Imagine, if you will, a large and hungry octopus. Its name is “Culture of Death”. Instead of suction cups, each of its long, powerful arms has different kinds of magnets that attract souls whose charges are so weak and confused they are unable to resist the magnets’ pull. Once the souls are “stuck” on whatever magnet of whatever arm is designed to hold them fast, they are drawn to the octopus’s gaping maw, and are forever drained in the painful process called “damnation”.
One of the octopus’s arms is labeled “Media”. Each lie that it tells is a magnet that draws the simpler souls to it. Another arm is labeled “Deception”, and its magnets can attract some souls to it in order to help “solve important problems”.
A third arm is labeled “Lust”. It perpetually tries to make souls susceptible to the sins of the flesh. Another arm is “Greed”, and it attracts souls with an affinity to material things. The “Power” arm offers domination over the minds and bodies of other souls. It attracts those hungry for power over their neighbors. “Sloth” is an arm whose magnets are able to enervate souls, making them do nothing in the face of danger. “Envy” makes souls hate their neighbors for having anything at all.
All its arms have one goal, to draw as many souls into the octopus’s ravenous maw as possible. They endlessly encourage belief in false idols even as they undermine any Christian teaching that gives souls the power to resist the many, many magnets trying to draw them to death and destruction.
It’s a great help to see that every power which encourages lies, hate, and death is just another arm of a single, cold-blooded being. Understanding that helps us better focus our own spiritual power where it will do the most good; asking for the strength to resist evil while we ask for the grace to grow closer to God. At the same time, we may profitably ask God to destroy the evil being whose writhing arms draw so many souls to ruin.
An old and powerful prayer helps: “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spiri
