Malice

Author: Padre Alejandro Cortés González-Báez  

 

 

When we of the western culture listen to accounts of the war in Vietnam, we tend to concentrate on what happened between the years of 1961- 1976, when the United States allied itself with South Vietnam in its war against a North Vietnam intent of dominating the whole peninsula. We lose track of the previous war, the war of independence from France, in 1954.
The French and their five generals, all graduates of the renowned Saint Cyr Military Academy suffered a great humiliation when forced to surrender to the unstoppable army of Vo Nguyen Giap, a lawyer with a battleground-earned rank of general. This improvising warrior was able to move his troops under the cover of darkness of long nights to advantageous positions against the French. On the 13 of March, with an element of surprise, General Giap was able to launch his artillery barrage. It was a triumph of logistics. Piece by piece the canons had been carried through the jungle by coolies on bicycles or dragged by human brawn. Many died in the process.
The famous battle of Diem Bien Phu lasted 170 days. In the end 2, 293 Frenchmen died, of the total of 20,000-man garrison.
It proves without a doubt that one of the best military strategies is making your enemies feel invulnerable, unreachable, and even better, confident that the possibility of battle is very remote.
In recent years it appears that only television and the movie industry are the ones interested in the existence of Evil, in the existence of the devil. Every day more and more young mothers bring their little ones to First Communion catechism requesting that no mention be made of the devil and "no talk of sin, please."
In the movie The Rite plays the role of a Catholic priest who lives in Rome and Colin O'Donoghue is a seminarian who has completed his studies in a seminary in the U.S. The seminarian doubts that the demon is able to "possess" a person, but the exorcist reminds him that just as a thief does not turn on the lights in the house he is burglarizing for fear of being seen, so does the devil.
It is not only in Sacred Scripture that the existence of "Evil" is presented to us. In the New Testament alone Jesus mentions Satan and even confronts him. In many parts of the world there is evidence of the existence of Evil.
We should remember that Satan is more than just a "poor devil." God All-Powerful has left us the tools of his Church to combat and conquer all temptations. It is worthwhile to be reminded that some of these tools are the sacraments, prayer, penance, and alms-giving.