The
rout of Lucifer and his angels from Calvary to the abyss of hell was more
violent and disastrous than their first expulsion from heaven.
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| Their fall from Calvary was more..... |
 |
| ...than their first fall from heaven. |
The damned were
made to feel new horror and additional punishments at the sudden meeting of the
ferocious demons in their rabid fury. It is certain that the devils have not
the power of assigning the damned to a place of greater or lesser torment; for
all their torments are decreed by divine justice according to the measure of the
demerits of each of the condemned. But, besides this essential punishment, the
just Judge allows them to suffer other accidental punishments from time to time
according to occasion; for their sins have left roots in the world and cause
much damage to others, who are damned on their account, and the new effects
still arising from former sins cause such accidental punishments in the damned.
Thus the demons devised new torments for Judas, for having sold and brought
about the death of Christ. They also understood then that this place of
dreadful punishments, where they had thrown him, was destined for the
chastisement of those who damned themselves by refusing to practice their faith
in their lives and for those who purposely refuse to believe and avail
themselves of the fruits of the Redemption
As
soon as Lucifer was permitted to proceed in these matters and arise from the
consternation in which he remained for some time, he set about proposing to his
fellow demons new plans of his pride. For this purpose he called them all
together and placing himself in an elevated position, he spoke to them:
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| lucifer placing himself in an elevated position |
“To you, who have for so many ages
followed and still follow my standards for the vengeance of my wrongs, is known
the injury which I have now sustained at the hands of this Mangod, and how for
thirty-three years He has led me about in deceit, hiding his Divinity and
concealing the operations of his soul, and how He has now triumphed over us by
the very Death which we have brought upon Him. Before He assumed flesh I hated
Him and refused to acknowledge Him as being more worthy than I to be adored by
the rest of creation. Although on account of this resistance I was cast out
from heaven with you and was degraded to this abominable condition so unworthy
of my greatness and former beauty, I am even more tormented to see myself thus
vanquished and oppressed by this Man and by his Mother. From the day on which
the first man was created I have sleeplessly sought to find Them and destroy
Them; or if I should not be able to destroy Them, I at least wished to bring
destruction upon all his creatures and induce them not to acknowledge Him as
their God, and that none of them should ever draw any benefit from his works.
This has been my intent, to this all my solicitude and efforts were directed.
But in vain, since He has overcome me by his humility and poverty, crushed me
by his patience, and at last has despoiled me of the sovereignty of the world
by his Passion and frightful Death. This causes me such an excruciating pain,
that, even if I succeeded in hurling Him from the right hand of his Father,
where He sits triumphant, and if I should draw all the souls redeemed down into
this hell, my wrath would not be satiated or my fury placated.”
What shall we now begin, O my followers?
How shall we restore our reign? How shall we recover our power over men? How
shall we overcome them? For if men from now on shall not be most senseless and
ungrateful, if they are not worse disposed than we ourselves toward this
Godman, who has redeemed them with so much love, it is clear that all of them
will eagerly follow Him; none will take notice of our deceits; they will abhor
the honours which we insidiously offer them, and will love contempt; they will
seek the mortification of the flesh and will discover the danger of carnal
pleasure and ease; they will despise riches and treasures, and love the poverty
so much honoured by their Master; and all that we can offer to their appetites
they will abhor in imitation of their true Redeemer. Thus will our reign be
destroyed, since no one will be added to our number in this place of confusion
and torments; all will reach the happiness which we have lost, all will
humiliate themselves to the dust and suffer with patience; and my wrath and
haughtiness will avail me nothing.”
