Fr. Spitzer, President of the Magis Center and the Spitzer Center located in the Tower of Hope on the campus of Christ Cathedral, has written a new book titled “Christ versus Satan in our Daily Lives: The Cosmic Struggle Between Good and Evil.”
ACCORDING TO FR. SPITZER:
“This book is meant to inspire and inform spiritual and moral conversion by showing the presence and power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit which is opposed to the presence and power of Satan, our spiritual enemy. Many well-intentioned Christians believe that Satan and even evil itself are mere fictions, which has led to indifference toward moral conversion, and in some cases, to moral relativism—what Pope Benedict described as the major evil confronting the Catholic Church today. Christianity devoid of its moral substance and eternal consequences is but a mere shadow of what Jesus intended it to be for us, world culture, and our eternal destiny. This book employs a four-step strategy to reinvigorate moral conversion within Christian believers:
- Evidence and explanation of the presence of God in the world – from the interior and communal workings of the Holy Spirit to the presence of God in prayer and Christian mysticism, and even to contemporary scientifically validated miracles.
- Evidence and explanation of the presence and power of personified evil in the world and how Jesus defeats it if we turn to him.
- An explanation of how Satan works in our daily lives through temptation, deceit, and accusation – and how to recognize and resist his efforts.
- A detailed explanation of the eight deadly sins with illustrations from the bible, classical literature (i.e. Shakespeare), and contemporary literature and films as well as an explanation of the warning signs and first steps to resisting them.
- This book is different from other works on spirituality and morality in several respects. First, it does not assume that people know how God communicates in prayer or how the Holy Spirit guides, inspires, and protects us, so it gives a clear simple explanation of these important dimensions of God’s presence.
- Secondly, it does not assume that the existence of evil (personified or not) is self-evident or irrelevant. Instead, it gives examples of it from well-documented exorcisms and the works of spiritual masters, and gives practical approaches to resisting temptations and recognizing the deceits of evil in our personal lives and in the culture. In other words, this book does not “soft pedal” Satan, evil, and deadly sin, but rather, gives evidence for them and shows how to resist and defeat them.
- Thirdly, this book goes beyond a catechetical approach to the deadly sins, and shows how they develop within the lives of good people, the ways in which we rationalize them, how the evil spirit uses them, and how Christ works against them through the sacraments (particularly Confession and the Holy Eucharist) church teaching, and the practical advice of spiritual masters. Furthermore, illustrations of the deadly sins are not limited to the Bible, but come from the classics of literature and historical figures, as well as some modern works and films. This presentation should engender sufficient fear to provoke serious action while giving hope that the deadly sins can be overcome through our relationship with Christ through the Church. Fourthly, this book lays the foundation for a comprehensive approach to Catholic spiritual and moral conversion which is completed in Volume Two.
Evidence of Christ and Holy Spirit; best practices approach.
1.The evidence for Satan.
2.The literary description of the eight deadly sins.
3.The practical guidebook for resisting temptation and discerning of spirits.
4.The best practices approach to spiritual and moral conversion.