The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be. (Mt 6:22-23)

If you have been to Assisi, Italy, you might have visited a beautiful place called “The Eremo delle Carceri, or Hermitage of the Prisons”  This is an ancient site located in the hills above Assisi, an hour and 30 minutes walk if you are in good shape. This is the place where St. Francis of Assisi, who frequently retreated here with his followers for prayer and contemplation.

In the church of St. Mary of Carceri there is a staircase leading to the grotto of Saint Francis, where his bed is shown – a stone mattress! Heading out of the grotto, on a floor there is a quatrefoil-shaped hole in the smooth pink stone which is called the "Devil Hole". If you look into it, it’s not-very-deep crevasse where St. Francis is said to have tossed a troublesome demon who tempted Brother Rufino. 

Just trying to imagine what St. Francis had to endure in order to overcome a troublesome demon, sleeping on a stone mattress, it must be very tough. I think there is a modern day “Devil’s Hole” as well, which reminds us of the devil is right around the corner. Think about it! Your TV screen, your mobile devices… What do you see? Let's be honest about it. Everything from toothpaste commercials to weight loss ads, even headline screens have some sort of sexual spin. St. Alphonsus de Ligouri said: “Oh! how many are lost by indulging their sight!” Our sight is one of the most potent of our senses. We need to practice “custody of the eyes”. If looking at those devices, the “devil’s hole”, leads you to spiritual danger, it is time for us to guard carefully what we allow ourselves to see. Only through prayer, fasting, and practice, at times you gotta turn it off and walk away, then we can take control of our eyes and avoid temptation. 

What are things that you can control, such as movies, television shows, books, magazines, blogs, YouTube, websites…” Do they lead you closer to God? 

Dear Lord, from the moment I awake in the morning, help me to keep my eyes and heart fixed on you.

Hail Mary full of grace…

St. Clare, pray for us.

Be one and be holy in Christ,

Fr. Vincent-Vuong Nguyen

St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church

Houston, TX