St Anne Parish issued the following announcement on Sept. 6

Yes, the devil loves conflicts. Actually, the more we will carry a grudge the happier he is. We’re doing his work for him. We always have to remember that the devil is the father of lies and deception, and he’s good at it. He’s been at it since the time of Adam and Eve. They fell for it, and the world has fallen for it ever since. That’s why God has given us Jesus as an example, plus He tells us like it really is.

In today’s Gospel Jesus is traveling along with His disciples and explaining to them the importance of forgiveness. Well it gets really hard to listen to each other unless we bring Jesus into our hearts to help us from both sides. What the devil wants is for conflict to bury itself inside of relationships to fester and eventually poison the relationship. The devil even wants us to bring up old hurts, old issues, and problems that someone did to increase the hurt and the anger in the other person. Whatever (they/we) have done in the past, it is made sure that (they/we) pay, and pay, and pay.

One of the devils biggest tricks is always to measure another person against what we feel they should do, be, or say. Yes, Satan knows all our human weaknesses. But what Jesus teaches us is to go to a person and talk to them with love and forgiveness in our hearts. Speak to that person with goodwill and with compassion.

Forgiveness is such a beautiful feeling for us to have. We must remember that the devil prefers us to feel anger, hatred, and animosity to all we may have conflict with. He can build on that from both parties. Saint Teresa of Calcutta says, “Forgive and ask to be forgiven; excuse rather than accuse.” This takes love, patience, and understanding.

Most of the time what occurs with all of us is a conflict with violence of the tongue. We all seem to hurt each other the most with this. This one the devil loves the most. This conflict of the tongue has caused families to break up, people to hate others at work, neighbors to not talk to each other, and families to distance themselves from each other. Talking to each other and not to others about that person is the first step for us. Speaking with love and forgiveness of heart with gentleness can ease many conflicts. Saint Teresa of Calcutta says, “Violence of the tongue is very real, sharper than any knife, wounding and creating bitterness that only the grace of God can heal.”

Well we have to keep in mind that Jesus wants us to forgive each other with a kind gentle heart. In order to live as a sign of reconciliation in the world, we must become comfortable with healthy conflict. We are human beings attempting, to the best of our ability, to be the people God has called us to be. We fail at times. But with God’s love and the help of our brothers and sisters, we can forgive ourselves and each other and try again. St. Francis of Assisi says, “By the anxieties and worries of this life, Satan tries to dull man’s heart and make a dwelling for himself there.” Don’t let him.

Original source can be found here.