Section 30

“Therefore we should fear God alone, despise the demons, and have no fear of them. The more they behave in these ways, the more intensely we should pursue our ascetic discipline against them, because a good life and faith in God are powerful weapons.

“They fear the fasting of the ascetics, their keeping vigil, their prayers, their gentleness and quietness, their contempt for money and empty glory, their humility, their love for the poor, their almsgiving, their freedom from anger, and above all their reverence for Christ.

“For this reason they do everything they can to prevent anyone from trampling them underfoot. They know the grace the Savior has given the faithful against them when he says: ‘Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.’”