Most of us are aware of the presence of evil in the world. However, most people do not perceive how close evil is to us; when we talk about evil we usually think about all those who have perpetrated big crimes, all those who have participated in genocides, massacres, dictatorships, extremis, terrorism and things like that but, sadly, evil is way closer to us, evil is in our midst, even in pews and sanctuaries in churches. The man in the synagogue was a practicing Jew, a regular churchgoer. One would think that such a person shouldn’t be the host of evil. How come he had an unclean spirit? What happened to him? The truth is that evil is constantly around us, that we are constantly surrounded by evil, that the devil always prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (Cf. 1 Pe. 5:8-10) For this reason we were told to be on guard (Cf. Mk 13:33) to be watchful (Cf. 1 Pe. 5:8) and we were taught a prayer that we are supposed to say every single day where we ask God our Father to deliver us from evil (Cf. Mt. 6:13).
We should constantly pay attention to what’s going on in our minds and hearts; we should always monitor our thoughts and feelings to make sure we catch any sign of the presence of evil in our lives. The first step to overcome the influence of evil in your life is to recognize it, to be aware of its presence. When evil is exposed to the light of Christ, it loses its power.
So, here are some signs that can tell you if evil is present in your life. First sign: You’re becoming divisive, you have contempt for others or you believe them to be inferior; you have called them names such as idiots or jerks, you believe they are stupid because their views are not the same as yours; you don’t like a specific ethnicity or a specific social group, you believe you have more rights than others; you have a hard time accepting that those you don’t like are children of God just as you are. Never forget that division is the devil’s most lethal tactic. You might disagree with what others do, say and believe, but they are not your enemy, they are your brothers and sisters; as Saint Paul says in the letter to the Ephesians: our struggle is not against flesh and blood… but against the spiritual forces of evil. (Cf. Eph. 6:12) In other words, our struggle is not against our fellow human beings, our brothers and sisters, but against the realms of evil.
Second sign: you are angry most of the time whenever you’re not busy or in prayer. You now not only hate circumstances or what is going on but you began to hate people. You’re obsessed with something, politics for instance, and whenever you are not busy you begin thinking about it and getting angry and quite often you get angry at somebody you don’t even know.
Third sign. You cannot tolerate differences, you are not able to handle a different point of view, and you have a hard time accepting the validity of opinions that differ from yours. You’re not able to participate in a conversation where your ideas, views and opinions do not coincide with those of others. You feel that things have to be your way or the highway; you do not take into consideration a different point of view, you don’t listen.
These three signs of the presence of evil are quite common; unfortunately, there are many more such as arrogance, pride, greed, selfishness, and prejudice.
Let us be vigilant, let us open our hearts and minds to the light of Christ who is the only one who can dispel the darkness of evil. No one else can save us but God alone. Let us humble ourselves before God our Father and ask him to deliver us from evil.