that of the devil. Many Christians hardly pray let alone praying together as a family in the morning when they wake up, if they cannot make it to Church for Mass, or at night before going to sleep. We should never forget the assurance of Christ to us when he said, "In truth I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt at all, not only will you do what I have done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be pulled up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done. And if you have faith, everything you ask for in prayer, you will receive" (Matt. 21:21-22). The only weapon that will chase the devil out of the Church is prayer and our determination to never leave any door of our lives open for him to enter.