Luke 4:31-37
Are evil spirits for real? Who made them? Catholic teaching recognizes the existence of evil spirits whose leader is named Satan. They are originally part of the heavenly spirits created by God to serve Him. In the beginning, all angels were full of grace and were all happily united with the Creator. However, because of pride, a group of angels rebelled against God. In the Book of Revelation, there is a portrayal of the great war that broke out in heaven between the armies of God and those of Satan (12:7-9). In this encounter, the loyal servants of God led by Archangel Michael come out victorious. And yet, until now, the spirits of darkness continue to wage war against God. They are the ones who entice people to sin and offend the Lord.
Every time Jesus encounters a possessed person, he immediately acts to free that individual from the power of evil. There are two things that we know about this in the gospel: First, the evil spirits recognize that Jesus is the Holy One of God. And second, evil spirits are driven out by the power of Jesus' word.
Today, we are inspired to keep the virtue of righteousness. Let us remain in the side of the good and be one with Christ in fighting the power of darkness here on earth. It is important that we are always on guard of the presence and activities of evil spirits so that we will know where, when and how are we going to combat them. Let us have no fear because we know that evil spirits are powerless against good people who have the word of God in their hearts.
