Fr. Nicolae Steinhardt: How the Devil Fools Us

Both the demon-possessed and Christians are endowed with the feeling of infinity.  Christianity is a martyrdom to all that is worldly, but it also gives something in return: peace here and the promise of future salvation.  While the devil is more exigent: in return for a sense of dignity, he does not offer anything except despair, and you give your conscience, peace, and sleep. You sell your friends and relatives, you cede absolutely everything and even more than everything–and all for nothing. What did Judas obtain from the devil? Nothing. He was fooled. He ended up with the elders’ disdain and gave back the money; he ended up with the noose and the hysterical laughter of the Unclean one. 

Much is asked of the Saints, but not everything–and not for nothing. They fast, keep vigil, constrain themselves, but they do not give away their heart and soul as well. 

The contract signed with the devil is much more onerous than that signed with the Lord. In fact, it is not even a contract,  it is a scam. You give everything, and you do not receive anything. The reward of the demons’ emptiness is despair with its natural perspective: death, suicide, shame, and regret over the fact that you were tricked [ literally pulled by a thread]—thread or rope, the suicidal rope of Judas. 

Nicolae Steinhardt, The Journal of Happiness, Rohia Monastery Publishing, 2005, p. 269

Translator’s note: As Monk Arsenije Jovanovic says, the devil can give you whatever you want, but he always comes back to take your joy.