The feast of the Guardian Angels provides an opportunity to reflect on those times when we have felt a particular divine presence — protection, guidance, consolation. But the Bible presumes that besides the benign presence of angels there also exists the malevolent presence of “principalities and powers and evil spirits.” Instead of protection, the evil spirits wish us harm. C.S. Lewis in his delightful book, The Screwtape Letters, describes “the tactics of the devil.” We aren’t directly tempted to commit evil. Instead, through indirection, obfuscation, denial, blindness the devil convinces us to do things which are not of God. My example of these “tactics:” I really don’t need that third piece of pie but somehow I kid myself into eating it… and then feel remorse afterwards.
