Posted on 10/29/2005 6:44:03 AM PDT by NYer
The devil is one of God's creatures. We cannot talk about him and about exorcisms without first stating some basic facts about God's plan for creation. We will not say anything new, but we might present a new perspective.
All too often we have the wrong concept of creation, and we take for granted the following wrong sequence of events. We believe that one day God created the angels; that he put them to the test, although we are not sure which test; and that as a result we have the division among angels and demons. The angels were rewarded with heaven, and the demons were punished with hell. Then we believe that on another day God created the universe, the minerals, the plants, the animals, and, in the end, man. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve obeyed Satan and disobeyed God; thus they sinned. At this point, to save mankind, God decided to send his Son.
This is not what the Bible teaches us, and it is not the teaching of the Fathers. If this were so, the angels and creation would remain strangers to the mystery of Christ. If we read the prologue to the Gospel of John and the two christological hymns that open the Letters to the Ephesians and the Colossians, we see that Christ is "the firstborn of all creatures" (Col 1:15). Everything was created for him and in the expectation of him. There is no theological discussion that makes any sense if it asks whether Christ would have been born without the sin of Adam. Christ is the center of creation; all creatures, both heavenly (the angels) and earthly (men) find in him their summation. On the other hand, we can affirm that, given the sin of our forebears, Christ's coming assumed a particular role: he came as Savior. The core of his action is contained within the Paschal mystery: through the blood of his Cross, he reconciles all things in the heavens (angels) and on earth (men) to God. The role of every creature is dependent on this christocentric understanding.
We cannot omit a reflection about the Virgin Mary. If the firstborn creature is the Word become flesh, she who would be the means of the Incarnation must also have been present in the divine thought before every other creature. From this stems Mary's unique relationship with the Holy Trinity.
We must also mention the influence that Christ has on angels and demons. Concerning angels, some theologians believe that the angels were admitted to the beatific vision of God only by virtue of the mystery of the Cross. Many Fathers also make interesting statements. For instance, Saint Athanasius writes that the angels owe their salvation to the blood of Christ. The Gospels give us many statements concerning demons, and they clearly state that Christ defeated the reign of Satan with his Cross and established the reign of God. The demons who possessed the Gerasene man exclaimed, "What is there between us, Son of God? Have you come to torment us before our time?" (Mt 8:29). This is an obvious reference to the fact that the power of Satan is gradually broken by Christ. Satan's power, therefore, still exists and will continue to exist until our salvation will be completed, "because the accuser of our brethren will be cast out" (Rev 12:10). Additional information on the role of Mary, enemy of Satan since the original announcement of salvation, can be found in the beautiful book by Father Candido Amantini, Il mistero di Maria (Naples: Dehoniane, 1971).
If we see everything in the light of the centrality of Christ, we can see God's plan, who created everything "for him and in expectation of him." And we can see the actions of Satan, the enemy, the tempter, the accuser. By means of his temptation, evil, pain, sin, and death entered the world. It is in this context that we are able to see the restoration of God's plan, which Christ accomplished at the cost of his blood.
In this context, we are made aware of the power of the devil. Jesus calls him "the prince of this world" (Jn 12:31, 14:30, 16:11). John affirms that "the whole world is in the power of the evil one" (1 Jn 5:19); by "the world" John means everything that is opposed to God. Satan was the brightest of the angels; he became the most evil of the devils and their chief. The demons remain bound to the same strict hierarchy that was given them when they were angels: principalities, thrones, dominions, and so on (Col 1:16). However, while the angels, whose chief is Michael, are bound by a hierarchy of love, the demons live under a rule of slavery.
We are also made aware of the action of Christ, who shattered the reign of Satan and established the kingdom of God. This is why the instances where Jesus freed those possessed by demons become particularly important. When Peter teaches Cornelius about Christ, he does not mention any miracle besides the fact that he cured "all those who had fallen under the power of the devil" (Acts 10:38). We understand, then, why the first authority that Jesus gave his apostles was the power to expel demons (Mt 10:1). We can make the same statement for all believers: "These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils" (Mk 16:17). Thus Jesus heals and reestablishes the divine plan that had been ruined by the rebellion of some of the angels and by our forefathers.
We must make this abundantly clear: evil, suffering, death, and hell (that is, eternal damnation in everlasting torment) are not acts of God. I want to expand on this point. One day Father Candido was expelling a demon. Toward the end of the exorcism, he turned to the evil spirit and sarcastically told him, "Get out of here. The Lord has already prepared a nice, well-heated house for you!" At this, the demon answered, "You do not know anything! It wasn't he (God) who made hell. It was us. He had not even thought about it." Similarly, on another occasion, while I was questioning a demon to know whether he had contributed to the creation of hell, I received this answer: "All of us cooperated."
Christ's centrality in the plan of creation, and its restoration through redemption, is fundamental to understanding God's plan and the end of the world. Angels and men received an intelligent and free nature. When I am told (by those who confuse predestination with God's providence) that God already knows who will be saved and who will be damned, and therefore anything we do is useless, I usually answer with four truths that the Bible spells out for us: God wants that everyone be saved; no one is predestined to go to hell; Jesus died for everyone; and everyone is given sufficient graces for salvation.
Christ's centrality tells us that we can be saved only in his name. It is only in his name that we can win and free ourselves from the enemy of our salvation, Satan. At the end of the most difficult exorcisms, when I am confronted with total demonic possession, I pray the christological hymn of the Letter of Paul to the Philippians (2:6-11). When I speak the words "so that all beings in the heavens, on earth, and in the underworld should bend the knee at the name of Jesus," I kneel, everyone present kneels, and always the one possessed by the demons is also compelled to kneel. It is a moving and powerful moment. I always feel that all the legions of the angels are surrounding us, kneeling at the name of Jesus.
Excellent point. Just yesterday, I was reading a book about the ONLY verified and fully documented exorcism in the U.S. I believe it was in the 1940's in Nebraska and was made into a movie. In it, according to the author, the exorcist was NOT to converse with the demon. The Ritual of Exorcism highly suggested this because the devil is the father of lies. What would be the point of conversing with the demon if you couldn't tell when he was lying or not? I can't remember the title, I think it was POSSESSION, (I was "skimming" it at Barnes and Noble for nearly 90 minutes!), but the exorcism was a very long, frustrating, and exhaustive process. But the one time that the exorcist went against the advice of the Ritual and conversed with the devil, he later regretted it, as the devil caused frustration by his lies.
Thus, I have doubts on the story above regarding what the demons purported to have said. Of COURSE they want to us to believe that they created Hell without God's help! Isn't that the whole point of their sin, PRIDE? God's Word is the Scriptures. Turn to them, not the lies of the devil.
Regards
This article, and the tone of its exorcist author, put me in mind of this little story related by Sulpitius Severus in his Concerning the Virtues of the Monks of the East
"A certain saint, then, endowed with almost incredible power in casting out demons from the bodies of those possessed by them, was, day by day, performing unheard-of miracles. For, not only when present, and not merely by his word, but while absent also, he, from time to time, cured possessed bodies, by some threads taken from his garment, or by letters which he sent. He, therefore, was to a wonderful degree visited by people who came to him from every part of the world. I say nothing about those of humbler rank; but prefects, courtiers, and judges of various ranks often lay at his doors. Most holy bishops also, laying aside their priestly dignity, and humbly imploring him to touch and bless them, believed with good reason that they were sanctified, and illumined with a divine gift, as often as they touched his hand and garment. He was reported to abstain always and utterly from every kind of drink, and for food (I will whisper this, Sulpitius, into your ear lest our friend the Gaul hear it), to subsist upon only six dried figs. But in the meantime, just as honor accrued to the holy man from his excellence, so vanity began to steal upon himfrom the honor which was paid him. When first he perceived that this evil was growing upon him, he struggled long and earnestly to shake it off, but it could not be thoroughly got rid of by all his efforts, since he still had a secret consciousness of being under the influence of vanity. Everywhere did the demons acknowledge his name, while he was not able to exclude from his presence the number of people who flocked to him. The hidden poison was, in the meantime, working in his breast, and he, at whose beck demons were expelled from the bodies of others, was quite unable to cleanse himself from the hidden thoughts of vanity. Betaking himself, therefore, with fervent supplication to God, he is said to have prayed that, power being given to the devil over him for five months, he might become like to those whom he himself had cured. Why should I delay with many words? That most powerful man,—he, renowned for his miracles and virtues through all the East, he, to whose threshold multitudes had gathered, and at whose door the highest dignitaries of that age had prostrated themselves—laid hold of by a demon, was kept fast in chains. It was only after having suffered all those things which the possessed are wont to endure, that at length in the fifth month he was delivered, not only from the demon, but (what was to him more useful and desirable) from the vanity which had dwelt within him."
Exactly. The devil spoke to Jesus Himself, and lied about God's protection over throwing yourself off a high place. If Satan will lie to Jesus, will he not to us as well?
Personally, I found Malachi Martin's analysis of possession to be much more anlaytic and thorough than Fr. Amorth's. But both authors are must-reads.
St. Thomas' (as usual) enlightening take on the subject.
The letter on the sheepskin was a squared 'o' with a flourish on the upper left corner. From the first chart, the far left singat character is close, or perhaps Tet, Mem, or Samech. The letter was about two to three feet tall on a stretched canvas like sheepskin, in a pitch black India ink like print on the clean pure white sheepskin background.
Perpendicular, in 3-D, coming out of the canvas, just touching it, was a figure like lamat on the far left, although the flourish on the upper left wasn't as pronounced, the upper bar was level with the floor, with a sharp nearly 90 degree downward turn merging into a long curve back to the canvas. The labat or lamed was made out of gold metal in a fine rigid lace.
That's not true.
Luke 4:41But they certainly can't be trusted.Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.
I haven't read Fr. Amorth's books, but Malachi Martin's was extraordinarily well-written, and profoundly frightening. I highly recommend it, but only for those well-grounded in their faith.
Father John Hardon warned never to have a conversation with Satan. For excorcists, the fact finding was to be short and explicit, not a dialogue. V's wife.
"(never) have a conversation with Satan"
Sound advise! Defeating Satan is not an act of the mind but of the heart. From the Book of Genesis we learn that Satan is the craftiest of all creatures. Wisdom and Charity makes us masters over demons. It's a matter of disciplining our thoughts and emotions via a Life of Holiness and frequent use of the Sacraments. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is Victorious.
'demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!"'
Interesting too how Jesus said that not all who cry "Lord, Lord" will be Saved. I suppose these demons are some who fit the bill.
There's a short, booklet sized description that has been circulated for years about this particular case of possessio in Nebraska. The title ifs "Begone Satan!"
Quite a bit unnerving, to read about the case from first-hand diaries. Regards
Because they are steeped deeply in tradition and have added layer upon layer of false doctrines throughout history. Jesus Our Lord issued harsh rebukes to the priests' of the day concerning tradition.
15:1 Then came to Jesus Scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying (almost all of the opposition to Christ came from religious leaders)
15:2 Why do your Disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? (Their confidence was in their man-made rules rather than the Word of God) for they wash not their hands when they eat bread (had no sanitary meaning; this tradition taught that an evil spirit could sit on the hands of people, and when the hands were washed, the evil spirit would be removed)
15:3 But He answered and said unto them (proclaims Christ drawing them back to the Word of God), Why do you also transgress the Commandment of God by your tradition? (He ignored their tradition because it was not Scriptural. He then tells them that their traditions were causing them to trangress the Commandment of God.)
15:4 For God Commanded, saying Honour your father and mother: and, He who curses father or mother, let him die the death [Ex.20:12; 21:17]
15:5 But you say (in direct contradition to what God commanded) Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift (dedicated their estate to the Temple so that they wouldn't have to take care of their aged parents, and a crooked Priest would then give it back to them, after taking a percentage), by whatsoever you might be profited by Me (making an illegal profit off of God, which componded their sin);
15:6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free (free from responsibility) Thus have you made the Commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
15:7 You (was said to their faces) hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
15:8 This people draw near unto Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me (this defines the hypocrite)
15:9 But in vain do they worship Me (worship that was not accepted by God indicative of much of the modern Church as well) ,teaching for doctrines the commmandments of men (anything that adds to or takes away from the Word of God)
bttt
That one should give us all pause.
I read that book found it at a Saint Vincent de Paul store for almost nothing. Don't know what I did with that book. Scarey book. I can't remember too much. Any highlights?
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