The Devil Tries To Appear In Disguise as Jesus It should be of no wonder to us that the demons often try to appear as Angels, Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary or even Jesus Himself, since the Scriptures themselves warn us to be on our guard, stating that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light". [2 Corinthians 11:14].
In light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."
In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..]
Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.
In the life of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) --a Portuguese mystic and stigmatic of whom we will speak more about below---we read another occurrence of the devil making himself out to be Jesus.
In this case Blessed Alexandrina writes:
“Every now and then I see a rapid light. Twice I have seen two very big eyes, wide open, staring at me, but they disappeared quickly. On Sunday, I heard a very sweet voice saying, 'My daughter, I come to tell you not to write anything of what you see: your sight is deceiving you. Don't you feel how weak you are? You displease me with this; it is your Jesus who speaks to you, not Satan.'
I was suspicious and began to kiss the crucifix. The voice became enraged and thundered, 'If you continue to write I will destroy your body. Do you think I cannot do this?' (From the writings of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, 1934)
The Divine Praises
The Divine Praises traditionally follows the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at Church when it is prayed by the priest and the worshippers before our Lord (in the Host) is returned to the tabernacle following adoration.
It was composed in a slightly shorter form by Luigi Felici, a Jesuit priest, in 1797, as a prayer to make reparation for blasphemy and profane language. You can recite it privately (or in group settings other than during the Benediction) for this purpose as a great way to show God, the Holy Family, and the Angels and Saints thanksgiving and praise.
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints. Amen.
In an era when many people only refer to our Lord in an exclamatory fashion after some sort of accident, it is good for us to sing His Divine Praises here. As we say in the introduction to the Eucharistic prayer at Mass “it is right to give Him thanks and praise!”
Saint Thomas Aquinas once noted that this can increase the fervor of our devotion to Him, and that thus “we praise God not for His benefit but for ours.” This prayer reminds us of the glories of the Trinity, and of the key role our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and the Angels and saints have played in our salvation as well.
The devil tries to appear in disguise as Jesus
It should be of no wonder to us that
the demons often try to appear as Angels, Saints, the Blessed Virgin
Mary or even Jesus Himself, since the Scriptures themselves warn us to be on our guard, stating that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light". [2 Corinthians 11:14].
In light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."
In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..]
Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.
- See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/the-battle-for-souls-mystic-saints-vs.html#sthash.3KaNPSyA.dpufIn light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."
In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..]
Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.
In the life of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) --a Portuguese mystic and stigmatic of
whom we will speak more about below---we read another occurrence of the
devil making himself out to be Jesus. In this case Blessed Alexandrina
writes:
“Every now and then I see a rapid
light. Twice I have seen two very big eyes, wide open, staring at me,
but they disappeared quickly. On Sunday, I heard a very sweet voice
saying, 'My daughter, I come to tell you not to write anything of
what you see: your sight is deceiving you. Don't you feel how weak you
are? You displease me with this; it is your Jesus who speaks to you, not
Satan.'
I was suspicious and began to kiss the crucifix. The voice became enraged and thundered, 'If you continue to write I will destroy your body. Do you think I cannot do this?' (From the writings of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, 1934)
The devil tries to appear in disguise as Jesus
It should be of no wonder to us that
the demons often try to appear as Angels, Saints, the Blessed Virgin
Mary or even Jesus Himself, since the Scriptures themselves warn us to be on our guard, stating that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light". [2 Corinthians 11:14].
In light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."
In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..]
Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.
- See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/the-battle-for-souls-mystic-saints-vs.html#sthash.3KaNPSyA.dpufIn light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."
In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..]
Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.
In the life of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) --a Portuguese mystic and stigmatic of
whom we will speak more about below---we read another occurrence of the
devil making himself out to be Jesus. In this case Blessed Alexandrina
writes:
“Every now and then I see a rapid
light. Twice I have seen two very big eyes, wide open, staring at me,
but they disappeared quickly. On Sunday, I heard a very sweet voice
saying, 'My daughter, I come to tell you not to write anything of
what you see: your sight is deceiving you. Don't you feel how weak you
are? You displease me with this; it is your Jesus who speaks to you, not
Satan.'
I was suspicious and began to kiss the crucifix. The voice became enraged and thundered, 'If you continue to write I will destroy your body. Do you think I cannot do this?' (From the writings of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, 1934)
The devil tries to appear in disguise as Jesus
It should be of no wonder to us that
the demons often try to appear as Angels, Saints, the Blessed Virgin
Mary or even Jesus Himself, since the Scriptures themselves warn us to be on our guard, stating that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light". [2 Corinthians 11:14].
In light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."
In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..]
Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.
- See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/the-battle-for-souls-mystic-saints-vs.html#sthash.3KaNPSyA.dpufIn light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."
In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..]
Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.
In the life of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) --a Portuguese mystic and stigmatic of
whom we will speak more about below---we read another occurrence of the
devil making himself out to be Jesus. In this case Blessed Alexandrina
writes:
“Every now and then I see a rapid
light. Twice I have seen two very big eyes, wide open, staring at me,
but they disappeared quickly. On Sunday, I heard a very sweet voice
saying, 'My daughter, I come to tell you not to write anything of
what you see: your sight is deceiving you. Don't you feel how weak you
are? You displease me with this; it is your Jesus who speaks to you, not
Satan.'
I was suspicious and began to kiss the crucifix. The voice became enraged and thundered, 'If you continue to write I will destroy your body. Do you think I cannot do this?' (From the writings of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, 1934)
