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March 16, 2023Michelangelo’s depiction of the Temptation of St. Anthony hangs on one of the walls of my room. I encountered this painting one day in the novitiate while visiting a local art museum. After getting over the shock of how Michelangelo’s first known painting hung in a Dallas museum, I quickly noticed the facial complexion of St. Anthony. Michelangelo brilliantly painted many fantastical demons with mutated bodies surrounding St. Anthony of the Desert, who appears to be in peaceful contemplation. As the demons pull the saint's body above the ground and over the cliff, St. Anthony remains in a state of calm bliss.
Demonology, the study of demons, seems to give the Christian a bit of a halftime show during our forty days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Amid our penances, we become fascinated by stories like the one we hear in today’s Gospel of Jesus casting out demons. Thinking of demons can also become a major distraction for us during Lent. Some are tempted to engage their imaginations and fixate on fantasy instead of living in reality, worshiping the divinity. We all have our temptations, and indeed, demons do exist. If we ever hope to share in the calm bliss depicted on St. Anthony’s face, then may God direct us to focus on Jesus’ power to heal and save our lives.
