The following comes from a May 10 story in the Washington Post.
A darling of liberal Catholics and an advocate of inclusion and forgiveness, Pope Francis is hardly known for fire and brimstone.
Yet, in his words and deeds, the new pope is locked in an epic battle with the oldest enemy of God and creation:
The Devil.
After his little more than a year atop the Throne of St. Peter, Francis’s teachings on Satan are already regarded as the most old school of any pope since at least Paul VI, whose papacy in the 1960s and 1970s fully embraced the notion of hellish forces plotting to deliver mankind unto damnation.
Largely under the radar, theologians and Vatican insiders say, Francis has not only dwelled far more on Satan in sermons and speeches than his recent predecessors have, but also sought to rekindle the Devil’s image as a supernatural entity with the forces of evil at his beck and call.
Last year, for instance, Francis laid hands on a man in a wheelchair who claimed to be possessed by demons, in what many saw as an impromptu act of cleansing. A few months later, he praised a group long viewed by some as the crazy uncles of the Roman Catholic Church — the International Association of Exorcists — for “helping people who suffer and are in need of liberation.”
“ ‘But Father, how old-fashioned you are to speak about the Devil in the 21st century,’ ” Francis, quoting those who have noted his frequent mentions of the Devil, said last month while presiding over Mass at the Vatican’s chapel in St. Martha’s House. He warned those gathered on that chilly morning to be vigilant and not be fooled by the hidden face of Satan in the modern world. “Look out because the Devil is present,” he said….
During the conference, the Rev. Cesar Truqui, an exorcist based in Switzerland, recounted one experience he had aboard a Swissair flight. “Two lesbians,” he said, had sat behind him on the plane. Soon afterward, he said, he felt Satan’s presence. As he silently sought to repel the evil spirit through prayer, one of the women, he said, began growling demonically and threw chocolates at his head.
Asked how he knew the woman was possessed, he said that “once you hear a Satanic growl, you never forget it. It’s like smelling Margherita pizza for the first time. It’s something you never forget.”
To read the entire story, click here.
CCC: ” 1673 When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism.
Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing.
In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism.
The solemn exorcism, called “a major exorcism,” can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church.
Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science.
Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.”
There are 18 paragraphs in the CCC about the “devil”.
And 16 paragraphs relating to “Hell”.
Read your Bible and the CCC.
I highly recommend “An Exorcist Tells His Story” and “An Exorcist: More Stories” by Fr. Gabriele Amorth, exorcist of Rome. These books provide many examples that are likely to dispel any doubt about the reality of spiritual warfare. They also categorize different forms of demonic influence, illustrate how demonic influence can be distinguished from mental illness, and provide practical suggestions on how to protect oneself.
It’s great that Pope Francis acknowledged the Church’s exorcists, who serve as champions in battling demonic influence.
I read the entire article from the Washington Post, and it is apparent that the enemy doesn’t want anyone to believe in it, because of the way that the article tended to denigrate the activity of the exorcism and the admonishment of the Pope and others against the influence of the enemy. Please, do yourselves all a favor, say the prayers from the booklet “Spiritual Warfare Prayers”. Read and say the ones appropriate to you. I made the mistake of reading every prayer in the booklet, and BOY! did I get a surprise! Please, look those over carefully, and only read and pray the ones that apply to your particular situation. Unbeknownst to me, I had previous family members who “dabbled” so, be very careful. God bless us all, as we struggle with the powers of darkness, but NEVER forget, we are not alone, we can never be separated from the Love of God, which is freely given to all.
God bless our Pope!
“Without prayer and grace, exorcisms are ineffective.” (Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of Rome)
“All that prevents a life of union with God is also an obstacle to the work of the exorcist.” (Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of Rome)
“Aversion to the sacred, is, without a doubt, a significant symptom of evil interference.” (Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of Rome)
“Can. 1152 Exorcisms by legitimate ministers can be performed not only on the faithful and catechumens, but also upon non-Catholics and the excommunicated.” (1917 Code of Canon Law)
“Can. 1153 The ministers of the exorcisms that occur in [the traditional rite of] baptism and in consecrations or blessings are those who are the legitimate ministers of those sacred rites.” (1917 Code of Canon Law)
“[N]o matter how severe, a single symptom is never sufficient for an accurate diagnosis [of evil interference]; we need several, but, in the end, it is only through exorcisms that we are able to achieve moral certainty.” (Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of Rome)
“Truly, each time we exorcise, we experience that the words of the exorcist are as torture for the demons, gradually becoming more unbearable. According to their own admission, demons prefer the sufferings of hell to our words of blessing.” (Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of Rome)
Unfortunately, when I was in the seminary, demonic possession was down played as were miracles. The seminary priests told us that there really was no demonic possession, but that it was all psychosomatic. What is true is that many mental cases are actually demonic possession. A priest was carrying the Blessed Sacrament and had to pass through the mental disorder wing of a public hospital. As he walked down a hall, which had no patient windows, and was dark because of the night hour, he could hear moans, screams, and horrible noises coming from the mental patient’s rooms. When the priest returned, after having given the Blessed Sacrament to a sick person, and he had no more consecrated Hosts in his pyx, there were no sounds coming from the mental ward. Satan knew that Christ was present, and was disturbed by His presence in the darkened corridor. Pope Benedict XVI advised that the old Roman ritual (Tridentine) be used by priests for an exorcism, and the priests of Opus Angelorum have always used the old rite, as it is more powerful. Every diocese is supposed to have an official exorcist, but unfortunately many are without one. I am glad that Pope Francis recognizes the need for exorcists, and I am grateful that he has praised and blessed the priests that have this tremendous responsibility.
And Satan is very strong, wrecking the Roman Catholic Church, too! How about cleansing the entire Church? How about excommunicating those in obstinate, unrepentant sin, like abortion, pre-marital sex, birth control, gay sex acts and so-called “same-sex marriage,” and many other sins?? Our Church was meant to be very holy, to help us all get to Heaven!
I can understand what the Swedish priest is saying about never forgetting the sound of the Devil’s growl. One time, while protesting the visit of a Presidential candidate I was holding a pro life sign. A woman came up to me and actually growled at me and said: “you are going to hell.”
One of the huge problems that the predominant culture and the Catholic Church has is that very few realize that Lucifer is an extremely intelligent Seraph, and as such, he’s far more powerful than the Archangels and the lesser angelic beings. It was precisely because St. Michael was/is an Archangel that he was chosen by God to lead the battle against Lucifer, the brilliant Seraph, and his cohorts, and resulted in the demonic angels being cast out of heaven. For Lucifer the archtypical sneerer, was in essence vanquished by a LESSER angel, in power and in gifts. And God wanted to humiliate Lucifer thoroughly by BEING defeated by a lesser angel. So even though Lucifer and his incredible powers as an angel are darkened, and in many ways he stumbles around in the dark, so to speak, his powers are still formidable. Blessed Abp. Sheen, in his homily on the temptations in the desert suffered by Jesus, posits that Satan was really not sure if he Satan was dealing with the Divine Redeemer, and attempted to test him in many ways to ascertain for himself if Jesus was the Messiah. At the conclusion of it all, he remained uncertain still as to His true identity, according to Sheen. We humans by ourselves are NO MATCH for a supremely cunning Seraph like The Tempter, but, we can be sure that Jesus, True God and Man, will make mincemeat of this proud and arrogant creature; for it is said that just by the breath of Jesus’ mouth, Lucifer flies into the fiery pit at the second coming. And that’s a supreme comfort And Satan knows full well what’s coming, and he dreads it with a horror that we cannot imagine. God bless all and VIVA CRISTO REY.
THE PRESENT SODOM AND GOMORRAH
Though I am the Light
you walk in the darkness
Though I am the Might
you follow the barkless
Though I am the Truth
you prefer the lier’s booth
Though I am the Way
you say it’s ok to be gay
Though I am the Life
you choose eternal death
Where weeping and gnashing is rife
and for sure there won’t be any Meth
Oh you stubborn generation
stop this horrific aberration
You keep flirting with the seducer
so don’t blame Me, blame the abuser
Though I am the utter Merciful
I’m also the eternal Just
Your behavior is extremely hurtful
My patience you finally bust.
Wake up and smell the coffee or it will be too late.
Lord, please, hasten Your Coming
Rita Biesemans, May 13 2014