The Devil Preys Constantly

There is no doubt that the devil preys constantly upon mankind in his unrelenting war against Jesus and us. He knows that he cannot bring God down, so instead, like the mafia, he comes after us—His children—preying on our souls relentlessly. The devil hates us because he knows that we, lowly humans, will one day inherit his place in heaven, which he disowned through his pride.

However, the devil is unwittingly helping God separate the wheat from the chaff. How? Because God sends everyone torrents of grace to overcome Satan’s wiles. The wheat accepts this grace and overcomes him through increased faith, humility, and good works, while the chaff rejects this grace and submits to Satan’s temptations. The wheat then becomes glorious beacons of light (reflecting God’s light, not our own) in an ever-darkening world, while the chaff becomes like black holes in space, sucking in everything and everyone around them in sinful pleasure, endless lust for money, hatred of the Church, and prideful self-righteousness against everything holy. Those who accept grace and use it to build up the Kingdom are like a very bright searchlight in the dark of night, pointing up to the sky to lead the lost to their home in heaven above.

St. Peter, in 1 Peter 5:8, says that the devil goes around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. This means that we humans here on earth, when we sin mortally, are like cattle being fattened for the slaughter (Proverbs 7:4–22). If you’ve ever been around a feedlot, where cattle are constantly fed fattening food in a tight pen and cannot move freely, then you know how much it stinks. More and more, it seems mankind is becoming just like that feedlot—stench and all—with sinful addictions such as pornography, cursing, the occult, skipping Mass on Sunday, etc., becoming the norm in our lives and killing our souls.

The Devil’s Stench

St. Padre Pio, the 20th century’s greatest mystic and stigmatist, said that he could smell the stench of sin on penitents when hearing confessions. While most of us cannot smell sin, we can certainly see its effects: hardness of heart, moral depravity, divorce, smug self-righteousness, love of violence, anger, emotionless marriages, etc. The Catholic Church teaches that sin weakens the will and dims the intellect. Constant sinning without repentance also makes one more depraved, so that what was once seen as abnormal and horrible now seems acceptable.

Just watch streaming TV channels, where fornication, nudity, taking the name of Jesus in vain, and the “F” word (among others) are the norm. The best thing to do is to turn off these shows, because they desensitize people into believing that profanity and the profane are normal, right, and good—and that certainly doesn’t smell right to those who are truly struggling to overcome the world.

The Stench of Death

In 2 Maccabees 9, we learn how God punished the wicked Greek king Antiochus. After he decided to go to Jerusalem and slaughter the Jews, God sent a disease into his stomach that caused him to be covered with worms and to stink to high heaven. And even though he repented, God did not spare him. From this episode, we also learn that sinful thoughts and actions lead to a stench, which makes us easy prey for the devil, who loves that odor.

When Jesus was told about Lazarus’s death, He went to the tomb to perform the miracle of raising him from the dead. Martha told Him that there would surely be a stench if the stone were removed from the tomb. In other words, once the soul leaves the body, the flesh rots and begins to stink.

In the Old Testament, leprosy—a disease that causes the skin to rot and fall off—was a biblical foreshadowing of the effects of sin on the soul. During the scourging at the pillar, Jesus also had His flesh torn, as if giving us a clue to the effects of sin (which He took upon Himself) and its association with leprosy. In my opinion, the same thing happens spiritually when we sin: our soul begins to rot and stink in the eyes of God. The devil loves the stench of a rotten soul, and we then become his “food.”

But that roaring lion, as St. Peter calls him, who seeks to devour our souls, is overcome mightily by the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ, who commands us to consume His flesh and blood in the Eucharist, leading to eternal life. The scourging of Jesus should also remind us of the Eucharist, as He gave His flesh and blood to the earth during the flagellation.

Praying Constantly to Overcome the Devil

A great way to overcome the devil’s constant assaults is by praying constantly, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. This does not always have to be done out loud; it can take many forms. For example, simply making the sign of the cross reverently is very powerful. One of the most famous instances of this power occurred in the 4th century with Constantine. Before battling the pagan emperor Maxentius, a blazing sign of the cross appeared in the sky, bearing the inscription, “In This Thou Shalt Conquer.” This was followed by a dream in which Jesus instructed him to place this sign on the helmets and shields of his soldiers. He did so and was victorious. Soon afterward, the 300-year persecution of Christians ended with the Edict of Milan, and later, in 380 AD, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire through the Edict of Thessalonica. I believe that this all began with the powerful sign of the cross.

Praying constantly can include simple mental prayers such as “Jesus, I trust in You,” a “Hail Mary,” or a “Glory Be.” It can also include silently praying that God bless everyone in a restaurant, interceding for the poor souls in purgatory, or praying that someone suffering from obesity may regain health. It can even include praying for witches, atheists, homosexuals, etc., that God bless them and make them holy. The saints have said that God especially loves prayers offered for others.

The devil once told St. Gemma Galgani:

You can pray for yourself, but if you pray for others, I will make you pay dearly for it. While acting for yourself, do as you please, but listen well: do nothing for the conversion of sinners; if you attempt it, I shall make you pay dearly for it.

Anything that angers the devil must be good for our salvation. St. Gemma, a stigmatist who was physically beaten by the devil, did indeed pay dearly for praying constantly for others. Yet she knew that her prayers—and the sufferings that followed—pleased God. She died very young, in 1903, a true lover of the Passion of Jesus Christ in mind, body, and soul.

Personal Benefits of Praying Constantly

Beyond benefiting others, constant prayer also brings personal benefits. When our minds ascend to heaven in silent prayer, the devil does not have access to our thoughts and fantasies as he normally does. Some thoughts do not originate in our own minds but are planted there by demonic influence. For example, sudden pornographic images or vengeful thoughts often come from the “prince of this world.” When we pray constantly to Jesus—directly or through a saint’s intercession—we shut that activity down.

There is also an afterglow effect: over time, the mind becomes cleansed of filth and impure desires, even after prayer ends. As constant prayer continues, the former desire to sin for pleasure or gain gradually disappears. Think of this as cleansing a festering wound with alcohol: though painful at first, the wound heals over time. Combined with absolution in the sacrament of Confession, this prayer life can make one’s holiness grow exponentially—and this drives the devil crazy.

Praying Praise

Another way to pray constantly is through praise—offering up daily tasks such as housecleaning, going to work, or helping children with homework to the Lord through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Though these acts seem insignificant, they are spiritually powerful. As St. Thérèse of Lisieux taught, it is the little things done with love that sanctify us. God gives us these daily tasks so we may become holy through them.

Taking short moments throughout the day to meditate on the Passion—caused by your sins and mine—is also a powerful way to offer silent praise to Jesus. Saints have spoken highly of this practice:

St. Bonaventure wrote, “There is no practice more profitable for the sanctification of the soul than the frequent meditation of the sufferings of Jesus Christ.”

St. Francis de Sales said, “If you contemplate Him frequently in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with Him, you will grow in His likeness, and your actions will be molded on His.”

The Devil Seldom Preys on One Who Prays Praise

While Satan can attack at any time, we make it extremely difficult for him when our prayers are focused on praising God rather than merely asking for things. After many decades on this earth, I have learned that praising God for His love, mercy, and generosity is exactly what we are meant to do. Scripture tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18:

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

God does not need this from us—He is complete in Himself—but we need it. Constant prayer allows grace to flow into our souls and disengages Satan’s attacks. When we pray constantly, the devil often stops preying on us because he cannot penetrate the heavenly shield created by prayer.

So, make praying constantly a 2026 New Year’s resolution. You won’t be sorry—because when the devil wants to turn you and your family into his supper, he won’t have a… prayer.