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Can everything we say out loud can be heard by the devil and demons?


dominicansoul

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dominicansoul

Okay, so I was talking to a Catholic friend who celebrates in a charismatic community.  She was telling me that everything we say out loud can be heard by the devil and demons, even our prayers to the Almighty God.  She said, when we pray, we should stay silent and speak to God without praying out loud because the Devil will hear us and then do things to try and stop the prayer petition from getting answered or throw all sorts of stumbling blocks in that regard.  I sort of freaked out about that, because I've never heard this nonsense before.  Is there any truth to what she said?????  Or has her charismatic community turned into some weird cult with strange ideas that they are filling into her head????

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I already gave  you my answer but I can write that whole speech here again too if you want!

or I will sum it up

Dont listen to her, do not be afraid to pray out loud, you pray that Rosary etc out loud and hope they hear that!!!

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KnightofChrist

That is rather odd. One of the shortest and most perfect prayer we can make is to devoutly pray out loud the name of Jesus. At that name heaven rejoices and hell trembles. Devils have absolutely no power over prayers to God.

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There is no truth to what she said. She is attributing far too much power to the devil and making him greater than God by suggesting that he can interfere with God's answers to our prayers. This is a sinister form of idolatry. I hope this is just her own idea and not something she's learned at her church. If this were a genuinely Christian idea, the whole Mass would have to be silent and we would never even be able to write prayers down, which clearly isn't logical.

The devil hunts for opportunities to weaken us, true, but the way to guard against that is to stay close to Christ (especially through the sacraments) and to think about Jesus far more than we think about the devil. If your friend concentrates on Christ and spends time in prayer (vocally or silently, it doesn't matter!) then she has no need to even consider what the devil might be up to.

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  Or has her charismatic community turned into some weird cult with strange ideas that they are filling into her head????

This.

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MarysLittleFlower

It is in Catholic tradition that the devil hears things we say out loud but not prayers to God using intellect alone. However I wouldn't let that deter from praying out loud cause the devil also hates Jesus' Name and fears it. And God is stronger than the devil. Maybe in the charismatic community it's known that only God hears silent prayers, and that's true, and I understand how knowing the devil hears your prayers can be frightening... But I think its best to not have fear of this but concentrate on trust in God. Maybe the devil would try some scheme of his own and thats why your friend mentioned this, but this can happen based on anything he sees us do. If we stay close to God and trust Him it doesn't mean the devil would succeed. Just stay close to Jesus and trust Him! He is stronger than the devil:)

So I wouldn't have fear praying out loud even if the devil can hear because for example if you pray the Rosary, he hates it . He fears Jesus' Name. I understand why your friend wants to pray silently so the devil doesn't find out anything... But I would caution having too much fear of the devil. Its wrong to put ourselves in danger knowingly and tempt God, but the Church uses vocal prayers all the time not in this way but because of trust in God... Maybe he makes some plan of his own but he also hates and fears the Rosary, the Holy Mass, the names of Jesus and Mary... I wouldn't worry and let this affect your prayer :)

St Teresa of Avila saw the devil at night, then said "oh its you" turned around and went to sleep. Some other Saints saw the demons and they are horrifying but the Saints knew they are with God and He is stronger, so they even came up with names for the demons to express contempt of them. Having too much fear of them can just distract :) best to just think more of God and simply reject the enemy. 

 

To summarize: the idea that the devil can hear vocal but not mental prayers is indeed in tradition. However I don't think we should let that take away our peace and make us fearful. It is indeed scary and if someone realizes that they might get frightened to pray out loud as a result. But I think we shouldn't be too afraid of the devil and just concentrate on God. I also think using Jesus' Holy Name in prayer can help with this fear :) in fact Catholics in general including charismatics commonly pray out loud using Jesus' Name and Hail Mary and St Michael prayer and other prayers the devil hates. 

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It is required of most, if not all, religious that they pray every word of the Liturgy of the Hours out loud. Before VII, this was under pain of sin; now, it is simply an obligation not under pain of sin. Still, she is most definitely wrong.

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AccountDeleted

Okay, so I was talking to a Catholic friend who celebrates in a charismatic community.  She was telling me that everything we say out loud can be heard by the devil and demons, even our prayers to the Almighty God.  She said, when we pray, we should stay silent and speak to God without praying out loud because the Devil will hear us and then do things to try and stop the prayer petition from getting answered or throw all sorts of stumbling blocks in that regard.  I sort of freaked out about that, because I've never heard this nonsense before.  Is there any truth to what she said?????  Or has her charismatic community turned into some weird cult with strange ideas that they are filling into her head????

She gives the devil too much power. He can't stop God from answering your prayers because God is God and Satan is simply a fallen angel. Pray as loud and as long as you want. Then leave it in God's hands. Besides, I am sure Satan hates to hear people's prayers because they are such demonstrations of love and trust in God's mercy. In fact, they probably irritate him no end. So pray away!!! :) 

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And BTW, Jesus said some prayers out loud, didn't he? He taught the apostles the Our Father - he probably did that aloud rather than distributing copies, right? And wasn't "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" a prayer? 

 

I'm not sayin' (out loud), I'm just sayin' (in my heart). 

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