And it begins in this way, discreetly, like a trickle of water. The Pope even humanized himself by comparing gossip to the temptation of Satan, 'the prince of this world': 'Maybe not one of you, if you’re a saint, but I too have been tempted to gossip! It’s a daily temptation. In addition to seeming to recognize the potential for demons to directly afflict people, Pope Francis has advised his flock to 'look out because the Devil is present' and not dismiss this warning as 'old fashioned. 'Francis’s teachings on Satan are already regarded as the most old school of any pope since at least Paul VI,' who served four decades ago, reported the Washington Post last month. Observers say the head of the Catholic Church is spending an unusual amount of time talking about the influence of Satan over our everyday lives. Pope Francis is more than willing to give the devil his due. That was his strength, and I’m starting to think it’s also the key to neighborliness.

My grandfather had a wide-open heart for the humanity in everyone, and that made kids and adults feel comfortable with him.

Dolan explained to me, a culture of neighborliness is inseparable from one where people feel safe. No one is obligated to talk to a reporter, but it is strange to live in a time where we regard anyone on our front step with suspicion.As Mr. I had a very different experience door-knocking near my old neighborhood, where the few people who did answer the door were standoffish and curt. And while that environment of trust isn’t one the majority of Americans enjoy, it is one many are trying to cultivate.Michael Dolan, author of a book on porches, invited me not only onto his porch, but also into his living room to discuss today’s story on porch culture. In the years since, friends have told me they would stop by Dad-dad’s even without me.It’s explained by both privilege and a different era that my brothers and our friends were free to play tag across an entire block’s worth of yards, or knock on doors without thinking twice.

“And a lot of goodies.”Sam and a friend, Olivia, said nearly identical things when I asked about memories of neighborliness in Silver Spring, Maryland: “I was always being sent to a neighbor’s to borrow ingredients” and “there was not a day that we were not outside.”I cherish these memories, but what I cherish most is my grandfather’s curiosity and openness, and his joy to see children knock at the door, whether they were his grandkids or not. An accomplished woodworker, he finished an eave in his attic, intuiting correctly that it was a perfect space for forts.“We knew we had a haven there,” said my brother Sam. We knew we could stop by anytime for a treat, or for tea and cookies at 4 p.m. I would hop on my bike and head over for a mini Horizon chocolate milk.My brothers and I called him Dad-dad, and so did our friends. When I was 6, I found independence in journeys to my grandfather’s house, two blocks away.

The origin of satan by elaine pagels