Don't mess with "Mister In-Between" (that would be Satan)

From today's first reading:

“Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?"

In other words: "Are you sure that what I'm going to tempt you to do is all that bad? I mean really bad?

Satan is "Mister In-Between."

Note that he didn't say: "Aw, heck, just tell God to jump in the lake."

No, no! He seduced the willing-to-be-seduced Eve into becoming luke warm. Into justifying herself by convincing herself that maybe, just maybe, God didn't really mean for her to deny herself the pleasure of...disobeying Him.

This happens to me all the time.

Take fasting, for instance. Why is it that exactly one hour before Mass I sometimes think to myself: "Self, does God really want me to go hungry?" (This, while looking at a Milky Way candy bar, of course.)

And I think it happens to a lot of people.

Take abortion...please.

Imagine -- no you don't even have to imagine, you can hear it from Catholics everywhere, in words more or less like these:

"Does God really want you to spoil your whole life because of a baby? After all, God loves you, He wants you to be happy, right?"

Or homosexuality:

"Did God really tell you to deprive yourself of pleasure? Oh, dear, think about it...doesn't God love you and want you to enjoy yourself in this world He created...just for you?

Yeah.

The Prince of Lies is terrific at avoiding the truth. He'll never come out and say "God is Bad. You must disobey Him." No way! What he'll do -- what he does all the time! -- is try and seduce us into believing (although we really don't believe it) that we can slither ourselves between Good and Evil...that Good is relative, really...and that there's no such thing as "Really Bad."

More examples:

"Catholics for a Free Choice."

"Call to Action."

"Voice of the `Faithful."

And take me, as another example. And perhaps, you too.

Don't fall for this guy.

Don't even listen to him. This is not easy because he's sweet-talking us all the time. All the time this guy is trying to convince you that "what God calls `sin' is really not all that big of a deal." That "don't worry, be happy" is the anthem of humanity.

Don't fall for it.

Our first parents did and the war is still going on...albeit we got a reprieve and help in that Sacrifice God made Man gave us a couple of thousand years ago.

Accentuate the good...eliminate the bad.

And tell that bleeping enemy to get lost.

Ahem:

You gotta accentuate the positive,
Eliminate the negative,
Latch on to the affirmative and
DON'T MESS WITH MISTER-IN-BETWEEN!

Don't mess with him, friend.

God bless you!