00:00How are you? Well, Father Ernesto María Caro is here again to help you learn a little more about our faith, this Catholic faith that we receive from our church.
00:14And we are doing this through these interesting questions that I have received and that I hope may be useful, not only for the person who asked them, but for all of you who are following this catechesis.
00:27I have a question from Ariel Conte, who is from Asunción, Paraguay. He says, "Father, a relative of mine has been frequently visiting a witch doctor to resolve their relationship problems, and I don't know how to tell them about the danger these visits are putting their soul in. Can you help me?"
00:57Well then, my dear Ariel, let me tell you that the terrain where the devil finds a propitious opportunity to disturb is precisely that of witchcraft.
01:22While it is true that there are many charlatans in this field, we must recognize that many of them act under the direction and influence of the devil.
01:35We have surely heard the expression, they did a job for him.
01:40This refers to the curse, caused by an agent under the power of the devil.
01:48Is this possible?
01:51Is it possible for a person, out of hatred or to gain some personal benefit, to cause a demon to disturb a third party?
02:01I would like to present the answer as another question.
02:06Can a person ask Satan to harm another person?
02:13To this question we must categorically answer yes.
02:18However, the fact that the devil has a specific task against a person does not mean that he can simply carry it out.
02:30Since his power is always conditioned by God, it will be practically impossible for the devil to disturb a person who lives in grace.
02:41It doesn't matter if it's the devil's own initiative or the initiative of a third party.
02:48The only absolute power that exists is that of God, who deeply loves his children and will never allow anything or anyone to harm them.
02:59However, as we have already said, if the person whom the demon wants to disturb lives far from grace, the demon's action could find more fertile ground to attack.
03:13Usually, the one who will receive the demon's harm is the person who consults the witch doctor.
03:18What he paid for the job will be nothing compared to what Satan will charge him, regardless of the outcome.
03:30Scripture testifies to the nefarious influence of the one whom Jesus calls a murderer from the beginning,
03:40and that he even tried to divert him from the mission he had received from the Father.
03:44The Son of God, says, in the first letter of Saint John, says,
03:50The Son of God appeared to undo the works of the devil.
03:55The most serious consequence of these works has been the deceitful seduction that has led man to disobey God.
04:06Therefore, in answer to your question, we can say,
04:10Can the devil seriously harm a person through a curse?
04:16Yes, you can do it.
04:18But for this to happen, certain conditions must be met, such as an absence of grace,
04:24and above all, a permissiveness from God to carry out this evil action on the person.
04:32We need to be very careful with this.
04:34People need to be warned not to approach witches.
04:39Because, as I was saying earlier, this action will always have serious consequences.
04:45for the one who seeks a benefit from the devil.
04:49The devil gives nothing away for free.
04:53I hope, then, that I have answered your question, my dear Ariel.
04:56And hopefully all those who are watching us in this catechesis,
05:00Therefore, understand well the grave dangers of approaching witches,
05:04to the readers of the letters, etc.
05:06I also have another question here that we managed to see in this capsule.
05:11This one comes to us from a person who lives in the United States, in Boston.
05:14Fernando Ortiz writes to us,
05:18Father, what is the real benefit of fasting in my life?
05:23Well, penance and fasting are related to an attitude of renunciation
05:30which leads us to be more in control of ourselves,
05:33By training, we deprive ourselves of good things like food,
05:38so that, when the time comes, we may have the capacity to renounce what is sin.
05:45Due to an ancient tradition in the church,
05:49Friday was instituted mainly during Lent as a penitential day.
05:55The first communities found that abstaining from eating meat on Fridays
05:59It was a way of renouncing the superfluous,
06:03They generally ate fish, which was a very inexpensive food.
06:07and it was also the food of the poor.
06:09In this way, not only was appetite controlled,
06:13Instead, the difference between the price of fish and meat was distributed as alms to the poor.
06:20Today, fish is more expensive than meat.
06:23So go eat a good fish fillet at a restaurant
06:27It no longer seems like a real penance.
06:30Even less so when we consider that poor people in our country almost never eat meat.
06:36The day of abstinence should be a day of true penance.
06:41a day of austerity and renunciation, in order to master our character,
06:47to be able to master our passions.
06:49Certainly, for some, not eating meat can be a real penance.
06:55The important thing is not the food, but the effect we are seeking with the penance.
07:01The days we fast, the days we do penance,
07:05which could be Friday, or the Fridays of Lent,
07:08or any day to do penance,
07:11It's not about eating a particular food,
07:14fish or other things.
07:16It's about mastering our passions.
07:19You can avoid chocolate if you like it.
07:22If you like soda,
07:23dessert, if you like it.
07:25the things we crave,
07:27and that at some point we can resign,
07:31These will help us strengthen our will.
07:34so that when the time comes,
07:36Sin will besiege our hearts,
07:38and we will be more in control of ourselves.
07:41Always to overcome sin,
07:43We will need God's grace,
07:45But it will be much easier if we have a penitential life.
07:50Hopefully then,
07:50and may these answers we have given today be useful for your life,
07:54And I look forward to seeing you at our next presentation of Knowing to Love.
07:58in which we will continue to discuss topics that are important to your life.
08:01Until next time.
08:03Many blessings to your family.
08:13Thanks for watching the video.
