Words of the Holy Father-To enchain our souls: this is what the devil wants.

 Words of the Holy Father-To enchain our souls: this is what the devil wants.

The Gospel shows us Jesus freeing a person possessed by an “evil spirit” (cf. Mk 1:21-28), that tormented and made him scream (cf. vv. 23, 26). 

This is how the devil behaves: he wants to take possession of us in order to “enchain our souls”. 

To enchain our souls: this is what the devil wants. 

We must be wary of the “chains” that stifle our freedom, because the devil always takes away our freedom. 

Let us try to name some of these chains that can shackle our hearts.

I am thinking of addictions, which enslave us, making us feel constantly dissatisfied, devouring our energies, goods, and relationships. 

I am thinking of the leading trends which encourage unrealistic perfectionism, consumerism and hedonism, that commodify people and ruin relationships. And other chains: there are temptations and conditionings that undermine self-esteem, serenity and the ability to choose and love life. 

Another chain is fear, which makes us look to the future with pessimism; and intolerance, which always puts the blame on others. 

Then there is a very ugly chain: the idolatry of power, which generates conflicts and resorts to weapons that kill, or uses economic injustice and thought manipulation. There are many chains in our life.

Let us ask ourselves: Do I really want to be freed from those chains that shackle my heart? And also, am I capable of saying “no” to the temptations of evil before they plant themselves in my soul? 

Finally, do I invoke Jesus, allowing him to act in me, to heal me within? May the Holy Virgin guard us from evil. And Jesus came to free us from all these chains. Pope Francis (28 January 2024)