Sometimes it’s a mystery where our thoughts come from. I can be walking along the street and suddenly a disturbing image will sneak into my imagination. It might be a scene from a terrifying movie I saw decades ago. Or perhaps it is something much more frightening, such as the memory of something stupid I said yesterday.  

It’s easy to imagine the devil cackling when a torrent of negativity is unleashed in our minds. Some scoff at his existence, but that’s part of his ploy. Poet Charles Baudelaire noted, “The devil’s greatest trick is convincing us he does not exist.” In the Bible, the devil is a dark reality to be contended with. Jesus called the devil “the prince of this world” and St. Paul described him as “the ruler of the power of the air.”  

Sadly, we confront the devil’s works simply by driving down the road. Billboards with gigantic, lascivious images scream for our attention. The car ahead has disturbing bumper stickers with off-color sayings. A song on the radio proclaims the deliciousness of sex on the first date. Movies draw us into plots laden with sickening violence and horrific images.  

We also might have a critical voice in our minds, telling us we aren’t good enough, attractive enough or smart enough. This voice can threaten to overcome us, unless we combat it. Years ago, I recall a very wise priest assuring me that critical, bleak thoughts don’t come from Christ. “Christ is always looking at you with love,” he said. The devil, however, delights in dragging us down and destroying our peace.  

A parent’s offhand remarks about a child can become a lifelong negative voice. My mother’s aunts commented darkly about her straight hair. As a result, my mother developed a lifelong obsession with her hair. A child put on an early diet may get the message that something is wrong with her appearance.  

The devil attacks us with these belittling memories when we are most vulnerable. Sometimes we turn our critical thoughts onto other people. “Is she really wearing THAT to church?” “Why doesn’t he get a job?” “Not another tattoo!”  

How shall we react when we’re assailed by disturbing thoughts? Father Elias Dorham, pastor of St. John Chrysostom Melkite Catholic Church, suggests we ask ourselves: “Where is this thought coming from? Is it leading me up the ladder towards God’s Kingdom by means of virtue, or down the ladder?”  

Thoughts that are pulling us away from God can be stopped through prayer. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” is an ancient prayer we can repeat, when we feel assailed by evil.  

It also helps to post biblical verses where we can easily see them. The refrigerator is definitely a place I visit frequently, so notes on the door proclaim, “I am God’s beloved daughter” and “I have put on the armor of God.”   

In John’s gospel, we are told that John and Peter rushed to Jesus’ tomb after being told it was empty. John adds an interesting detail, namely that he ran so fast, he arrived there before Peter. We must run as quickly as we can away from darkness and arrive at a place of light and beauty where Jesus awaits us. It is so true that he is always looking at us with love.