On Sin and Hope for Transformation

"'Which is worse, sin or Satan?' Msgr. John Esseff asked. 'Sin is far worse,' he answered without waiting for a response.

"I had called for his perspective on what is happening in our culture. As a priest for 65 years, an exorcist for over 40, and a former spiritual director to St. Teresa of Calcutta, his spiritual perspectives are ever-ready.

"'The destruction of the divine life is what sin does,' Msgr. Esseff said. Divine life begins at baptism when God the Father seals us as temples of the Holy Spirit and we become one with his Son, he explained. 'Sin is the desecration of that temple,' he said. 'That is far worse than Satan.'"

In a recent commentary, writer Patti Armstrong reflected on Msgr. Esseff's message that there is nothing worse than sin because it rejects God's love and destroys souls and that, through baptism, we become the children of God and thus are part of the body of Christ and can love as Christ does.

To access Ms. Armstrong's complete essay, please visit:

National Catholic Register: Blogs: Patti Armstrong: Exorcist Says This Problem is 'Far Worse Than Satan' (15 JUN 19)