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teachingmyown
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Sometime in my adult life, I was taught that the devil cannot see our thoughts. I can't remember where I learned this. Is this true? Can someone link me to a teaching about it? Can our guardian angels see our thoughts?
Also, is there a searchable Catechism online somewhere?
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folklaur
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i think God and God alone can see/hear our thoughts.
here is your request:
Catholic Catechism Online
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LeeAnn
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Only if God allows it. Generally, no.
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JodieLyn
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I was just taught that the Devil cannot read our thoughts.. but that he is a master of figuring it out from what we do show in expression/body language etc.
Had a group do some talks at our Church and that was included.. let me see.. they'reOpus Sanctorum Angelorum
I'm not sure this one is searchable like a website is.. maybe.. but you can at least look things up the same way as with the physical book and they link to the sections for you to follow. USCCB Catechism
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JennGM
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JodieLyn wrote:
| I was just taught that the Devil cannot read our thoughts.. but that he is a master of figuring it out from what we do show in expression/body language etc. |
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Yes, just like Jodie said. I'd have to dig up sources on this...I'll do it today. They cannot read our minds, but because the angels (both guardian and fallen) are spirits and not hindered by concupiscence or other effects of our fallen nature, they are more keenly astute and observant than humans, and so can read externally sometimes what are thoughts are.
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Maddie
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I've always wondered that too, Molly.
I also always wondered if the devil hears our confessions and knows where our vulnerabilities are.
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JodieLyn
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Maddie, I don't have any teaching but I can't imagine that God would let him easedrop on a conversation between you and God.
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LeeAnn
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Hmm, I would like to think the words of my confession are hidden from the "ears" of Satan, like a radio that suddenly hits static between frequencies and starts buzzing, due to the confessional being part of the consecrated ground of the church. 
But I don't know--certainly we can be tempted to do wrong even within the church building (as we all know having sat through Mass with little ones!)--but I think this would be a good question for a priest like Fr. Pacwa.
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stellamaris
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I do not believe the Catechism addresses this question directly, although in paragraphs #391-395, it does state that:
1. "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing" (CCC 391)
2. The fall of the angels is irrevocable. (CCC 393)
3. Satan tries to deflect us from our vocations, as he tried to "divert Jesus from the mission received from his Father." Jesus "appeared...to destroy the works of the devil." (CCC 394)
4. The power of Satan is...not infinite. He is only a creature. His action is "permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history.(CCC 395)
Given these points, and the fact that at Baptism an exorcism is performed upon the candidate, I would say that Satan can NOT read our minds (he can only influence us from without). Nor do I think God would permit him to "listen in" on our confessions; actually, imo, the Sacrament of Confession is so wonderful for this very reason! Every thing we say "aloud" in the general daily flow of our lives is, as it were, fair game for the devils to use, if God permits them to. So I tend to think (again, my opinion) that that is one reason Scripture warns us against such sins as idle talk, grumbling, and complaining. Maybe what we say CAN be used against us. But the Sacrament of Confession is the one place we can pour out all of our most interior temptations and failings and be only forgiven and helped by the grace of God to overcome them.
An apostolic address by Paul VI addresses the reality of the devil and our need to live holy and devout lives so that we will not succumb to his temptations.
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lapazfarm
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If angels cannot hear our thoughts, does that mean I can only pray to my guardian angel out loud? If so, I've done a lot of fruitless praying! 
Or can my angel hear only the prayers I direct specifically to him? 
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folklaur
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lapazfarm wrote:
If angels cannot hear our thoughts, does that mean I can only pray to my guardian angel out loud? If so, I've done a lot of fruitless praying!
Or can my angel hear only the prayers I direct specifically to him? |
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awwwww...maybe God told your angel what you said. i am sure they communicate in real time.
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stellamaris
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St. Thomas addressed the question of the knowledge of the angels in the Summa Theologica. He states that the angels can have knowledge of material things but cannot know our thoughts. Quoting St. Thomas:
Quote:
On the contrary, What is proper to God does not belong to the angels. But it is proper to God to read the secrets of hearts, according to Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is perverse above all things, and unsearchable; who can know it? I am the Lord, Who search the heart." Therefore angels do not know the secrets of hearts.
I answer that, A secret thought can be known in two ways: first, in its effect. In this way it can be known not only by an angel, but also by man; and with so much the greater subtlety according as the effect is the more hidden. For thought is sometimes discovered not merely by outwardact, but also by change of countenance; and doctors can tell some passions of the soul by the mere pulse. Much more then can angels, or even demons, the more deeply they penetrate those occult bodily modifications. Hence Augustine says (De divin. daemon.) that demons "sometimes with the greatest faculty learn man's dispositions, not only when expressed by speech, but even when conceived in thought, when the soul expresses them by certain signs in the body"; although (Retract. ii, 30) he says "it cannot be asserted how this is done."
In another way thoughts can be known as they are in the mind, and affections as they are in the will: and thus God alone can know the thoughts of hearts and affections of wills. The reason of this is, because the rational creature is subject to God only, and He alone can work in it Who is its principal object and last end: this will be developed later (63, 1; 105, 5). Consequently all that is in the will, and all things that depend only on the will, are known to God alone. Now it is evident that it depends entirely on the will for anyone actually to consider anything; because a man who has a habit of knowledge, or any intelligible species, uses them at will. Hence the Apostle says (1 Corinthians 2:11): "For what man knoweth the things of a man, but the spirit of a man that is in him?" |
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Although the angels cannot know our thoughts, God certainly does, and I would think He could make known to the angels and saints whatever is necessary for them to know in order to protect us, defend us, guard us, and answer our prayers. We know that from Scripture (Revelations) the saints present our prayers before the throne of God, so they must have knowledge of them.
Not to make this post ridiculously long, but Fr. Hardon has a nice summary of the above St. Thomas article:
Quote:
| For the present conference let us ask whether angels know secret thoughts. In one word the answer is, no. What is proper to God does not belong to angels. It is proper only to God to read the secrets of hearts. The moment we say this, however, we must distinguish. A secret thought can be known in two ways: in its effect and in its presence in the mind and will. Secret thoughts can be known in their effects not only by the angels but also by us. We can conclude to what people are thinking not only by their outer actions but even by their change of facial expression. Much more then can angels, or even demons more deeply penetrate these hidden bodily changes. A statement of St. Augustine deserves to be memorized. He says that demons can learn our dispositions with the greatest facility. They recognize what we are thinking not only when we express ourselves in speech, but even by the way our thoughts affect our bodies. After all, we are human beings. Every movement of our mind has an effect on our bodies. That is as far as the angels can know our secret thoughts. Our ideas can be known as they are in the mind and our affections as they are in the will. In this way God alone can know the thoughts of our hearts and the affections of our wills. Why is this true? Because rational creatures are subject to God alone and He alone has access to the human spirit. |
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Read entire Fr. Hardon here
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Lara Sauer
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I think it is important to remember that our Guardian Angels and all the other angels in the realm have a share in the Beatific Vision...
Satan most decidedly does not!
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florasita
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nope but the whole becareful what you wish for , & say satan hears both our wants and fears when we express them outloud and by our reactions etc. this is why prudence is the virtue of discernemnet and the saying evil in the guise of good comes from satan feeding us temptations , distractions on those wants and fears .
people also forget not to be afraid of satan he also likes that fear  he also is not equal to God in evil , he is just a fallen angel in regards to God . we must remember ultimately satan himself is accountable to God
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Elena
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Along this same line you might be interested in reading C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. Uncle Screwtape is an older demon writing letters of instruction to his nephew regarding his nephew's attempt to obtain a man's soul. Lewis's insight into the human condition and psyche are phenomenal! Several times in the book Screwtape encourages his nephew to interrupt thoughts and to introduce thoughts... it's really a fascinating read.
The Screwtape Letters
and as an added bonus Julie Bogart's Bravewriter has a language arts lesson around the Screwtape Letters
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Gloria JMJ
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If one lost the power of speech, he would not be cut off from his angel, I don't think.
OTOH, if one can sin in thought, would the angels just see a lessening in grace on our part; a dimming of our radiance untill we confess and regain our full grace?
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onemoretracy
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Gloria, what an interesting thought.
This discssion goes along with a question my dear Protestant friend asked me about the saints, how do they hear our prayers? I know they petition God for us, just as we ask those alive on earth to pray for us, but how do they hear us? And must those prayers be aloud?
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CrunchyMom
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onemoretracy wrote:
Gloria, what an interesting thought.
This discssion goes along with a question my dear Protestant friend asked me about the saints, how do they hear our prayers? I know they petition God for us, just as we ask those alive on earth to pray for us, but how do they hear us? And must those prayers be aloud? |
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I always thought about it in terms of the body of Christ. The saints in heaven are in perfect communion with Christ as the head. There is a communication between all the parts, but we will not know that perfectly until we are in perfect communion ourselves.
I have sometimes wondered if man could communicate psychically before the fall. I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to back this up except my own musings, so please don't take it as anything other than the musings of Lindsay  I certainly have no interest in researching psychic ability as it is so closely related to other dangerous realms...
I do, however, believe that in the whole cosmic mystery, the saints and angels can hear us when we mentally address them (whether or not they can hear all of our thoughts).
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Topic: Can the devil read your mind?
