Yesterday, Ash Wednesday, marked the beginning of the holy season of Lent for Catholics the world over. For those unfamiliar with the season, Lent is 40 days and nights of penance, abstinence and prayer in preparation/anticipation of Holy Week that culminates on Easter Sunday.
During Lent, it is traditional to make a personal sacrifice - to give up or refrain from something you love or enjoy - to symbolize Jesus' 40 days and nights spent in the desert in fasting and prayer. At the end of those 40 days, the Devil appeared to Jesus to tempt him in an effort to get Jesus to turn away from God.
There were three tempations the Devil offered: a temptation of flesh, of power and of worldly riches/fame. While Jesus was able to successfully resist these temptations, other men have succumbed to them with our history books just littered with such accounts. Ever notice how those who pursue and give into the temptations end up badly? That there's never a happy ending to such stories?
Perhaps it was no coincidence that yesterday, a 2008 speech surfaced of presidential candidate, Rick Santorum, making remarks about the Devil's presence, influence and attack on America. In an article posted on the msnbc website http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/22/10478701-devil-in-the-details-santorum-hardly-alone-in-belief-in-satan the following was noted:
According to a 2007 Gallup poll, 7 in 10 Americans said they believe in “the Devil,” while 8% were not sure. 21% said they don’t believe in the devil. 86% said they believe in God, while 8% were not sure and 6% said they don’t believe in God.
What does this have to do with domestic violence? Ask any survivor and they'll tell you that they have looked pure evil in the face; the eyes they stared into during an incident didn't belong to the person they fell in love with. As singer, Rhianna, described during her interview with Diane Sawyer following her assault:
He had no soul in his eyes, just blank. He was clearly blacked out. There was no person when I looked at him.
This is not to make an excuse for or to place sole blame on the Devil for domestic violence, but it is surely his work because who else could take something as beautiful and as tender as love and twist it into something sick and destructive? If you take a look at the characteristics that describe Satan http://www.scribd.com/doc/25352650/The-Characteristics-of-Satan you'll see an eerie similarity between those and the characteristics of abusers. In this linked article, it goes on to explain the 5 main things that the Devil causes:
- Doubt
- Discouragement
- Diversion
- Defeat
- Delay
Coincidentally, these are the main things that keep victims trapped in relationships ruled by domestic violence.
In an article entitled "The Spiritual Side of Domestic Violence" by Terry Loving http://ssofdv.wordpress.com/tag/satan/page/2/ she makes the point that
Because “evil” is associated with demons, hell, Satan, the occult, and other forms of darkness – we shy away from labeling domestic abusers as “evil” persons.
But what is domestic violence if not evil with evil being the Devil's work? The bottom line is that the responsibility for domestic violence ALWAYS belongs to the person whose choosing to employ its tactics to get his/her needs or wants met at the expense of another.
Giving in to the Devil's influence is easy and takes no effort because no thought or commitment of will is needed and like domestic violence, hollow apologies and empty promises for change and redemption reassuringly appease those with any sense of hope or optimism. This is not as bleak as it seems however because the good news is that Jesus showed us through example how to stand up to, resist and say NO to the Devil and all his tricks, deceptions and temptations.
On Ash Wednesday, Catholics receive ashes in the sign of the cross on their foreheads with the words
Remember, man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.
What we do on this earth, what we do with our lives, all of it, every day - it all matters and it all counts. If you've received the blessing and gift of a partner to go through this life with, cherish and honor that person and do the right thing by him/her and if you're lucky enough to have a job, be grateful - fulfill your duties with a humble heart, to the best of your abilities and do what is right - because in the final analysis, it all matters and it all counts.
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