3 MONKS AND THE DEVIL

The demon appeared to three monks and

He told them:

If he gave them power to change something from the past, what would they change?

The first of them, with great apostolic fervor, replied: “I would prevent you from making Adam and Eve fall into sin so that humanity could not turn away from God.”

The second, a man full of mercy,

said to him: “I would prevent you from

of God and you will condemn yourself eternally”.

The third of them was the simplest and, instead of responding to the tempter, he got on his knees, made the sign of the cross and prayed saying: “Lord, free me from the temptation of what could be and was not”.

The devil, giving a raucous cry and shuddering with pain, vanished.

The other two, surprised, said to him: “Brother, why have you reacted like this?”

He replied:

“First: we must NEVER dialogue with the enemy.

Second: NOBODY in the world has the power to change the past.

Third: Satan’s INTEREST was not to prove our virtue, but to trap us in the past, so that we neglect the present, the only time in that God gives us His grace and we can cooperate with it to fulfill His will.”

Of all the demons, the one that catches the most men and prevents them from being happy is that of “What could have been and was not”.

The past is left to the mercy of God and

the future to his Providence.

Just the present is in our hands.

“Live today”

Source: Fear Not