Objective:
The middle school youth will learn about the Catholic Church’s teaching on the devil and our need to resist temptation.
Overview:
When we renew our Baptismal vows, we begin by rejecting Satan and all of his works and empty promises. The Catholic Church teaches that Satan/the devil exists and has a role in the life of man on earth, “For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to be wise as to what is good, and simple as to what is evil; then the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you” (Romans 16:19-20).
God created all of the angels as fully spiritual creatures and God created all of them good. However, the devil and others were prideful angels and wanted to be divine themselves – not to be under the authority of God. Scholars point out that the devil and other demons made a choice to reject God (not a deficit of God’s mercy), thus making their sin unforgivable. “There is no repentance for the angels after their fall, just as there is no repentance for men after death” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 393). The devil and the other demons were cast out and were condemned “into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt. 25:41b).