Episode Transcript  

One

The Ancient Dragon

In the Book of Revelation, John has a vision of a great dragon, the ancient enemy, Satan. This demon waged war against God and sought to destroy Jesus Christ. But he could not. So he turned against His Mother, Mary. Jesus called Satan “a murderer from the beginning,” and Revelation calls him “the deceiver of the whole world.” He wanted to destroy Mary as well, but God would not permit it. God preserved the Woman from all sin and therefore from enslavement to the Dragon. Then God ordained that the Woman should be assumed body and soul into heaven, untouched by the corruption of the grave.

What was left, then, for the Dragon to do? The Book of Revelation says, “Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war on the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus” (Revelation 12:17).

When the Dragon failed to conquer Mary, he came for us. He failed to enslave or destroy the Woman, so now he wages war against us, her children, seeking to enslave us through sin and destroy us through eternal death. And that is why we end the Our Father by praying, “Deliver us from evil!”

Two

The Ruler of This World

“Deliver us from evil.” The Catechism explains exactly what this means, “In this petition, evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God” (CCC 2851).

Evil is not merely an idea, and Satan is not a metaphor. He is a real personal being who has made himself the enemy of God and the human race. Satan is not equal to God. He is only a creature. Yet because he is an angel, his natural intelligence and power vastly exceed our own. And he has only one goal in life, one obsession towards which he strains with every force at his disposal, to eternally destroy in hell every human being.

Jesus calls Satan the ruler of this world, and St. John writes to the early Christians, warning them that, “The Whole World is in the Power of the Evil One” (I John 5:19).

This does not mean that Satan is more powerful than God or that the world is beyond God’s control. Satan cannot force us to sin. He gains power over us when we believe his lies and freely choose what is evil. He tempts us, but we decide whether to follow him. This is the real and tireless enemy from whom we are asking God to deliver us. We are not strong enough to defeat him by ourselves. But Satan is powerless against Jesus Christ, and if we remain united to Christ, he cannot conquer us.

And so we pray with confidence, “Deliver us from the Evil One!”

Three

Deliver us from Satan’s Empty Promises

When we renew our baptismal promises, we begin by renouncing Satan. The priest asks, “Do you reject Satan?” And we answer, “I do.” Then he asks, “And all his works?” And we answer, “I do.” Finally, as though he wants to make absolutely certain that our rejection is complete, he asks, “And all his empty promises?” And again, we answer, “I do.”

This is how Satan draws us away from God: he makes promises, completely empty promises. He tells us that a romantic relationship or sexual experience will finally make us happy, and therefore it is worth sinning to obtain it. He tells us that success, recognition, or wealth will make us completely happy, and therefore it is worth sacrificing everything else to achieve it. He tells us that we are exhausted and deserve a break from prayer, self-control, and charity, and therefore we should indulge ourselves without worrying about God or anyone else.

These things may offer a moment of pleasure, excitement, or relief. That is what makes the temptation believable. But none of them can give us the lasting happiness Satan promises. The pleasure passes, the excitement fades, and soon we need something more. Anything we obtain by betraying Christ ultimately leaves us emptier than before. Nothing Satan offers is worth trading our friendship with God, our integrity, or our love for others.

Therefore, when we pray, “Deliver us from evil,” we are also praying, “Lord, deliver us from believing Satan’s lies. Deliver us from the idols he places before us. Deliver us from sacrificing You for something incomparably inferior. You alone are the infinite Good who can satisfy the human heart.”

Four

Deliver us from Satan’s Empty Threats

Satan doesn’t just make empty promises. He also makes war on us by making empty threats. He tells us we can’t handle the sacrifices of the Gospel. He tells us we won’t be able to endure the suffering of following the Church’s teaching. He says, “You’d better contracept, you know you can’t handle another kid.” He says, “You’d better lie about this, you know you won’t be able to handle it if people find out.” He says, “You’d better keep your money, you know you will outlive it.” He says, “You’d better veg out instead of praying, you know you’ll be a mess if you don’t relax.” And the biggest empty threat of all, “You’d better have a good time now, because you know death is coming, and that’s the end of everything.”

It’s all absurd. The teaching of Christ and His Church is precisely what leads to the greatest peace and happiness in this life. And then, it leads to happiness beyond comparison in the next life. Why do we believe the devil’s nonsense? It’s totally ridiculous.

“Deliver us from evil, Lord. Deliver us from giving a moment’s consideration to the completely empty threats of the evil one. He lies, and as long as we disbelieve his lies, we will be happy and safe. So deliver us from evil.”

Five

Reject the Lies and Threats of Satan

Satan attacks us through empty promises and empty threats. He promises that sin will make us happy. He threatens that doing what is right will be more than we can handle.

Today, when you experience a temptation, fear, or excuse for avoiding what is right, stop and ask, “What is Satan promising me, or what is he threatening me with?” Then name the lie clearly, “The lie is that this sin will make me happy.” Or, “The lie is that I cannot handle the consequences of doing what is right.” Reject the lie and turn to Jesus, “Jesus, I reject this lie. Deliver me from the Evil One. I trust You.” Then immediately do the good thing Satan is trying to keep you from doing: resist the temptation, pray, tell the truth, forgive, give generously, or fulfill the duty directly in front of you.

Tonight, examine your day, ask, “What promise or threat did Satan use against me today? Did I believe the lie, or did I reject it and trust Jesus?”

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