New Evangelization and the Prince of this World

While much of the popular media has ignored this persistent element of Pope Francis's magisterial preaching, a number of others have taken note.  Pope Francis regularly makes reference to man's spiritual battle against Satan and the devil.  Fr. Rosica has discussed this as a central theme of concern for Francis. 

The importance of acknowledging Satan and his influence in the world and in our lives, for the new evangelization cannot be overstated.  Pope Francis realizes this and that the pseudo-intellectual bias against acknowledging his existence, even among many believers, must be overcome.  One cannot surmount the impediments to the proclamation of the Gospel imposed by the ongoing spiritual war in which we find ourselves, if he refuses to recognize the existence of war's main protagonist.  

Recognition of the reality of spiritual warfare is necessary because it helps us to avoid the mistake of assuming that every issue we face is a purely natural one to be resolved with a purely natural response.  

Recognizing that the enemy is first Satan and not flesh and blood better orients us in our exchanges with others, helping us to avoid seeing them as enemies rather than as souls in desperate need of love and salvation.  

When we realize that our challenges are primarily spiritual in nature, we are more apt to recognize the primacy of the action of the Holy Spirit in the new evangelization, we are less likely to be tempted to despair at the seeming insurmountable problems to be overcome, and we are more likely to place our emphasis on prayer, on fasting, and on making progress in personal holiness rather then putting all of our confidence in our ingenuity, strategies, and programs.

See the earlier post on Now is the Time for a related discussion.