Rome, Italy, Oct 11, 2013 / 09:14 am
In his Oct. 11 daily Mass homily, the Holy Father warned of the discreet presence of the devil, exhorting those gathered to be astute in their spiritual lives.
"We must always be on guard," exhorted the Pope to those who attended Mass in the Vatican's Santa Marta guesthouse, "on guard against deceit, against the seduction of evil."
Referencing the day's gospel reading, in which Jesus has just healed a possessed man and is accused of casting out demons by the power of the devil, the Pope noted that often in history there have been those who wish to "diminish the power of the Lord" by offering different explanations for his works, urging that his is a temptation which has "reached our present day."
"There are some priests who, when they read this Gospel passage, this and others, say: 'But, Jesus healed a person with a mental illness.'"