Fr. Serpa's Answer in Quick Questions: Can Devil Mindread?

[Bob Crowley]

[quote=jenkiedad;9263481]Fr. Vincent Serpa's answer: "No, Satan cannot read your minds and he does not know the future. He is also no match for sanctifying grace. The sacraments are a strong guard against him."
QUOTE]

he does not know the future.

I find that a bit hard to believe. I've stated before that the night my father died, he appeared in my room. As I've said ad infinitum, we argued and conversed, and at the end he gave this terrifying scream.

However he also made a few predictions. One, specifically, was "You'll meet a pastor. You'll think he's great, but all he'll do is discourage you even more."

My father died January 1979. I met the pastor around October 1982, nearly 4 years later. Sometime in 1991, not long before I moved away from his church due to marriage, and his death a few months later in January 1992, he said to me in his office, "I owe you an apology. You needed encouragement, but all I've done is to discourage you even more!"

Now I learnt a great deal from him, and I did "think he was great", but he did discourage me. So if my father could see the future just after he died and appeared in my room, or bits of it, then I fail to see how the devil could not also see bits of the future.

If however the devil cannot see the future, then this would discount any possibility of my father's appartion being demonic, due to the accurate nature of his future predictions.

I'm a bit cynical about the claim the devil can't see the future. If he can't then what I think he can do is put two and two together better than most, and make forecasts based on what he already knows and sees.

[MarcoPolo]

Originally Posted by jenkiedad

In the May-June 2012 (Pg 48) "Quick Questions" section a question is asked: "Can the devil read your mind and does he know the future"?

Regarding whether demons can hear our thoughts. I very much respect Fr. Serpa's reply and that is certainly a common opinion in the Church. However, not all clergyman share that sentiment as I understand.

In Matt Baglio's book The Rite (later made into a loosely connected movie), he writes:

In order to determine whether a girl was possessed, Father Nanni once said a prayer in his mind in French. The second he did this, even though the girl was sitting about ten feet away and with her back to him, her head spun around and her eyes rolled up, revealing the whites. Looking directly at him, she sneered in Italian, "It is useless that you pray in that language because we know them all." (Baglio, The Rite, p115)

That being said, whether or not they can read thoughts, the state of grace keeps their hands ever off our eternal souls.

[bscastro]

[quote=Bob Crowley;9265390]

Originally Posted by jenkiedad

I'm a bit cynical about the claim the devil can't see the future. If he can't then what I think he can do is put two and two together better than most, and make forecasts based on what he already knows and sees.

From what I've read, Satan and the demons, like the angels, are very intelligent. Similarly, Satan can perceive things about us, such as our breathing rate, body language, pupil dilation, etc. such as a mentalist or truth detection machine except on a much higher level. But he does not "know" the future like God can. At least that is my understanding.

[Bob Crowley]

[quote=bscastro;9265553]

Originally Posted by Bob Crowley

From what I've read, Satan and the demons, like the angels, are very intelligent. Similarly, Satan can perceive things about us, such as our breathing rate, body language, pupil dilation, etc. such as a mentalist or truth detection machine except on a much higher level. But he does not "know" the future like God can. At least that is my understanding.

Sometimes I think he picks up spiritual hints that God might be giving us. For example years ago I was a postman. I'd not long come back from Perth to Brisbane, so I wasn't au fait with Brisbane news.

I was being shown the run and we were in a street called Barbigal Street. The bloke showing me the run pointed out a certain house and told me that was the house where they had the siege. I didn't know anything about it, but it seemed that some bloke held his family hostage and a shot or two was fired into the wall or something.

But as he was telling me this, my attention was strongly drawn to another house not very far away. I couldn't understand why, but I still remember this odd sensation. Now that would have been in 1977. In late 1982 I became a Christian, and one of the pastor's sons got married a couple of years later. He and his wife brought the house my attention had been drawn to. And later another of the pastor's sons and his wife bought the same house from his brother.

So that was the significance.

Now I'd presume the devil would not have missed the spiritual hint that I had about the house, and due to a bit of investigation on his part, he might have worked out where my future steps were going to take me. So that's why I say he can put two and two together a bit better than most.

[runningdude]

I agree that Satanist is a mentalist - more over, a con artist...

However, maybe the saints and angels are just as clever at reading body language, without the gift of telepathy or mind-reading proper.

I've long noted that I can almost "read" the thoughts of people I'm close too. Maybe this is why we seek to form relationships with the saints triumphant in heaven, so that they can "read" and infer our deepest thoughts and prayers - that God alone truly knows.

Further though, maybe this is why the church is such an "earthy" organization. "Smells and bells", signs of the cross, holding the beads on a rosary - all hints our thoughts for the saints above!

[roselily]

Originally Posted by jenkiedad

In the May-June 2012 (Pg 48) "Quick Questions" section a question is asked: "Can the devil read your mind and does he know the future"?

Fr. Vincent Serpa's answer: "No, Satan cannot read your minds and he does not know the future. He is also no match for sanctifying grace. The sacraments are a strong guard against him."

This answer caused me to wonder about silent prayer or prayer that is only in your mind. Since Satan is a fallen angel, then that would lead me to think that none of the angels can know your thoughts, even if those thoughts are prayers.

What if you are reciting the "Chaplet to St. Michael the Archangel", but doing it silently, in your thoughts. Does that mean that St. Michael would not know that you are directing a prayer to him and that the only way St. Michael would know you are reciting his "Chaplet" would be if you verbalized or wrote down the prayer?

We know that God (and the persons in the Holy Trinity) know your thoughts, but what about the Saints in Heaven? Do the Saints know our thoughts? Are they like the angels in not being able to know our thoughts? Is there a difference between a thought and a thought that is a prayer?

We know from Revelations that the Saints hear our prayers, but it doesn't say what kind of prayers.

Do the Saints in Heaven, including the Blessed Virgin Mary, hear "silent prayers"? If I recite the "Chaplet of Divine Mercy" out loud, but then include silent prayers in my thoughts as I am doing the recitation, who really knows exactly what I'm praying, except for God?

Or are the Saints in Heaven, so close to God, and created in His Image, that they do indeed hear "silent prayers"?

I believe Fr. Vincent Serpa's answer: "No, Satan cannot read your minds and he does not know the future. He is also no match for sanctifying grace. The sacraments are a strong guard against him." is true.

I think Satan can only predict ( educated guess) your actions, and that in Holy Bible Tobit 12 ,Raphael's Exhortation Angel Raphael said:
" Do good, and evil will not overtake you."- Tobit 12:7, I promise that I will never forget these words.

[minkymurph]

Originally Posted by jenkiedad

In the May-June 2012 (Pg 48) "Quick Questions" section a question is asked: "Can the devil read your mind and does he know the future"?

Fr. Vincent Serpa's answer: "No, Satan cannot read your minds and he does not know the future. He is also no match for sanctifying grace. The sacraments are a strong guard against him."

This answer caused me to wonder about silent prayer or prayer that is only in your mind. Since Satan is a fallen angel, then that would lead me to think that none of the angels can know your thoughts, even if those thoughts are prayers.

What if you are reciting the "Chaplet to St. Michael the Archangel", but doing it silently, in your thoughts. Does that mean that St. Michael would not know that you are directing a prayer to him and that the only way St. Michael would know you are reciting his "Chaplet" would be if you verbalized or wrote down the prayer?

We know that God (and the persons in the Holy Trinity) know your thoughts, but what about the Saints in Heaven? Do the Saints know our thoughts? Are they like the angels in not being able to know our thoughts? Is there a difference between a thought and a thought that is a prayer?

We know from Revelations that the Saints hear our prayers, but it doesn't say what kind of prayers.

Do the Saints in Heaven, including the Blessed Virgin Mary, hear "silent prayers"? If I recite the "Chaplet of Divine Mercy" out loud, but then include silent prayers in my thoughts as I am doing the recitation, who really knows exactly what I'm praying, except for God?

Or are the Saints in Heaven, so close to God, and created in His Image, that they do indeed hear "silent prayers"?

I would say that no one knows how prayer 'works.' However, in relation to those in heaven, God has bestowed on them a special role in leading us to heaven and as such, they can communicate with us. God has not bestowed that on the Devil. Therefore, the Devil is subject to restrictions those in heaven are not.

[TheRealJuliane]

I think of Satan and his demons having more of a "heat-sensor" awareness of us as bodies. Thermal imagery, with our evil thoughts and sins showing up as brighter in their dark awareness. If we are in deep sin, we are bright like daylight to them. If we are in more grace than sin, then only a small blip that they have a harder time noticing, maybe like a firefly. Someone like Mother Theresa, probably invisible to them.

I think anything we attribute to them such as "knowing" our thoughts, is due only to smoke and mirrors and their ability to turn us away from God.

[jenkiedad]

Originally Posted by TheRealJuliane

I think of Satan and his demons having more of a "heat-sensor" awareness of us as bodies. Thermal imagery, with our evil thoughts and sins showing up as brighter in their dark awareness. If we are in deep sin, we are bright like daylight to them. If we are in more grace than sin, then only a small blip that they have a harder time noticing, maybe like a firefly. Someone like Mother Theresa, probably invisible to them.

I think anything we attribute to them such as "knowing" our thoughts, is due only to smoke and mirrors and their ability to turn us away from God.

While your comment is straying a bit from my original questions regarding "silent prayer", I couldn't resist to comment on your "firefly" imagery. From what I've read about Mother Theresa (and a number of other Saints), many have had to fight with a great deal of self-doubt & depression and active confrontations by demonic forces. Based on that, I'd say that thermal imagery burns brightest for the holiest of the Saints.

[TheRealJuliane]

Originally Posted by jenkiedad

While your comment is straying a bit from my original questions regarding "silent prayer", I couldn't resist to comment on your "firefly" imagery. From what I've read about Mother Theresa (and a number of other Saints), many have had to fight with a great deal of self-doubt & depression and active confrontations by demonic forces. Based on that, I'd say that thermal imagery burns brightest for the holiest of the Saints.

That's a good point.

[Elizium23]

It should be noted that those in Purgatory: "the Church Suffering" are also members of the Communion of Saints, as they are all bound for Heaven: "the Church Triumphant", and thus can hear and exchange prayers with us: "the Church Militant".

[Maryann C]

Originally Posted by jenkiedad

While your comment is straying a bit from my original questions regarding "silent prayer", I couldn't resist to comment on your "firefly" imagery. From what I've read about Mother Theresa (and a number of other Saints), many have had to fight with a great deal of self-doubt & depression and active confrontations by demonic forces. Based on that, I'd say that thermal imagery burns brightest for the holiest of the Saints.

This is why I have always thought that for those of us 'normal' non- saintly Christians while on earth somehow Satan must either , leave us alone because he already sees that we are doing just fine on the road to perdition just through our own lack of desire to fight sin because 'it is hard ' because we prefer what feels good to us OR he simply keeps trying temptations to see what works. I think C.S Lewis had it nailed probably.

Many Saints while on earth were 'visibly' confronted by satan or beaten by him and I think that is because they were so holy already that he could not tempt them and they were revealing his ways to others turning them to salvation so he would just get angry. This was the only way he could 'get to them'.

Perhaps satan can not read our thoughts and silent prayers but I bet he can whisper suggestions in our ears or cause things to make us stumble by putting temptations in our path and figuring out which one we fall for. That is temptation which is different to having the ability to reading our thoughts and prayers and thereby trying to thwart them. Satan knows human nature that is all he knows, he definitely knows pride- the route of all evil.

[pollycarp]

Originally Posted by runningdude

Since the brain is a complex electrochemical mechanism, Satan might be possible to infer general thought patterns from its electric field (similar to how a polygraph or MRI can detect brain activity), but not the contents of the mind itself.

Hope this isn't off the wall question I just think he can read my mind. I read that the devil can send you evil dreams. If I dreamed a very evil dream that contained a specific something I'd thought of before, would that mean he read my mind?

I wonder, would you think that taking psych or street drugs could alter the brain and allow him to detect the contents of the mind? Thanks.

[Maryann C]

Originally Posted by pollycarp

Hope this isn't off the wall question I just think he can read my mind. I read that the devil can send you evil dreams. If I dreamed a very evil dream that contained a specific something I'd thought of before, would that mean he read my mind?

I wonder, would you think that taking psych or street drugs could alter the brain and allow him to detect the contents of the mind? Thanks.

Which bring s up another question - how is possession different?

[pollycarp]

I don't thing you can be possessed if you go to mass/communion/confession regularly.
I just always wondered if at some point you had taken drugs, could they have altered your brain electrical activity so as to give him access to your thoughts?