Wednesday, April 10, 2013

THE SAINT AND THE SERPENT

THE SAINT AND THE SERPENT


                          A two-wheeler fancy dress competition was in progress. Competitors dressed in different disguises were moving in their bikes through a highway. People assembled on either side of the road to see the scenes and cheer the participants on. A young contestant had his whole body painted black using charcoal mixed with oil. He wore a black helmet with a fearsome face-mask and two sharp horns. He had a long black tail fixed to his back. Wearing only a black inner wear, he closely resembled the popular image of a dreadful devil.
                          Suddenly there was an unexpected rainfall and fearing that the rain may damage his image, he stopped the bike and rushed into the nearest shelter, a church where a prayer meeting was in progress. The sudden appearance of 'Satan' created a pandemonium among the faithful. In the sudden stampede that followed, everyone rushed out of the church throwing away their rosaries, Bibles and prayer books all around. An old lady's exit came to a sudden halt when her clothing got caught on a nail fixed to a chair. She was terribly upset and believed that the devil had caught her from behind. Afraid to turn back, she cried aloud with folded hands and pleaded in panic, "Dear Devil, please leave me! Though I come to this church every day, I was always on your side. Please hear me!"
                          In a church, there was a statue of St. George holding a spear shown to be attacking the devil depicted as a dragon or a fearsome serpent. The devotees used to approach this statue and meditate, requesting the special intercession of the saint in their personal needs. A short-statured lady was seen to extend her arm to touch the statue and seek the saint's blessings. As her arm was short and the statue was at a height, she could not reach the saint's statue. She could touch only the model of the serpent at the bottom of the statue. When she concluded her daily rituals, the parish priest humorously reminded her that she had touched the serpent and not the saint to seek blessings. She replied innocently, "Father, who knows whether it is the saint or the serpent who would come to my aid in a difficult situation! I need both of them."
                          An evangelist eloquently described the constant conflict and war he had to wage against Satan throughout his life. A person from the audience stood up and remarked, "I have been a member of this church for forty years. I have never met this Satan and had no occasion to fight with him." The evangelist replied humorously, "You are quite correct. Certainly when two persons move in the same direction, there is no need to fight against each other!"
                          Satan's name is mentioned more frequently than that of angels in popular sermons. Many people falsely assume that Satan is equal to God in power. Satan is the fallen angel whose strength is insignificant when compared to the omnipotent creator, God. But we have to seek God's grace to be saved from the evil temptations of the Devil.
                          St. Peter warns us, “Be alert, be on the watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know that your fellow-believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings”{1 Peter 5: 8,9}. 
                            St. Paul advises us, “Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks” {Ephesians 6:11}. St. Paul lists the virtues that serve as our armour: “So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight round your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, and as your shoes the readiness to announce the good news of peace. At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the evil one. And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the spirit gives you” {Ephesians 6: 14-17}.
                          Man was under the slavery of sin. Jesus redeemed us and made us God's children {Galatians 4: 3-5}. Jesus provides true and complete liberation to man. St. Paul says, "Freedom is what we have - Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again" {Galatians 5:1}.





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© By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally,  Leo. S. John, St. Antony's Public School, Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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