Playing Chess With The Devil
By JULIE ASH
(Editor’s Note: Julie Ash writes from Cherokee County, Okla., where she is a novice Benedictine oblate of Clear Creek Abbey.)
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Satan is the consummate game-player. He has studied human nature for generations, and knows our weaknesses and how best to exploit them. His latest scheme involves staging satanic events mocking Jesus Christ and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in a public forum. The first attempt was directed at Harvard University in May, and failed. The father of lies then struck at the heartland, Oklahoma City, where a black mass was held at the Civic Center on September 21.
Ritualized evil presented under the guise of learning the history of different cultural practices at a liberal university might not come as a shock, but the Oklahoma City event seems to have come out of nowhere, leading us to believe that we are facing a bold new onslaught of evil. But Satan’s plots have been brewing underground for years, and, like infected cysts hidden beneath the surface, have boiled to a head and erupted into public view.
Chess is all about strategy, anticipating your opponent’s moves while plotting your own. It’s a tricky balance between risk and self-protection, attack and retreat. The various pieces have specific roles and can move only in accordance with the rules of the game.
It used to be said that Satan’s most successful strategy was convincing people that he didn’t exist. His recent forays into the public square would suggest that this tactic is no longer necessary. Satan doesn’t need to lurk furtively in the shadows anymore because modern society’s misguided emphases on tolerance and inclusivity dictate that satanism is just one religious choice among many and that even blasphemy must be protected as free speech.
The Harvard event was originally slated to include a lecture from Christopher Robichaud, an ethics and public policy professor at the Kennedy School of Government, to frame the event in terms of religious liberty and tolerance. A glimpse at Dr. Robichaud’s page on Harvard’s website reveals:
“[Dr. Robichaud’s] research interests include exploring what a ‘post-truth’ age of politics might be, and what, if anything, can be said for or against such an age. He is also interested in examining what kind of intellectual virtue is captured by the idea of healthy skepticism, and what place such a virtue has within a democratic society.
“Dr. Robichaud is also dedicated to bringing philosophical ideas to a wider audience, and pursues this goal by looking at issues in moral and political philosophy that arise in pop culture stories, especially superhero narratives. His articles can be found in the volumes Superheroes and Philosophy, Supervillains and Philosophy, Batman and Philosophy, Iron Man and Philosophy, X-Men and Philosophy, Spider-Man and Philosophy, Superman and Philosophy. . . . Walking Dead and Philosophy and Game of Thrones and Philosophy.”
While the enemy’s pawns might use cartoons to lure our youth into taking their college classes and Oklahoma satanists rent the Civic Center, the local troops have been mobilized in response. TFP for Student Action, a project of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property, mustered over 100,000 signatures on a petition opposing the so-called black mass. Bishops in neighboring dioceses, along with the Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of the Annunciation at Clear Creek, called the faithful to fasting and prayer.
Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, in a brilliant move, obtained the immediate return of the consecrated Host allegedly to be desecrated by filing a lawsuit; subsequently, the archbishop agreed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice. But the danger is still there and future attempts to stage similar abominations are likely. How are we to cope with such utterly unthinkable events? How best to combat such a skillful adversary?
In Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us clear direction:
“But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you” (Luke 6:27-28).
Of course, Christ isn’t asking us to love Satan, but He is asking us to love and pray for those unfortunate human beings who follow him. Praying for those who hate Christ and His Church is difficult, but this is a battle for souls which can only be won by living out the teaching of the Gospel. We may be tempted to lash out in anger, or cower in fear, but in the spiritual life, as in chess, raw emotion and impulsivity must bow to prudence, awareness, patience, and planning.
The Gospel of St. Matthew at chapter 10 begins with a list of gifts our Lord gave to His disciples, including the ability to cast out unclean spirits. At verse 8, Jesus charges them to “heal the sick, raise the dead…cast out devils.” Finally, at verse 16, He cautions them on the dangerous nature of their mission and how they ought to conduct themselves: “Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves.” The Commentary adds that being “simple” means being “harmless, plain, sincere, and without guile.”
It is easy to become bitter and angry at Satan’s endless stockpile of ruses and seemingly limitless supply of pawns. The Rule of St. Benedict, chapter 72, “Of the Virtuous Zeal Which the Monks Ought to Have,” says, “[T]here is a harsh and evil zeal which separates from God and leads to Hell.” When Satan sees us opposing his plans, he may entice us to this “harsh and evil zeal,” tempting us to strike out in anger toward those who are staging the event or allowing it to take place. We may even attack each other in petty disagreements over how to handle these challenges. This is contrary to our Lord’s direction that we be “harmless” and to pray for our enemies.
Rather, we should employ the “virtuous zeal” St. Benedict recommends by engaging in “ardent love.” Although St. Benedict is speaking of monks in a monastery and their relations with one another, his advice applies equally well here. We are not to do what seems best for ourselves, but for others; that is, ardent love for God, for the Church, and for souls. Venting our spleens in vitriolic online comments may relieve our inner anxiety, but it does no good in winning souls for Christ. Our public statements regarding the proposed black mass or other evil works should always be patient, humble, and charitable or we risk permanently alienating those with differing views.
A well-played chess game has three phases. In the beginning, the players advance to engage in combat. The middle game starts as the players maneuver for position and carry out attacks and counterattacks. The final stage is known as the endgame when, with fewer pieces left on the board, it is safer for the kings to come out and join the final battle.
If we have committed the error of naively assuming that Satan would always remain underground, hidden from view, we now know differently. He has entered the public arena and therefore so must we. As Pope Francis said last year during World Youth Day, “The Church must be taken into the streets.”
Sunday night, September 21, 2014: Shortly after vespers, in response to Bishop Edward Slattery’s request to all the parishes of the Diocese of Tulsa, the Benedictine monks of Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Abbey solemnly processed out of the church, chanting in Latin and carrying the Most Blessed Sacrament. Following the procession, a contingent of monks who had already put in a 13-hour day knelt silently in adoration and reparation, on the cement floor, for an hour and a half. Praying with them in the pews were the Clear Creek Sisters, along with many of the devout lay people who frequent the abbey.
Earlier that afternoon, an estimated crowd of over 2,000 prayed with Archbishop Coakley at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Oklahoma City. “We are not here to protest…but to praise and adore,” he proclaimed. The holy hour was followed by a procession to the Civic Center, where faithful from around the region gathered to pray. As reported by The Oklahoman, about 500 people convened outside the Civic Center and two were arrested. But Graham Lee Brewer, a reporter for that newspaper, captured this photo of a rainbow appearing in the sky over the protesters. It would appear that God was pleased.
Meanwhile, down in the basement, in a blackened theater seating 100, convicted sex offender Adam Daniels, wearing a red and black cassock, roared and growled predictably. Reporters sat in the front row, taking notes. Tickets for the event had sold out, but only about 40 people showed up.
Did they have any inkling that hundreds of people had spent the preceding hours and days fasting and praying for God’s mercy on their souls? And not only for them, but for all those who would have been there, were it not for the fact that a person or persons unknown had purchased all of the remaining tickets.
Check!
