How the demon hides – Metropolitan of Strumica Nahum
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“When they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him and knelt before Him saying: ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely. In the new moon he is enraged (under the control of the demon) and he is very much troubled; he often falls into the fire also in the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.’” (Matthew 17, 14-16)
Children, I have interpreted for you the continuation of this Gospel reading (see: Matthew 17, 14-23), when the God-Man Christ talks privately with His disciples and explains to them why they could not cast out the demon and cure the child. Now let us review the beginning of this Gospel reading.
We are not unfamiliar with the tactics of demons when they attack us. Their main goal is that we do not recognize them in the temptation that confronts us, but also, if possible, that we do not recognise the passions, as well as the delusions and illusions – associated with them, behind which the demon hides very well, and by which we are captivated.
For example, instead of Christians cultivating a pastoral approach towards this world’s social phenomena and schemes, i.e. forms of organization of this world that are conceived by humans themselves, such as the state, the nation (the people) and the political party, today they often build up a relationship of identification with them. Through the pastoral relationship with them, Christians bring God’s grace and God’s blessing into those social phenomena and schemes – and they prosper: however, through the relationship and identification with them, they renounce the God-Man Christ and bring a curse to the state, the nation and the party. After all this, they then wonder what is happening to them. A Christian can only identify themselves with Christ and no one else and nothing else. The demon has blinded us to such an extent that we cannot even see this reality, let alone understand it.
The illusion of identification is based on the passion of self-love, which, consequently, is characterised by the search for security in the earthly kingdom, without (outside) Christ, without (outside) the Heavenly Kingdom.
From there on, regardless of whether he is recognised or not, the demon tries to shift the blame for what is happening to someone else. In the specific example I gave previously, the “other” is usually one or more, or all people from another party, from another nation (or people) and from another country. No, I or we, are never to be blamed. Maybe the messenger or the prophet is to blame?
In this specific Gospel example, we see another act of demonic trickery, the demon intentionally always initiates his activity to coincide with a new moon, i.e. new crescent, to divert attention as much as possible from himself and from our fallen state, and, as such, to direct it to the heavenly phenomena – moons, planets, stars, constellations, etc. Hence, such is the development of astrology, various predictions according to the movement of the planets, belief in the horoscope and similar things.
It is true that we are connected with all creation, but to give creation a crucial and decisive importance, instead of God, as well as an automatic effect on our lives, is truly a demonic delusion, as well as an illusion. Similar to this is the expectation, dare I say, the wish, that something bad will automatically happen to the one who has wronged us. We overlook that, that person may have repented or that God is waiting for him and giving him time to repent, not wanting the sinner’s death. Shouldn’t we also be like our Heavenly Father and pray for the repentance of the one who sinned against us, as well as for his salvation? There is nothing automatic and impersonal where there is God Who IS a Person.
Following on from the first example I gave, instead of a new month, the demon in us is activated whenever something happens that does not correspond to our party, national and state views, i.e. identifications. Then we fall into the fire, i.e. in anger, hatred and similar thoughts, or in water, i.e. in despair, particularly depression, sadness, inconsolable crying and similar thoughts and emotions.We write our own symptoms and diagnoses. Do we not see this all over social media?
The demon within us is activated whenever someone hurts our passions – no matter which passions we are captive to. The only passion by which we are surely captured is vainglory – the desire for human power and glory, for human praises and honours, for rewards and everything similar to that. Envy towards those who have succeeded thus, is proof that we are sick of the passion vainglory. Right after that comes avarice and love of pleasures.
And Jesus answered and said: “Oh faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring him here to me!” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and he came out of the boy; and he was cured at that very hour.
The God-Man Christ is not among us now, but that is why He left His successors, the Episcopes (Bishops), whose voice, in calling for our own repentance, we must listen to, if we want to be cured. Isn’t it right to obey those (not all) who call us to repentance and show us such a path. And the road is narrow and few walk on it.
On which principles do I still mention personal repentance only? Do you think that voluntary national repentance can happen? I don’t think so; May God prove me wrong. For the occurrence of such repentance, we need to have a large percentage of people who go to church regularly, and here we do not have even one percent; people have not even heard of repentance. And I don’t see anyone demonstrating a shining example of repentance, including myself.
Lord Jesus Christ, through the prayers of the Most-Holy Theotokos, save us all!
Metropolitan of Strumica Nahum
13 / 08 / 2023
