Intensely Catholic: 2014

Satan Loves Distractions

Satan loves to distract us. He loves to hold our attention with unimportant and trivial things. He loves to take those unimportant and trivial things and blow them out of proportion. He loves to manipulate our feelings so that, instead of focusing on what is in front of us, we focus on what we can do nothing about, except, perhaps, worry or fear or . . . you name it.
One of the greatest tools of distraction Satan has today is technology. You know what I mean. Wherever you walk people are glued to their smartphones, talking, texting, listening to music. A person may be walking next to a friend, but are they conversing with one another? No, they are making love to their phones or ipods. Does anyone make eye contact anymore?
At home, the computer or the television with 347 channels is a favorite tool of Satan for keeping us apart. The art of conversation is something in the past. We may be in a room with any number of people, but, for all intents and purposes, we are alone in an electronic world which does little to bring us closer to one another. Whatever happened to board games or a game of euchre?
Fortunately, just as Satan has tools, so do we. We have hands and fingers which can turn off televisions and computers. We have mouths that can speak directly to people sitting across from us. We have brains which can make healthy choices to keep us focused on our brothers and sisters and not on a piece of cold technology. God has given us these tools so that we don't become just a tool of technology or a distracted practitioner of Satan's favorite tricks. Turn off the phone and turn to your neighbor. You'll find it's very rewarding.