From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   On Avoiding Talkativeness (2)   
      
   We must watch and pray (Matt. 26:41) that our time may not be spent   
   fruitlessly. When it is right and proper to speak, speak to edify   
   (Eph. 4:29).  Evil habits and neglect of spiritual progress are the   
   main cause of our failure to guard the tongue (James 3:5). But devout   
   conversation on spiritual matters greatly furthers our spiritual   
   progress, especially with those who are heart and soul with us in the   
   service of God (Acts 2:42).   
   --Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 1, Ch 10   
      
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   March 9th - St. Frances of Rome sees the devils   
      
   St. Frances of Rome, protected by her guardian angel, sees the devils   
   who tempt men on earth.   
   While one-third of the angels sinned, the other two-thirds persevered   
   in grace. One-third of the fallen angels is in Hell tormenting the   
   condemned souls. These devils are the ones who freely followed Lucifer   
   and deliberately revolted against God. They cannot leave the abyss   
   except with the special acquiescence of God, when He decides to punish   
   the sins of men with a great calamity. These are the worst among the   
   devils.   
      
   The other two-thirds of the fallen angels inhabit the air and the   
   earth. They are the ones who did not take a side in the battle between   
   Lucifer and God, but remained silent.   
      
   The devils of the air often instigate storms, winds and thunders to   
   frighten souls, causing their wills to weaken and cede to inconstancy,   
   thus preparing them to falter in the Faith and to doubt Divine   
   Providence. The devils who live on earth among men to tempt us are the   
   fallen angels of the lowest choir. The faithful angels of this choir   
   are our guardian angels.   
      
   The prince and chief of all devils is Lucifer, who is confined at the   
   bottom of the abyss, where he punishes the other devils and the   
   condemned men and women. Since he fell from the highest place among   
   the angels, the Seraphic choir, he became the worst devil. His   
   characteristic vice is pride.   
      
   Below him and under his power are three other princes: First, Asmodeu,   
   who represents the vice of impurity and was the head of the Cherubim;   
   second, Mammon, who represents the vice of avarice and was the first   
   among the Thrones; third, Belzebuth, who represents idolatry, sorcery   
   and spells and was the chief of the Dominations. He is over everything   
   that is dark and that diffuses darkness over rational creatures.   
      
      
   By the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)   
      
   St. Frances of Rome describes Lucifer as the highest Seraphim, and for   
   this reason his sin was very grave. You know that the Seraphim   
   constitute the highest of the nine choirs of angels. Since he was the   
   highest angel in Heaven who revolted, he was thrown into the deepest   
   part of Hell.   
      
   There were angels who made the decision to follow Lucifer with a   
   special malice and by their own initiative. These went to Hell with   
   him and are being tormented by him since he is more powerful than   
   they, and because Divine Justice delegated him the task of punishing   
   for all eternity those whom he had convinced to follow him in the   
   rebellion.   
      
   After that, St. Frances tells us, there are three principal demons who   
   follow Lucifer’s commands. The first is Asmodeu, who represents the   
   vice of the flesh; the second is Mammon, head of the vice of avarice,   
   and then Belzebuth, chief of all idolatries and dark works.   
      
   You are seeing that the two principal rebellious angels – Lucifer and   
   Asmodeu – are the angels of pride and sensuality. According to our   
   conception of History, pride and sensuality are the two driving forces   
   of the Revolution. In a certain sense, this description of St. Frances   
   confirms it. These angels are in Hell and only rarely does God permit   
   them to leave the abyss to punish humanity. I have the impression that   
   in our times Hell was opened and these worst of devils are on earth   
   trying to accomplish the special task of destroying the Church, just   
   as they were also on earth to kill Our Lord Jesus Christ. I know that   
   the Catholic Church is immortal, but I think that in our days they are   
   here to try to destroy her.   
      
   Then there are the other fallen angels. In the first battle they did   
   not want to choose between God and Lucifer. They did not revolt   
   outright against God nor did they clearly support His cause. At the   
   same time, they did not give straightforward support to the cause of   
   Lucifer. They remained in the middle of the road, in a neutral   
   position, which at depth meant they had sympathy for Satan. It was for   
   this reason that God condemned them. But Divine Justice made their   
   chastisement less terrible than that of the other angels. Instead of   
   being hurled into Hell, they are in the air and on the earth. After   
   the Final Judgment they will go to Hell for all eternity. Therefore,   
   during this time between their sin and the Final Judgment, they escape   
   the suffering of Hell.   
      
   These “middle-of-the-road” angels are divided into two kinds. First,   
   there are the angels who inhabit the air and produce climatic turmoil   
   to frighten men on earth. Second, there are the angels on earth who   
   belong to the same choir as our guardian angels. They normally do the   
   opposite of the guardian angels, that is, instead of protecting   
   persons, they try to lead them into the danger of sin. There is a   
   constant battle between these two kinds of angels.   
      
   From this, we can learn an important lesson. It is to realize how   
   small man is. How minute we are compared to the magnitude of the   
   angelical nature. There was a Saint who often saw her guardian angel,   
   that is, an angel from the lowest choir in the celestial hierarchy.   
   Well, the first time she saw him she was so impressed with the   
   appearance of the angel that she thought he was God Himself. She fell   
   prostrate to the ground to adore him. He had to stop her and explain   
   who he was. This shows us the splendor of a simple guardian angel. Can   
   you imagine, then, the splendor of an Archangel, and even more, of a   
   Cherubim or a Seraphim?   
      
   How small we are in face of this battle among the angels that is   
   taking place around us everywhere and all the time! There are angels   
   who come down from Heaven with this or that mission. There are devils   
   who come out of Hell to cause a great damage. There are demons who   
   infest the air, demons who are working among men. Really we are very   
   small in face of this angelic struggle.   
      
   What is our defense against all the plots and evil instigated by these   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)