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Chapter 16PsAug.1.16

De diabolo et tentationibus ejus. Diaboli ubique laquei.

God's Protection in Every Temptation

The soul recounts how God has delivered it from the tempter in every circumstance—whether by removing opportunity, restraining consent, strengthening against attack, or enlightening against deception—identifying the tempter as the great dragon of Revelation and Leviathan of Job.

The tempter was absent, and that he might stay absent, it was you who made it so. Place and time were absent, and that these might be lacking, it was you who arranged it. The tempter was present; place was not lacking, time was not lacking; but that I might not consent, it was you who held me back. The tempter came, dark as he is, and that I might despise him, it was you who strengthened me. The tempter came, strong and armed, and that he might not conquer me, you restrained him and you strengthened me. The tempter came, disguised as an angel of light, and that he might not deceive me, you rebuked him, and that I might recognize him, you enlightened me.✦ For he himself is that great dragon, Lord — the red serpent, ancient, called the devil and Satan, having seven heads and ten horns (Apoc.✦ XII, 3), whom you created to sport with this great and spacious sea, with its broad hands, in which are creeping things beyond number, and animals small and great (Psal.✦

The Dragon's Relentless Hunt for Souls

Drawing on Revelation, Genesis, Job, and the Psalms, the soul describes the ancient dragon's ceaseless pursuit to devour souls, his pride and poison, and cries out to God for shelter under His wings and deliverance from the adversary's daily assaults.

(Ps. 103:25–26) — that is, there are different kinds of demons who do nothing else day and night except go around looking for someone to devour, unless you snatch that person away.✦ For he himself is that ancient dragon who arose in the paradise of pleasure, who sweeps along a third of the stars of heaven with his tail and hurls them down to earth (Rev. 12:3).✦✦ (Rev. 12:4) — who poisons the waters of the earth so that those who drink them die, who spreads gold out before himself like mud (Job 41:21), and is confident that the Jordan will flow into his mouth (Job 40:18).✦✦ (Job 40:18) — who was made so that he fears nothing.✦ And who will defend us from his bites, who will rescue us from his mouth, unless you, Lord, who broke the heads of the great dragon?✦ Spread your wings over us, Lord, so that we may flee under them from the face of this dragon who pursues us, and with your shield free us from his horns.✦ For this is his constant pursuit, this his sole desire: to devour the souls you created. And so we cry out to you: free us from our daily adversary, who — whether we sleep or stay awake, whether we eat or drink, whatever work we do — presses in on us in every way, day and night, by deceptions and schemes, now openly, now in secret, directing poisoned arrows against us, to kill our souls.✦✦

Our Sloth and God's Deliverance

The soul laments humanity's spiritual negligence in sleeping before an ever-watchful enemy who has laid snares in every circumstance of life, then prays for deliverance and gives thanks to God who has snatched the soul like a sparrow from the hunter's snare.

And yet, Lord, our worst madness is this: we see the dragon always against us, his mouth open and ready to devour, and still we sleep and grow reckless in our laziness, as if we were safe before him — he who wants nothing but to destroy us. The enemy is always watchful without sleep, in order to kill; and we, in order to guard ourselves, do not wish to wake from sleep. Look — he has spread countless snares before our feet and filled every path we walk with traps to catch our souls. And who will escape? He has set snares in riches and snares in poverty; he has spread snares in food, in drink, in pleasure, in sleep, in waking; he has placed snares in word and in deed, in every path we take. But you, Lord, free us from the snare of those who hunt, and from harsh words (Psalm XC, 3): so that we may confess to you, saying, 'Blessed is the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth.' Our soul, like a sparrow, has been snatched from the snare of those who hunt; the snare is broken, and we have been set free (Psalm

Scripture Reference

A concluding citation of Psalm 123:6–7.

(Psalm 123:6–7.)

Read the original Latin

Tentator defuit; et ut deesset, tu fecisti. Locus et tempus defuit; et ut haec deessent, tu fecisti. Adfuit tentator, non defuit locus, non defuit tempus; sed ut non consentirem, tu me tenuisti. Venit tentator tenebrosus, ut est; et ut eum despicerem, tu me confortasti. Venit tentator fortis armatus; et ut me non vinceret, eum refrenasti, et me roborasti. Venit tentator transfiguratus in angelum lucis; et ut me non deciperet, tu eum increpasti, et ut eum cognoscerem, tu me illuminasti. Ipse enim est, Domine, draco ille magnus, rufus, serpens antiquus, vocatus diabolus et satanas, habens capita septem et cornua decem (Apoc. XII, 3), quem creasti ad illudendum huic mari magno et spatioso manibus, in quo sunt reptilia quorum non est numerus, et animalia pusilla et magna (Psal.

CIII, 25, 26); id est, diversa daemoniorum genera, quae nihil aliud die noctuque operantur, nisi quod circumeunt quaerentes quem devorent, nisi tu eripias. Ipse enim est draco antiquus ille, qui ortus est in paradiso voluptatis, qui cauda sua trahit tertiam partem stellarum coeli, et eas mittit in terram (Apoc. XII, 4), qui veneno suo corrumpit aquas terrae, ut bibentes homines moriantur, qui sternit sibi aurum quasi lutum (Job XLI, 21), et habet fiduciam quod influat Jordanis in os ejus (Id. XL, 18), qui factus est ut nullum timeat. Et quis defendet a morsibus ejus, quis eruet ab ore ejus, nisi tu, Domine, qui confregisti capita draconis magni? Praetende, Domine, super nos alas tuas, ut fugiamus sub eis a facie draconis hujus, qui nos persequitur, et scuto tuo libera nos a cornibus ejus. Hoc enim est continuum studium suum, hoc unicum desiderium suum, ut animas devoret quas creasti. Et ideo ad te clamamus; libera nos ab adversario nostro quotidiano, qui, sive dormiamus, sive vigilemus, sive comedamus, sive bibamus, sive quodcumque opus operemur, omnibus modis instat die ac nocte, fraudibus et artibus, nunc palam, nunc occulte, sagittas venenatas contra nos dirigens, ut interficiat animas nostras.

Et tamen, Domine, pessima insania nostra, quia cum continue videamus contra nos draconem ore aperto paratum ad devorandum, nihilominus dormimus et lascivimus in pigritiis nostris, tanquam securi ante eum, qui nihil aliud desiderat quam ut nos perdat. Inimicus ut occidat, semper vigilat sine somno: et nos ut custodiamus nos, nolumus evigilare a somno. Ecce tetendit ante pedes nostros laqueos infinitos, et omnes vias nostras implevit decipulis ad capiendas animas nostras. Et quis effugiet? Laqueos posuit in divitiis, laqueos in paupertate, laqueos tetendit in cibo, in potu, in voluptate, in somno, in vigiliis: laqueos posuit in verbo et in opere, et in omni via nostra. Sed tu, Domine, libera nos de laqueo venantium, et a verbo aspero (Psal. XC, 3): ut confiteamur tibi dicentes, Benedictus Dominus, qui non dedit nos in captionem dentibus eorum. Anima nostra sicut passer erepta est de laqueo venantium: laqueus contritus est, et nos liberati sumus (Psal.

CXXIII, 6, 7).

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩2Cor.11.14 — And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
  2. ↩Rev.12.3 — Then another sign appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads seven diadems.
  3. ↩Job.41.5 — Can anyone strip off his outer garment? Who would come near him with a double bridle?
  4. ↩1Pet.5.8 — Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
  5. ↩Rev.12.3-Rev.12.4 — Then another sign appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads seven diadems. Rev.12.4 — And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
  6. ↩Gen.2.8-Gen.2.15 — And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. Gen.2.9 — And the LORD God made to grow from the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Gen.2.10 — A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided and became four rivers. Gen.2.11 — The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. Gen.2.12 — And the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone. Gen.2.13 — And the name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush. Gen.2.14 — And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. Gen.2.15 — The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
  7. ↩Job.41.21 — Clubs are counted as straw; he laughs at the rattling of the javelin. POETIC-DAILY: Clubs are straw to him; the javelin rattles, and he laughs. MESSAGE-DAILY: A club is nothing but straw to him, and when the javelins rattle, he laughs.
  8. ↩Job.40.18 — His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron.
  9. ↩Job.40.18 — His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron.
  10. ↩Ps.74.13-Ps.74.14 — You broke apart the sea by your strength; you shattered the heads of the sea monsters over the waters. Ps.74.14 — You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the people of the wilderness.
  11. ↩Ps.91.4 — With his pinions he will cover you, and under his wings you will take refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and a buckler.
  12. ↩Eph.6.16 — In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
  13. ↩Ps.91.5 — You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

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