Christians should not live in fear of the devil. We are called to be God-fearing people and what this means is that we live in awe of God and all that he is doing in our lives because of his great love for each of us. Our strength comes from “the Lord’s Resurrection, in the triumph of life over death, of love over hatred, of truth over falsehood, of light over darkness.” Three hundred and sixty-five times throughout the Bible we are told in one form or another “Be Not Afraid.” Literally, once for every day of the year, God reminds us that evil is something that we should not fear. One example comes to us from the Second Book of Kings:
When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was round about the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Eli’sha prayed, and said, “O Lord, I beg you, open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Eli’sha. (6:15–17)
Read and know the Bible. St. Jerome (AD 347–420) said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Therefore, to know Scripture is to know Christ and his power.
Practice Marian Devotion. The Blessed Mother is a powerful ally for anyone who is up against the forces of evil. The devil could not touch the Blessed Mother because she was full of grace. Fr. Gabriele Amorth recounts the story of a fellow exorcist who once asked the devil what are the qualities of the Most Holy Mother Mary that make you so angry and cause you so much pain? The devil responded that she is the purest of everyone, and he is the filthiest; she is the humblest, and he is the most rebellious; she is the most obedient, and he never obeys.5 The Blessed Mother also teaches us that every hour is the hour for Christ. In the story of the Marriage at Cana, Jesus says to his mother, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). Her response is, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). These are the final words she speaks in the Bible. Once she tells us to listen to and obey Jesus, she has said all that needs to be said.
Frequent the Sacraments. The devil is fought positively and preventively by everything that nourishes and strengthens the Christian life, and therefore, above all, by recourse to the sacraments.6 As Catholics we need to go to confession and attend Holy Mass with the reception of Holy Communion. Our Catholic faith must not be purely cultural, by which we merely go through the motions. It must be a lived relationship with Jesus Christ exemplified through the sacramental life of the Church.
Pray and Fast. When the disciples asked Jesus why they were not able to cast out a particular demon, he responded, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29). In this same account in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus responds that they were not able to cast out the demon because of their little faith (17:19). When we pray, we connect ourselves more tightly to God and are protected from demonic influence. When we fast, we create a physical emptiness in ourselves and come to realize that only God can satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart.
Call upon your Guardian Angel and remember your Guardian Angel is more powerful than the devil himself. Scripture teaches us the importance of our angels. In Psalm 91 [90] we read, “For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways” (v. 11).
Friday is the 13th, and if you’re not careful, an evil spirit could enter your body and steal your soul — or, at the very least, cause you to drop a meatball on your crisp white shirt. To ward off bad luck, protect yourself with any of these five rituals or tokens employed by cultures around the world.
Muslims call it the Hand of Fatima, while Jews refer to it as the Hand of Miriam, hamsa hand or hamesh hand. Both faiths, however, agree on its powers. The hand with the colored eye — found on necklaces, ornaments, stickers, etc. — will shield you from the powers of the evil eye.
Layer on the eyeliner and smoky eye shadow. Ancient Egyptians believed that makeup prevented the evil one from entering your eyes. Unfortunately, it’s powerless over creepy guys who find Tammy Faye Bakker hot.
Show the “horned hand.” It looks like a secret greeting among Metallica-heads, but Italians do the mano cornuta for protection. To form the gesture, use your thumb to hold down your middle and ring fingers, then extend your pointer and pinkie like horns. Though this might ward off evil spirits, it could also attract heavy-metal rockers or University of Texas fans.
In Jewish tradition, you have a few options: Spit three times on your fingertips, then wave them in the air; throw salt; say in Yiddish, “kayn aynhoreh” (“no evil eye”); or eat lots of garlic. For Transylvanians, the garlic (worn, not ingested) also frightens off vampires and werewolves.
Grab a carrot, a replica of the Washington Monument or any other phallic object. According to Romans, such objects seduce the evil spirit away from you — however, your carrot might then be possessed.