Christian quotations by Don Bosco: Devil, The Demons

Don't be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they don't sow, they don't reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds! Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height? If then you aren't able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? Don't seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious. For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek God's Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.

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	Christian quotations by Don Bosco: Devil, The Demons

John Bosco photo Christian quotations by Don Bosco "Another weapon the devil employs is immodesty, or more frankly, impurity. My dear children, be on your guard. The devil will tempt you with bad books, bad thoughts, or the foul conversation of a companion. When any such fellow approaches you, say to yourself, This is a minister of Satan. And let these wretches who indulge in foul conversation say to himself, I am a minister of Satan because I help him ruin souls!"

"...[d]o you want to outwit the devil? Never let him catch you idle. Work, study, pray, and you will be surely overcome your spiritual enemy."

"What I recommend most earnestly is not to lose heart when you are tempted. Do you wish to succeed? The best way is to reveal the temptations to your spiritual director immediately. The devil loves darkness. He always operates in the dark because he knows that if he is discovered he is beaten."

"[Commenting before an April, 1860 retreat:]
We are about to start this retreat in order to chase the devil out of here for good. Generally speaking, the devil already has a hard time here because everybody is kicking him out, but there are a few behind whose backs he can still hide. However, he can’t hide in front of them."

"When I see the devil has stopped ensnaring souls, I too will cease looking for new ways to save them from his wily deceits."

"Listen; there are two things the devil is deadly afraid of: fervent Communions and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament."

"The usual snare with which the devil catches the young is to fill them with shame when they are about to confess their sins. When he pushes them to commit sins, he removes all shame, as if there were nothing wrong with it, but when they are going to confession, he returns that shame magnified and tries to convince them that the priest will be shocked by their sins and will no longer think well of them. Thus the devil tries to drive souls to the brink of eternal damnation. Oh, how many lads does Satan steal from God – sometimes forever – by this trick."

"First of all, do everything you can to avoid offending God, but if unfortunately you should commit sin, do not let the devil prevail upon you to not confess it. Remember that the confessor is a father who is eager to do all he can for you and [to] protect you from all possible harm."

"Son, if you want peace, you must first rid your heart of the devil."

"You have but one soul. If we had two, we could sacrifice one to the devil by satisfying our passions. But we have only one! So what must we do? Throw it away to the devil? No! Let us give it to the Lord so that we might be eternally saved. To be able to offer it to God, we must do certain things and avoid others. Let us therefore strive to learn what to do and what not to do… Whenever the devil asks you to do something against your conscience tell him, 'I cannot because I have only one soul!' This is true Christian logic; far superior to the logic of worldly wisdom... How fortunate you will be if throughout your lifetime you keep this thought in mind. We have only one soul. If it is saved, it is saved for all eternity; if it is lost, it is lost forever."

"Three enemies of man are: Death, which overtakes him by surprise; Time, which keeps slipping by; the devil, who seeks to ensnare him."

"Help me to save souls. The devil works overtime to lead souls to hell; let us do as much to save them."

"Frequently kiss your medal and crucifix; bless yourself with lively faith and say: 'Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, help me to save my soul!' More than anything else, these three names terrify and vanquish the devil."

"[After a newly built Oratory building crumbled to the ground:]
The devil has again tried to stick his tail into our business! Never mind! Let’s keeping going without fear!"

"[In answer to one who asked whether or not he was afraid of the devil:]
Horrified, yes, but not afraid. Just as I have no fear of angels because, as I hope, I am a friend of God, likewise I do not fear demons because I am an enemy of God’s enemies. He will protect me. Satan can do whatever he pleases now, because this is his moment, but mine will come too!"

"Let us do our utmost to free ourselves of the devil’s nooses. If we are to rid ourselves of these nooses and wrench them [souls] from the devil’s clutches, let us confess all our sins and be truly sorry for them."

"If someone should want to give us the whole world to induce us to adore Satan, that is to say, to commit even only one sin, let us reject with horror any offer of the kind. We should rather lose everything than commit sin."

"Human nature is weak and the devil is always most active after a conversion. We can never have too much pity for those who have fallen."

"Make hay while the sun shines. Let us not allow the devil to delude us into thinking [that] we may put our consciences in order at the moment of death."

"Dear boys, remember that the devil’s favorite bait for leading one into sin is, 'Oh that is nothing to worry about.'"

"[To teenagers:]
Look, you will soon face a dangerous crisis; the devil will try to ensnare you. To start with, he will tell you that frequent Communion is good for children, not for adults, and that once in a great while is quite enough for you. Then he will do his best to keep you from sermons by making you feel bored by God’s words. He will convince you that certain things are not sinful. Then you’ll have to tussle with friends and what they might say, with [dangerous] readings, with your own passions, and so on. Be on your guard. Do not let the devil rob you of that piece of mind and purity of soul which makes you God’s friends!"

"Take up the shield of faith so that you can resist the assaults of the devil."

"The enemy of our souls will put you to the test, but do not be afraid. Be obedient and place your hope in the Blessed Sacrament and in Mary Immaculate."

Read other quotations by Don Bosco