[Greek] τυφόομαι (typhoomai), [Latin] superbia, ]Latin] voluptas: to be conceited, to be foolish, to inflate with self-conceit, to be lifted with pride, to be proud, to be “puffed up”, to be high-minded, to “wrap in smoke”, to be “clouded with smoke”, to give off smoke; 1Tim. 3:6, 1Tim.6:4, 2Tim.3:4
During Vatican II, Pope Paul VI stated, “Through some crack the smoke of Satan has entered into the Church of God.” The “smoke” of Satan is the spirit of undermining (effected by Satan) that followed from Vatican II.
Background Information:
Greek Hellenism: This term means to delude, to be crazy, demented, vain, and arrogance.
Plato’s Greater Hippias 290: “You lunatic, do you think Phedias is a bad craftsman!”
Demosthenes’ Against Timocrates 24.158: “You talk like a fool.”
Old Testament: This term means pride, envy, and haughtiness. Pride is also related to spiritual blindness and deception.
- Pride is the most ancient sin. This is shown by the fall of Satan.
- Satan deceived Eve in her doubting God’s directive not to eat of the fruit of the tree in the garden. Satan convinced Eve that she will be like gods.
- Satan created confusion and undermined Adam’s and Eve’s faith relationship with God. Adam and Eve became spiritually blind.
- Adam also failed in not stopping Eve from eating of the fruit.
- Adam and Eve were cast out from the garden of paradise.
New Testament: This term takes on a negative sense of being conceited, extremely proud, and being foolish.
Scripture:
1Tim.3:6: “He should not be a recent convert, so that he may not become conceited and thus incur the devil’s punishment.”
Recent convert (novice): This phrase emphasizes the importance of spiritual maturity in church leadership. This refers to a person who who is lacking in faithfulness, inexperienced, not tested, and subject to struggles and temptations. This does not refer to one who is “young in years”, but rather to one who is “young in faith”.
Becoming conceited: This person is “puffed up” in one’s own pride. This is a reminder that leadership in the Church is a position of service, not of power or prestige. Jesus taught His disciples to be humble servants.
Incurring the devil’s punishment: This connects the prideful person to the fall of Satan (rebellion against God). The New Testament warns against the danger of pride and spiritual warfare that believers face. The call to humility and vigilance, urging believers to resist the devil and remain steadfast in their faith. This person is more open to be influenced by the world (changing, rejecting, or ignoring Church teachings and doctrine.)
1Tim.6:3-4: “Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions.” (Paul warns Timothy of those who give false teachings. False teachers can be discerned by their pride, envy, quarrelsomeness, and greed for material gain. Paul is concerned about the preservation of the purity of the Church’s doctrine against false teachings.)
2Tim.3:4: “Traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
Traitors: This refer to those who betray Church teachings.
Reckless: This implies acting without thought or consideration of consequences. Recklessness contrasts with the biblical call to self-control.
Conceited: Conceit involves an inflated sense of self-importance, division, and strife. This attitude is contrary to the humility exemplified by Jesus. In the Greco-Roman world, humility was often seen as a weakness.
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God: This highlights a preference for worldly pleasures over devotion to God. This reflects the hedonistic culture in Roman society and modern day society. This attitudes focuses more on physical and material pleasures.
The true meaning of the smoke of Satan:
- The consequences of the smoke of Satan has been doubt, lack of trust, spiritual blindness, undermining of Church teachings, confusion, uncertainty, problems, unrest, dissatisfaction, and confrontation have entered into the Church.
- The smoke of Satan has influenced conceited priests, priests influenced by worldliness, secularism, and material atheism (paying lip service to God.)
- Pope Paul VI concluded that the liturgical chaos and confusion is the smoke of Satan.
- With this recent Catholic renewal and rejuvenation, Pride have become less popular and less accepted. This is great news!
How is this related to Jesus and Peter? Jesus points out that Peter becomes an obstacle to Him. At this point, Peter was being “inspired” by Satan to oppose and obstruct Jesus’ mission. Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind Me, You are an obstacle to Me. You are thinking not as God does, but as humans do.” [Mt.16:23] (Peter was temporarily spiritually blinded by Satan.)
More Modernist and Synodal arrogance (thinking that they know better) ====> man’s infinite dignity
- Knowing which Mass is better: the TLM must be restricted because “there is a new ecclesiology of the Church.” (This sounds like something an arrogant Pharisee would say.)
- Knowing what is sinful: ignoring, de-stigmatizing, or paying lip service to Church teachings against sin, celebrating homosexuality
- Redefining God’s plan for marriage: same-sex couples can receive formal and informal blessings
- Redefining vocations: there should be woman deacons and women priests. Women have the right to assume these roles. We need to remove celibacy
- Redefining Church doctrine and teachings: allowing for continual Synodal meetings to change doctrine
- Redefining Church authority decision making: allow the laity to share in decision making
- Redefining ecumenism: unity now means unity of faith outside the Catholic Church. Welcoming the scandalous (pro-abortion and pro-homosexual) and avoiding the traditional.
- Redefining moral nature: we must now look at objective moral teachings in light of life experiences
- Lived experiences can TAKE PRECEDENCE over Church teachings, doctrine and scripture. Synodality becomes an IDOL!
- Redefining the Church’s role in the world. The Church is more focused on MAKING A BETTER WORLD/SEEKING FAVOR WITH THE WORLD rather than BRINGING SOULS INTO HEAVEN.
- “No, truly, there is no road which leads so directly and so quickly to Modernism as pride.” Pope St. Pius X
Sacred Heart of Jesus:
- June is dedicated the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
- This devotion began in the 12th century and gained popularity after Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque.
- In past years, this has been overshadowed by the LGBTQ’s Pride Month.
- Now, this current Catholic rejuvenation seems to be eclipsing Pride Month. Faith is eclipsing worldly lifestyles.
Typhoon: Like a hurricane, a typhoon is a well-developed circular weather pattern. These storms are characterized by low pressure, high humidity, heavy winds, and hot air.
Conclusion:
Typhoon, superb, voluptuous, blind, caecum
An arrogant and conceited person is like a typhoon, filled up with hot air and high-winded. Sometimes we encounter people who are “full of hot air” or “puffed up“. You know them. They talk a lot and say nothing. They may also be proud and full of themselves. Yet, sometimes we ourselves can be “wrapped up in our smoke” that we can’t see what we are doing.
One should not be surprised that being “puffed up” and being spiritually blind are related. These are often times in which “we think we know better”, but are actually spiritually blind.
It is not surprising that Satan continues to sow chaos (confusion) and to undermine the Church (both institution and its people).
Update: Today’s world and culture: there will continue to be lovers of money, pride, disobedience, pleasure, pretense of religion, opposition to truth, and foolishness.
How does Satan undermine the clergy? ===> undermine the Church
- Have clergy disregard their vocation of celibacy ===> engage in homosexual lifestyles
- Have clergy who ignore, disregard, and obsfucate (make unclear) Church teachings ===> the slippery slope leading to heresy****
- Have pro- LGBTQ clergy who celebrate homosexuality because the Church teachings are “outdated”
We continue to have activist judges who continue to think that they have executive branch authority in stopping legislation.
A very encouraging sign: There has been less focus on the LGBTQ community’s celebration of “Pride Month”. Traditional values are prevailing. Liberal (and progressive churches are now more reluctant about sponsoring such events.
Anecdotal examples of “people selling their souls to the devil”: this probably happens more than we realize.
One does NOT necessarily need to be possessed by Satan to be influenced by him. Satan can subtly and mischievously influence us by busyness, distraction, spiritual blindness, confusion, pride, worldliness, sin, fame, fortune, detachment to sin. SATAN ONLY NEEDS TO MAKE US FORGET ABOUT GOD!
In the present digital age of social media, there are inevitably clergy (priests and pastors) who have an attained a huge following or reputation. These clergy must be careful in how they navigate these paths. Then you have some pastors who have mansions.
Our current post-Christian secular society is filled with moral depravity: abortion, sacrilege, indifference to sin, euthanasia, terrorism, hatred, cancel culture, etc.
The Church has unfortunately lost the plot on what it means to become temporary earthly sojourners and citizens of the earth (1Pet.2:11, Php.3:20, Eph.2:19)
We now have Catholic and Christian clergy who often remain silent when scandals occur. This behavior is also scandalous. They either do not speak out, must think it is OK, or make a pretense of their faith, for fear of repercussions. Such examples include abortion, sacrilege, honoring scandalous “sisters”, LGBTQ agenda, gender ideology, transgenderism, and gay marriage.
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” Charles Baudelaire
“The devil is capable of confusing the most brilliant mind.” St. Padre Pio
“If you invoke the Blessed Virgin when you are tempted, she will come at once to your help, and Satan will leave you.” St. John Vianney
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https://www.complicitclergy.com/2026/05/29/leo-appoints-bishop-who-says-catholicism-is-not-superior/