“Satan tries everything, but his plans will be frustrated” (Inner Word).
Certainly, there is this pretension of Satan to subjugate everything under his dominion, and we, the faithful, are involved in this struggle. Our Father, in His wisdom, leaves this battle to us. Indeed, the Devil tries everything to carry out his plans of iniquity, and not infrequently he seems to succeed. In his blindness, however, he does not count on God’s intervention in the situation that he thinks he controls. He cannot see it because he does not have the Lord’s gaze, and pride prevents him from realizing that he is always the loser.
It is enough to look at the Cross of the Lord to understand this. Satan certainly thought that he had won the victory when the Son of God was crucified. Perhaps he even thought that he had achieved his greatest triumph. But he was the “deceiver who was deceived” (cf. 2 Tim 3:13). Jesus’ death was his defeat forever, because thanks to His sacrifice, people can find and walk the way of salvation.
It is always so! If we live in God’s grace, our Father will turn everything to good. Even if it seems that Satan will triumph and form an invincible army with all his followers, the Blessed Virgin Mary will crush the head of the serpent (cf. Gen 3:15).
Let us not be discouraged, then, when we perceive the machinations of Satan. Rather, let us resist him with the spiritual weapons we have been given. His plans will not succeed! Nor will he be able to destroy the Church, even though she may have to retreat for a time into the desert to escape the attacks of the Evil One.