The mystery of evil here on earth remains and causes much suffering to the Church and to individual believers. But, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “God would not allow evil, if he did not cause good to emerge from that same evil, in ways that we shall fully understand only in eternal life” (no. 324). This is a certainty that comforts us.
The devil exists
Pope Francis speaks of the devil very often and firmly states: “The devil exists, even in the 21st century, and we must not be naïve. We must learn from the Gospel how to fight against him.”
The devil “is more intelligent than we are”; we must not engage in dialogue with him, because we will lose, as happened to Eve: “She thought she was a great theologian and she fell.” The devil, in fact, “is a seducer,” “he knows how to speak well,” “he knows which words to say to us,” and “we like to be seduced”; “he brings you beautiful, carefully wrapped gifts,” “he seduces us with the package without letting us see what is inside,” “his proposals are all lies.” His light is dazzling “like fireworks,” but it fades away. The devil comes to us “often disguised as an angel and insidiously tells us his word. Do not listen to him! Let us follow Jesus.”
The powerful weapon of the Rosary against the devil
The Church, and therefore each of us as well, is attacked by the Evil One. We must therefore ask ourselves: how can we protect ourselves from his action? What weapon do we have to win the battle?
Prayer - Pope Francis says - is the weapon against the Great Accuser, who “roams the world seeking someone to accuse.” Only prayer can defeat him. The Holy Father also urges us to fight him by taking refuge under the mantle of the Virgin Mary, in particular by praying the Holy Rosary, the privileged weapon against Satan.
The devil himself, during an exorcism, emphasized the extraordinary power of the Rosary and the effects it has on him: “Every Hail Mary is like a blow to my head; if Christians knew the power of the Rosary, it would be the end for me.” Likewise, Saint John Bosco says: “The Rosary is the prayer that Satan fears most. With those Hail Marys, all the demons of Hell can be brought down”; and Padre Pio: “Do not forget that the prayer of the Holy Rosary is the most powerful spiritual weapon that Heaven has given you, to defeat the evil one and his hosts of evil! Never let it go, because it is powerful armor with which you will have the protection and intercession of Our Lady and my humble intercession... keep this well in mind!”
The month of the Rosary
We have entered the month of October, dedicated to the Holy Rosary, whose central date is October 7, the day on which the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated.
On October 1, 2023, after the Angelus, Pope Francis said: “Today begins the month of October, the month of the Rosary and of the missions. I urge everyone to experience the beauty of praying the Rosary, contemplating the mysteries of Christ with Mary and invoking her intercession for the needs of the Church and the world,” and, back in 2018, he reminded us to pray “the Holy Rosary every day throughout the entire Marian month of October; and thus to join together in communion and penance, as the people of God, in asking the Holy Mother of God and Saint Michael the Archangel to protect the Church from the devil,” and to conclude the prayer with the ancient invocation “Sub Tuum Praesidium” (“Under your protection”), and with the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, written by Leo XIII, so that he may defend the Church from the attacks of the devil. According to tradition, in fact, Michael is the leader of the heavenly armies and protector of the Church (cf. Revelation 12:7-12).
The month of October is therefore an opportunity to pray with greater dedication, so that the Lord may help us avoid falling into the devil’s traps and, through the intercession of Mary and the Archangel Michael, may protect the Church from his attacks. So, during this month, let us pray the Rosary and conclude it, as the Holy Father asked us, by reciting these two prayers.
