| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Sound of Trumpet" |
| Date: |
28 Apr 2006 07:18:39 PM |
| Object: |
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary and Opinion
24 April 2006
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by Te=F3filo
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil. Exorcism is
the act of driving out or warding off evil spirits from persons,
places, or things. The means employed for this purpose are especially
the solemn and authoritative adjuration of the demons, commanding them
in the name of God to leave the person or the object which is under
their malevolent influence.
Among polytheistic religions the use of protective means against the
molestation of evil spirits is an essential part of their worship of
the deities. The benevolent gods are invoked for whatever help people
need. The malevolent gods are propitiated, especially by sacrifice, in
order to ward off the harm which these evil deities can perpetrate.
Centuries of the history of polytheism show that among these sacrifices
have always been children, and even infants, whose lives had to be
taken to satisfy the demands of the malicious deities whom the people
worshipped. Thus we have record of how literally thousands of children
were killed and offered in sacrifice on a single day among the Aztecs
in Latin America before the discovery of the new world.
Old Testament
Before the time of Christ, there is no record in the Old Testament of
any exorcism being performed by man. Certainly evil spirits were driven
out of possessed people. But in every case the exorcism was done either
directly by the Lord or by an angel under divine authority.
No doubt there were alleged exorcisms performed by human beings. A
record of these deliverances is found in Jewish apocryphal writings.
The chief characteristic of these non-biblical Jewish exorcisms was the
naming of names believed to be effective in driving out evil spirits.
The principal names used were those of the good angels, either alone or
in combination with El (God).
It is most significant that there are no recorded exorcisms performed
by human beings in the Old Testament Scriptures. The reason is obvious.
If there is one characteristic of the New Testament, it is the many
deliverances of possessed people by Christ in the Gospels. Furthermore,
among the powers which the Savior conferred on His disciples was the
power they would have to drive out evil spirits.
New Testament
As we enter the New Covenant, two remarkable phenomena are recorded.
The number of possessed persons in the four Gospels is almost beyond
counting. Among the evangelists, St. Mark narrates more cases of
possession and of deliverance by Christ than in all the other books of
the Bible put together.
The second remarkable feature is the hostility of the evil spirit in
the possessed persons. This hostility, we may say, began at the opening
of Christ's public ministry when He was tempted three times by the
devil.
All the exorcisms performed by Christ were done in an instant. All He
had to do was to tell the devil to depart, and the evil spirit left the
victim at the Savior's words.
Not surprisingly, the possessed persons whom Jesus exorcised were
afflicted in some externally manifest way. What is crucially important
to understand is that the devil has power to injure or harm his victim,
both physically and psychologically. Behind this fact is the mysterious
providence of God who may allow the evil spirit to harm human beings in
their mental or bodily faculties.
One more thing should be mentioned. The deluge of possessions which
began with Christ's coming into the world has set a pattern for all
future time, even to the end of the world.
The history of evangelization reveals that as the Gospel begins to be
preached in some part of the world, the devil becomes extraordinarily
active among the people being evangelized. If there is one
characteristic of the evil spirit, it is his hatred of Christ.
Exorcism by the Church
The closing book of the Bible is at once a prophecy and a promise. The
Apocalypse predicts the operation of the evil spirit, as the
anti-Christ until the end of time. It also reassures the followers of
Christ that they will overcome Satan provided they trust in the
Savior's power and are submissive to His divine will. In His parting
message to the apostles, He told them, "These signs shall attend
those who believe: in my name they shall cast out devils" (Mark
16:17).
In the twenty centuries of Christian history, this promise of the
Redeemer has been dramatically fulfilled.
Our focus in this conference is on exorcism in the technical sense of a
person authorized by the Church, delivering a person, or a place, or a
city from what we call the preternatural malicious influence of the
evil spirit.
Understandably only Christ, acting through the Church, has the power to
exorcise.
There is an exorcism which is part of the baptismal ritual. But that is
not our concern here. We are addressing ourselves to the exercise of
delivering persons or places who are possessed or obsessed by the
devil.
Just a short clarification. Obsession means that the devil afflicts a
person or place externally. Possession is the result of internal
influence by the devil without, however, depriving a person the use of
free will.
For centuries one of the minor orders before the priesthood was that of
exorcist. The Church's present legislation is very clear:
No one can legitimately perform exorcisms over the possessed unless he
has obtained special and express permission from the local Ordinary.
Such permission from the local Ordinary is to be granted only to a
priest endowed with piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life
(Canon 1172). As we see, the faculty to perform an exorcism is now
restricted to ordained priests. Moreover, the priests must be
outstanding in the virtues identified by the Code of Canon Law.
As might be expected, the norms for the practice of exorcism, laid down
by the Church, are detailed and extensive. It is worth quoting them in
full.
A priest - one who is expressively and particularly authorized by the
ordinary - when he intends to perform an exorcism over persons
tormented by the devil, must be properly distinguished for his piety,
prudence and integrity of life. He should fulfill this devout
undertaking in all constancy and humility, being utterly immune to any
striving for human recognition, and relying, not on his own, but on the
divine power. Moreover, he ought to be of mature years, and revered not
alone for his office but for his moral qualities.
In order to exercise his ministry rightly, he should resort to a great
deal more study of the matter (which has to be passed over here for the
sake of brevity), by examining approved authors and cases from
experience; on the other hand, let him carefully observe the few more
important points enumerated here.
Especially, he should not believe too readily that a person is
possessed by an evil spirit; but he ought to ascertain the signs by
which a person possessed can be distinguished from one who is suffering
from some illness, especially one of a psychological nature. Signs of
possession may be the following: ability to speak with some facility in
a strange tongue or to understand it when spoken by another. The
faculty of divulging future and hidden events; display of powers which
are beyond the subject's age and natural condition; and various other
indications which, when taken together as a whole, build up the
evidence.
In order to understand these matters better, let him inquire of the
person possessed, following one or the other act of exorcism, what the
latter experienced in his body or soul while the exorcism was being
performed, and to learn also what particular words in the form had a
more intimidating effect upon the devil, so that hereafter these words
may be employed with greater stress and frequency.
He will be on his guard against the arts and subterfuges which the evil
spirits are wont to use in deceiving the exorcists. For often times
they give deceptive answers and make it difficult to understand them,
so that the exorcist might tire and give up, or so it might appear that
the afflicted one is in no wise possessed by the devil.
Once in a while, after they are already recognized, they conceal
themselves and leave the body practically free from every molestation,
so that the victim believes himself completely delivered. Yet the
exorcists may not desist until he sees the signs of deliverance.
At times, moreover, the evil spirits place whatever obstacles they can
in the way, so that the patient may not submit to exorcism or they try
to convince him that his affliction is a natural one. Meanwhile, during
the exorcism they cause him to fall asleep and dangle some illusion
before him, while they seclude themselves, so that the afflicted one
appears to be freed.
Some reveal a crime which has been committed and the perpetrators
thereof, as well as the means of putting an end to it. Yet the
afflicted person must beware of having recourse on this account to
sorcerers or necromancers or to use any parties except the ministers of
the Church, or of making any use of superstitious or forbidden
practice.
Sometimes the devil will leave the possessed person in peace and even
allow him to receive the holy Eucharist, to make it appear that he has
departed. In fact, the arts and frauds of the evil one for deceiving a
man are innumerable. For this reason the exorcist must be on his guard
not to fall into this trap.
Therefore, he will be mindful of the words of our Lord (Matthew 17:20),
to the effect that there is a certain type of evil spirit who cannot be
driven out except by prayer and fasting. Therefore, let him avail
himself of these two means above all for imploring the divine
assistance in expelling demons, after the example of the holy fathers;
and not only himself, but let him induce others, as far as possible, to
do the same.
If it can be done conveniently the possessed person should be led to
church or to some other sacred and worthy place, where the exorcism
will be held, away from the crowd. But if the person is ill, or for any
valid reason, the exorcism may take place in a private home.
The subject, if in good mental and physical health, should be exhorted
to implore God's help, to fast, and to fortify himself by frequent
reception of penance and Holy Communion, at the discretion of the
priest. And in the course of the exorcism he should be fully
recollected, with his intention fixed on God, whom he should entreat
with firm faith and in all humility. And if he is all the more
grievously tormented, he ought to bear this patiently, never doubting
the divine assistance.
He ought to have a crucifix at hand or somewhere in sight. If relics of
the saints are available, they are to be applied in a reverent way to
the breast or the head of the person possessed (the relics must be
properly and securely encased and covered). One will see to it that
these sacred objects are not treated improperly or that no injury is
done them by the evil spirit. However, one should not hold the holy
Eucharist over the head of the person or in any way apply it to his
body, owing to the danger of desecration.
The exorcist must not digress into senseless prattle nor ask
superfluous questions or such as are prompted by curiosity,
particularly if they pertain to future and hidden matters, all of which
have nothing to do with his office. Instead, he will bid the unclean
spirit keep silence and answer only when asked. Neither ought he to
give any credence to the devil if the latter maintains that he is the
spirit of some saint or of a deceased party, or even claims to be a
good angel.
But necessary questions are, for example: the number and name of the
spirits inhabiting the patient, the time when they entered into him,
the cause thereof, and the like. As for all jesting, laughing, and
nonsense on the part of the evil spirit - the exorcist should prevent
it or contemn it, and he will exhort the bystanders (whose number must
be very limited) to pay no attention to such goings on; neither are
they to put any question to the subject. Rather they should intercede
for him to God in all humility and urgency.
Let the priest pronounce the exorcism in a commanding and authoritative
voice, and at the same time with great confidence, humility, and
fervor; and when he sees that the spirit is sorely vexed, then he
possesses and threatens all the more. If he notices that the person
afflicted is experiencing a disturbance in some part of his body or an
acute pain or a swelling appears in some part, he traces the sign of
the cross over that place and sprinkles it with holy water, which he
must have at hand for this purpose.
He will pay attention as to what words in particular cause the evil
spirits to tremble, repeating them the more frequently. And when he
comes to a threatening expression, he recurs to it again and again,
always increasing the punishment. If he perceives that he is making
progress, let him persist for two, three, four hours, and longer if he
can, until victory is attained.
The exorcist should guard against giving or recommending any medicine
to the patient, but should leave this care to physicians.
While performing the exorcism over a woman, he ought always to have
assisting him several women of good repute, who will hold on to the
person when she is harassed by the evil spirit. These assistants ought
if possible to be close relatives of the subject, and for the sake of
decency the exorcist will avoid saying or doing anything which might
prove an occasion of evil thought to himself or to the others.
During the exorcism he shall preferable employ words from Holy Writ,
rather than forms of his own or of someone else. He shall, moreover,
command the devil to tell whether he is detained in that body by
necromancy, by evil signs or amulets; and if the one possessed has
taken the latter by mouth, he should be made to vomit them; if he has
them concealed on his person, he should expose them; and when
discovered they must be burned. Moreover, the person should be exhorted
to reveal all his temptations to the exorcist.
Finally, after the possessed one has been freed, let him be admonished
to guard himself carefully against falling into sin, so as to afford no
opportunity to the evil spirit of returning, lest the last state of
that man become worse than the former.
The Rite of Exorcism
The full ritual for exorcism is some five thousand words in length. It
consists of the recitation of psalms, readings from the Gospels, and
lengthy prayers asking God to deliver a possessed person or place from
infestation by the devil.
Before beginning to exorcise the priest is instructed to go to
confession, offer the sacrifice of the Mass and implore God's help.
He is to be vested in a surplice and stole. He is to bless himself and
the possessed person or persons, using holy water, pray on his knees,
recite the Litany of the Saints, and only then begin the formal
exorcism.
Although a bit lengthy, I think the formal act of exorcism should be
quoted in full. It is both sobering and enlightening, especially in
view of the widespread influence of the evil spirit in our day. The
words are addressed directly to the devil:
I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every satanic power of the
enemy, every scepter from hell, and all your fallen companions; in the
name of our Lord Jesus + Christ. Begone and stay far from this creature
of God. + For it is He who commands you, He who flung you headlong from
the heights of heaven into the depths of hell. It is He who commands
you, He who once stilled the sea and the wind and the storm. Hearken,
therefore, and tremble in fear, Satan, you enemy of the faith, you foe
of the human race, you begetter of death, you robber of life, you
corrupter of justice, you root of all evil and vice; seducer of men,
betrayer of the nations, instigator of envy, font of avarice, fomenter
of discord, author of pain and sorrow. Why, then, do you stand and
resist, knowing as you must that Christ the Lord brings your plans to
nothing? Fear Him, who in Isaac was offered in sacrifice, in Joseph
sold into bondage, slain as the paschal lamb, crucified as man, yet
triumphed over the powers of hell. (The three signs of the cross which
follow are traced on the brow of the possessed person). Begone, then,
in the name of the Father, + and of the Son, + and of the Holy +
Spirit. Give place to the Holy Spirit by this sign of the holy + cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the
Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
When the Savior told us that the devil is the prince of this world, He
meant this literally. Our century has been the most homicidal, the most
crime ridden and, as the Holy Father tells us, the most seduced century
in human history. What we need is a global deliverance by Jesus Christ,
the Divine Exorcist who has overcome the world.
For more information, read:
- Catholic Encyclopedia article on Exorcism
- CDF - On the Current Norms Governing Exorcisms
- Prefect for Divine Worship on the New Rite of Exorcism
- CRNET - Mark 9,38-41, and the Validity of Protestant and other
Unauthorized Exorcisms
- Bishop Angelo Scola - Satanic Rites in the Church's Judgement
- Increase in Cases of Demonic Possession
- ZENIT - Satan's Strategy of Confusion
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| User: "Nog" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 08:17:12 AM |
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Hocus pocus mumbo jombo abra cadabra alakazam. Poof, your're a pile of *****.
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| User: "foolsrushin" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 11:06:51 AM |
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Mr. Nog [Says it all! Ed.] eloquently opined:
Hocus pocus mumbo jombo abra cadabra alakazam. Poof, your're a pile of *****.
Black or white, I sincerely trust none of us has paid, or ever will
have to pay, for Mr. Nog's rather eloquent contribution to our
discussion.
I may well have to revise my opinion of Mr. Herbert Spencer regarding
the introduction of a biological ideal into the science of man.
Euthanasia is an option - but Mr. Nog would have to want it.
I see from his posts that he is unsurprisingly 'pro-life', since given
a practical programme of eugenics, it is rather unlikely that he and
his ilk would be among us at all.
I am glad I am not a woman, especially one bearing his seed: one has a
vision of Mr. Nog horifficaly exploding into our presence complete with
an ugly rotweiler and the title deeds to a council flat.
Whatever may be said in connexion with natural, selection, it clearly
needs some assistance from time to time, though in a rather negative
direction.
--
'foolsrushin'.
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| User: "foolsrushin" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 11:10:35 AM |
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Nog wrote:
Hocus pocus mumbo jombo abra cadabra alakazam. Poof, your're a pile of *****.
Mr. Nog [Says it all! Ed.] eloquently opined:
Hocus pocus mumbo jombo abra cadabra alakazam. Poof, your're a pile of *****.
Black or white, I sincerely trust none of us has paid, or ever will
have to pay, for Mr. Nog's rather eloquent contribution to our
discussion.
I may well have to revise my opinion of Mr. Herbert Spencer regarding
the introduction of a biological ideal into the science of man.
Euthanasia is an option - but Mr. Nog would have to want it.
I see from his posts that he is unsurprisingly 'pro-life', since given
a practical programme of eugenics, it is rather unlikely that he and
his ilk would be among us at all.
I am glad I am not a woman, especially one bearing his seed: one has a
vision of Mr. Nog horifficaly exploding into our presence complete with
an ugly rotweiler and the title deeds to a council flat.
Whatever may be said in connexion with natural, selection, it clearly
needs some assistance from time to time, though in a rather negative
direction.
--
'foolsrushin'.
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| User: "Jos Flachs" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 12:06:34 AM |
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On 28 Apr 2006 17:18:39 -0700, "Sound of Trumpet"
<soundoftrumpet@hoshmail.com> wrote:
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.
As atheists believe neither in gods nor in devils, go ***** your
mother.
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| User: "DanielSan" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 12:10:23 AM |
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Jos Flachs wrote:
On 28 Apr 2006 17:18:39 -0700, "Sound of Trumpet"
<soundoftrumpet@hoshmail.com> wrote:
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.
As atheists believe neither in gods nor in devils, go ***** your
mother.
Megan Vorhees: "Your mother is in here with us, Harris. Would you care
to leave a message, I'll be sure that she gets it."
Father Harris: "Yes, I would. Would you get out of there, mother?!"
Mother Harris: "You're no fun at all!"
Megan Vorhees: "See ya later, Mrs Harris."
;-)
--
*****************************************************
* DanielSan -- alt.atheism #2226 *
*---------------------------------------------------*
* "You can safely assume that you've created God in *
* your own image when it turns out that God hates *
* all the same people you do." --Anne Lamott *
*****************************************************
--
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| User: "raven1" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
28 Apr 2006 09:19:48 PM |
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On 28 Apr 2006 17:18:39 -0700, "Sound of Trumpet"
<soundoftrumpet@hoshmail.com> wrote:
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.
Do you also have to believe in goblins?
That anyone actually takes this crap seriously is mind boggling.
--
"O Sybilli, si ergo
Fortibus es in ero
O Nobili! Themis trux
Sivat sinem? Causen Dux"
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| User: "Geopelia" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
28 Apr 2006 10:27:47 PM |
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Can't anyone give it a go without a lot of ritual?
Mark 9: 38-40 seems to imply that anyone can do it in the name of Jesus.
Do you ever find that you think you are typing something, and something
different appears on the monitor? Scary, like a ouija board!
The subconscious or the devil? Or just a Windows hiccup?
Geopelia
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| User: "BruceS" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
01 May 2006 05:49:45 PM |
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Geopelia wrote:
Can't anyone give it a go without a lot of ritual?
Mark 9: 38-40 seems to imply that anyone can do it in the name of Jesus.
Do you ever find that you think you are typing something, and something
different appears on the monitor? Scary, like a ouija board!
The subconscious or the devil? Or just a Windows hiccup?
IME, it's usually just a matter of the hand(s) being off the home keys.
Being one letter to the right ,slrd oy jstf yp trsf@
No wonder they put those little raised indicators on modern keyboards.
Irgwequawm qgi jbiqa qgR QWLS WBS YO QURG>
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| User: "Geopelia" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
01 May 2006 08:30:03 PM |
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"BruceS" <nospam@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:44568fc6$1_2@newsfeed.slurp.net...
Geopelia wrote:
Can't anyone give it a go without a lot of ritual?
Mark 9: 38-40 seems to imply that anyone can do it in the name of Jesus.
Do you ever find that you think you are typing something, and something
different appears on the monitor? Scary, like a ouija board!
The subconscious or the devil? Or just a Windows hiccup?
IME, it's usually just a matter of the hand(s) being off the home keys.
Being one letter to the right ,slrd oy jstf yp trsf@
No wonder they put those little raised indicators on modern keyboards.
Irgwequawm qgi jbiqa qgR QWLS WBS YO QURG>
Quite so. Handy for the blind using a keyboard too.
I'm always making typos. What I meant was actual words and phrases, that
make sense. Like automatic writing.
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| User: "BruceS" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
02 May 2006 09:45:49 AM |
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Geopelia wrote:
"BruceS" <nospam@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:44568fc6$1_2@newsfeed.slurp.net...
Geopelia wrote:
Can't anyone give it a go without a lot of ritual?
Mark 9: 38-40 seems to imply that anyone can do it in the name of Jesus.
Do you ever find that you think you are typing something, and something
different appears on the monitor? Scary, like a ouija board!
The subconscious or the devil? Or just a Windows hiccup?
IME, it's usually just a matter of the hand(s) being off the home keys.
Being one letter to the right ,slrd oy jstf yp trsf@
No wonder they put those little raised indicators on modern keyboards.
Irgwequawm qgi jbiqa qgR QWLS WBS YO QURG>
Quite so. Handy for the blind using a keyboard too.
I'm always making typos. What I meant was actual words and phrases, that
make sense. Like automatic writing.
Ah. That's different. Never mind.
Actually, I've done that too. It doesn't happen often, but when it
does, the word I type is usually a synonym for the one I intend to type.
Does that make it more sane, or less?
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| User: "Geopelia" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
02 May 2006 04:56:57 PM |
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"BruceS" <nospam@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:44576fd9$1_1@newsfeed.slurp.net...
Geopelia wrote:
"BruceS" <nospam@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:44568fc6$1_2@newsfeed.slurp.net...
Geopelia wrote:
Can't anyone give it a go without a lot of ritual?
Mark 9: 38-40 seems to imply that anyone can do it in the name of Jesus.
Do you ever find that you think you are typing something, and something
different appears on the monitor? Scary, like a ouija board!
The subconscious or the devil? Or just a Windows hiccup?
IME, it's usually just a matter of the hand(s) being off the home keys.
Being one letter to the right ,slrd oy jstf yp trsf@
No wonder they put those little raised indicators on modern keyboards.
Irgwequawm qgi jbiqa qgR QWLS WBS YO QURG>
Quite so. Handy for the blind using a keyboard too.
I'm always making typos. What I meant was actual words and phrases, that
make sense. Like automatic writing.
Ah. That's different. Never mind.
Actually, I've done that too. It doesn't happen often, but when it does,
the word I type is usually a synonym for the one I intend to type. Does
that make it more sane, or less?
Sometimes what I type makes more sense than what I meant. Or it throws a new
and unexpected light on the subject.
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| User: "bob young" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 10:25:37 PM |
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raven1 wrote:
On 28 Apr 2006 17:18:39 -0700, "Sound of Trumpet"
<soundoftrumpet@hoshmail.com> wrote:
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.
Do you also have to believe in goblins?
That anyone actually takes this crap seriously is mind boggling.
--
....and frightening
"O Sybilli, si ergo
Fortibus es in ero
O Nobili! Themis trux
Sivat sinem? Causen Dux"
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| User: "John Baker" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
28 Apr 2006 11:13:26 PM |
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On 28 Apr 2006 17:18:39 -0700, "Sound of Trumpet"
<soundoftrumpet@hoshmail.com> wrote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary and Opinion
24 April 2006
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by Teófilo
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.
Well, so much for that, then.
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| User: "Gods Creator" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
03 May 2006 11:40:38 PM |
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Sound of Trumpet wrote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
*Thus spake God's Creator*
Use a very strong laxative... Then call the nut house folks to remove
the religious nut.
God's Creator!
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Todays U.S. Holy Wars News:
http://www.antiwar.com
http://icasualties.org/oif/
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| User: "Uncle Vic" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
28 Apr 2006 07:25:17 PM |
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Sound of Trumpet wrote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary and Opinion
24 April 2006
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by Teófilo
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.
Well, that's that.
--
Uncle Vic
aa#2011
Member, Earthquack's 666 club
Supervisor, EAC department of little adhesive-backed shiny plastic
L-shaped doo-dads to add feet to Jesus Fish department
It is safe to say that the bible contains equal amounts of fact, history
and pizza.
-Penn Jillette
.
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| User: "kathryn" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 11:30:20 AM |
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"Uncle Vic" <address@withheld.com> wrote in message
news:cLadnas8PdDQL8_ZRVn-tA@comcast.com...
Sound of Trumpet wrote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary and Opinion
24 April 2006
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by Teófilo
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.
Well, that's that.
No exorcism for you then?
.
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| User: "bob young" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 10:25:12 PM |
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kathryn wrote:
"Uncle Vic" <address@withheld.com> wrote in message
news:cLadnas8PdDQL8_ZRVn-tA@comcast.com...
Sound of Trumpet wrote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary and Opinion
24 April 2006
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by Teófilo
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.
Well, that's that.
No exorcism for you then?
Vic was 'done' a long time ago
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| User: "bob young" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 10:23:45 PM |
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Uncle Vic wrote:
Sound of Trumpet wrote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary and Opinion
24 April 2006
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by Teófilo
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.
Well, that's that.
Absolutely, one must be a follower of banal superstition
--
Uncle Vic
aa#2011
Member, Earthquack's 666 club
Supervisor, EAC department of little adhesive-backed shiny plastic
L-shaped doo-dads to add feet to Jesus Fish department
It is safe to say that the bible contains equal amounts of fact, history
and pizza.
-Penn Jillette
.
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| User: "DanielSan" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
28 Apr 2006 10:38:24 PM |
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Sound of Trumpet wrote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
=20
=20
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
=20
=20
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary and Opinion
=20
24 April 2006
=20
=20
=20
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by Te=F3filo
=20
=20
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
=20
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil.=20
And I don't.
--=20
*****************************************************
* DanielSan -- alt.atheism #2226 *
*---------------------------------------------------*
* "You can safely assume that you've created God in *
* your own image when it turns out that God hates *
* all the same people you do." --Anne Lamott *
*****************************************************=09
--
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| User: "Matt Giwer" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 12:38:20 AM |
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Sound of Trumpet wrote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary and Opinion
24 April 2006
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by Teófilo
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
To believe in exorcism you must first believe in the devil. Exorcism is
the act of driving out or warding off evil spirits from persons,
places, or things. The means employed for this purpose are especially
the solemn and authoritative adjuration of the demons, commanding them
in the name of God to leave the person or the object which is under
their malevolent influence.
Given the exchange between Lucifer and Yahweh in Job they are clearly fellow
gods. It is incorrect to assume the OT people were monotheists.
Thus Satan first appears in the Gospels tempting this Jesus character.
That is also his last appearance.
Do you have anything better?
--
Life is not a mistake. But a live lived often is.
-- The Iron Webmaster, 3618
nizkor http://www.giwersworld.org/nizkook/nizkook.phtml
antisemitism http://www.giwersworld.org/antisem/ a1
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| User: "Peter Jason" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 01:16:26 AM |
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This MUST be a fake. What self-respecting
priest would have a name like "Hardon"?
"Sound of Trumpet"
<soundoftrumpet@hoshmail.com> wrote in
message
news:1146269919.833302.173500@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary
and Opinion
24 April 2006
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by
Teófilo
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
To believe in exorcism you must first believe
in the devil. Exorcism is
the act of driving out or warding off evil
spirits from persons,
places, or things. The means employed for
this purpose are especially
the solemn and authoritative adjuration of
the demons, commanding them
in the name of God to leave the person or the
object which is under
their malevolent influence.
Among polytheistic religions the use of
protective means against the
molestation of evil spirits is an essential
part of their worship of
the deities. The benevolent gods are invoked
for whatever help people
need. The malevolent gods are propitiated,
especially by sacrifice, in
order to ward off the harm which these evil
deities can perpetrate.
Centuries of the history of polytheism show
that among these sacrifices
have always been children, and even infants,
whose lives had to be
taken to satisfy the demands of the malicious
deities whom the people
worshipped. Thus we have record of how
literally thousands of children
were killed and offered in sacrifice on a
single day among the Aztecs
in Latin America before the discovery of the
new world.
Old Testament
Before the time of Christ, there is no record
in the Old Testament of
any exorcism being performed by man.
Certainly evil spirits were driven
out of possessed people. But in every case
the exorcism was done either
directly by the Lord or by an angel under
divine authority.
No doubt there were alleged exorcisms
performed by human beings. A
record of these deliverances is found in
Jewish apocryphal writings.
The chief characteristic of these
non-biblical Jewish exorcisms was the
naming of names believed to be effective in
driving out evil spirits.
The principal names used were those of the
good angels, either alone or
in combination with El (God).
It is most significant that there are no
recorded exorcisms performed
by human beings in the Old Testament
Scriptures. The reason is obvious.
If there is one characteristic of the New
Testament, it is the many
deliverances of possessed people by Christ in
the Gospels. Furthermore,
among the powers which the Savior conferred
on His disciples was the
power they would have to drive out evil
spirits.
New Testament
As we enter the New Covenant, two remarkable
phenomena are recorded.
The number of possessed persons in the four
Gospels is almost beyond
counting. Among the evangelists, St. Mark
narrates more cases of
possession and of deliverance by Christ than
in all the other books of
the Bible put together.
The second remarkable feature is the
hostility of the evil spirit in
the possessed persons. This hostility, we may
say, began at the opening
of Christ's public ministry when He was
tempted three times by the
devil.
All the exorcisms performed by Christ were
done in an instant. All He
had to do was to tell the devil to depart,
and the evil spirit left the
victim at the Savior's words.
Not surprisingly, the possessed persons whom
Jesus exorcised were
afflicted in some externally manifest way.
What is crucially important
to understand is that the devil has power to
injure or harm his victim,
both physically and psychologically. Behind
this fact is the mysterious
providence of God who may allow the evil
spirit to harm human beings in
their mental or bodily faculties.
One more thing should be mentioned. The
deluge of possessions which
began with Christ's coming into the world has
set a pattern for all
future time, even to the end of the world.
The history of evangelization reveals that as
the Gospel begins to be
preached in some part of the world, the devil
becomes extraordinarily
active among the people being evangelized. If
there is one
characteristic of the evil spirit, it is his
hatred of Christ.
Exorcism by the Church
The closing book of the Bible is at once a
prophecy and a promise. The
Apocalypse predicts the operation of the evil
spirit, as the
anti-Christ until the end of time. It also
reassures the followers of
Christ that they will overcome Satan provided
they trust in the
Savior's power and are submissive to His
divine will. In His parting
message to the apostles, He told them, "These
signs shall attend
those who believe: in my name they shall cast
out devils" (Mark
16:17).
In the twenty centuries of Christian history,
this promise of the
Redeemer has been dramatically fulfilled.
Our focus in this conference is on exorcism
in the technical sense of a
person authorized by the Church, delivering a
person, or a place, or a
city from what we call the preternatural
malicious influence of the
evil spirit.
Understandably only Christ, acting through
the Church, has the power to
exorcise.
There is an exorcism which is part of the
baptismal ritual. But that is
not our concern here. We are addressing
ourselves to the exercise of
delivering persons or places who are
possessed or obsessed by the
devil.
Just a short clarification. Obsession means
that the devil afflicts a
person or place externally. Possession is the
result of internal
influence by the devil without, however,
depriving a person the use of
free will.
For centuries one of the minor orders before
the priesthood was that of
exorcist. The Church's present legislation is
very clear:
No one can legitimately perform exorcisms
over the possessed unless he
has obtained special and express permission
from the local Ordinary.
Such permission from the local Ordinary is to
be granted only to a
priest endowed with piety, knowledge,
prudence, and integrity of life
(Canon 1172). As we see, the faculty to
perform an exorcism is now
restricted to ordained priests. Moreover, the
priests must be
outstanding in the virtues identified by the
Code of Canon Law.
As might be expected, the norms for the
practice of exorcism, laid down
by the Church, are detailed and extensive. It
is worth quoting them in
full.
A priest - one who is expressively and
particularly authorized by the
ordinary - when he intends to perform an
exorcism over persons
tormented by the devil, must be properly
distinguished for his piety,
prudence and integrity of life. He should
fulfill this devout
undertaking in all constancy and humility,
being utterly immune to any
striving for human recognition, and relying,
not on his own, but on the
divine power. Moreover, he ought to be of
mature years, and revered not
alone for his office but for his moral
qualities.
In order to exercise his ministry rightly, he
should resort to a great
deal more study of the matter (which has to
be passed over here for the
sake of brevity), by examining approved
authors and cases from
experience; on the other hand, let him
carefully observe the few more
important points enumerated here.
Especially, he should not believe too readily
that a person is
possessed by an evil spirit; but he ought to
ascertain the signs by
which a person possessed can be distinguished
from one who is suffering
from some illness, especially one of a
psychological nature. Signs of
possession may be the following: ability to
speak with some facility in
a strange tongue or to understand it when
spoken by another. The
faculty of divulging future and hidden
events; display of powers which
are beyond the subject's age and natural
condition; and various other
indications which, when taken together as a
whole, build up the
evidence.
In order to understand these matters better,
let him inquire of the
person possessed, following one or the other
act of exorcism, what the
latter experienced in his body or soul while
the exorcism was being
performed, and to learn also what particular
words in the form had a
more intimidating effect upon the devil, so
that hereafter these words
may be employed with greater stress and
frequency.
He will be on his guard against the arts and
subterfuges which the evil
spirits are wont to use in deceiving the
exorcists. For often times
they give deceptive answers and make it
difficult to understand them,
so that the exorcist might tire and give up,
or so it might appear that
the afflicted one is in no wise possessed by
the devil.
Once in a while, after they are already
recognized, they conceal
themselves and leave the body practically
free from every molestation,
so that the victim believes himself
completely delivered. Yet the
exorcists may not desist until he sees the
signs of deliverance.
At times, moreover, the evil spirits place
whatever obstacles they can
in the way, so that the patient may not
submit to exorcism or they try
to convince him that his affliction is a
natural one. Meanwhile, during
the exorcism they cause him to fall asleep
and dangle some illusion
before him, while they seclude themselves, so
that the afflicted one
appears to be freed.
Some reveal a crime which has been committed
and the perpetrators
thereof, as well as the means of putting an
end to it. Yet the
afflicted person must beware of having
recourse on this account to
sorcerers or necromancers or to use any
parties except the ministers of
the Church, or of making any use of
superstitious or forbidden
practice.
Sometimes the devil will leave the possessed
person in peace and even
allow him to receive the holy Eucharist, to
make it appear that he has
departed. In fact, the arts and frauds of the
evil one for deceiving a
man are innumerable. For this reason the
exorcist must be on his guard
not to fall into this trap.
Therefore, he will be mindful of the words of
our Lord (Matthew 17:20),
to the effect that there is a certain type of
evil spirit who cannot be
driven out except by prayer and fasting.
Therefore, let him avail
himself of these two means above all for
imploring the divine
assistance in expelling demons, after the
example of the holy fathers;
and not only himself, but let him induce
others, as far as possible, to
do the same.
If it can be done conveniently the possessed
person should be led to
church or to some other sacred and worthy
place, where the exorcism
will be held, away from the crowd. But if the
person is ill, or for any
valid reason, the exorcism may take place in
a private home.
The subject, if in good mental and physical
health, should be exhorted
to implore God's help, to fast, and to
fortify himself by frequent
reception of penance and Holy Communion, at
the discretion of the
priest. And in the course of the exorcism he
should be fully
recollected, with his intention fixed on God,
whom he should entreat
with firm faith and in all humility. And if
he is all the more
grievously tormented, he ought to bear this
patiently, never doubting
the divine assistance.
He ought to have a crucifix at hand or
somewhere in sight. If relics of
the saints are available, they are to be
applied in a reverent way to
the breast or the head of the person
possessed (the relics must be
properly and securely encased and covered).
One will see to it that
these sacred objects are not treated
improperly or that no injury is
done them by the evil spirit. However, one
should not hold the holy
Eucharist over the head of the person or in
any way apply it to his
body, owing to the danger of desecration.
The exorcist must not digress into senseless
prattle nor ask
superfluous questions or such as are prompted
by curiosity,
particularly if they pertain to future and
hidden matters, all of which
have nothing to do with his office. Instead,
he will bid the unclean
spirit keep silence and answer only when
asked. Neither ought he to
give any credence to the devil if the latter
maintains that he is the
spirit of some saint or of a deceased party,
or even claims to be a
good angel.
But necessary questions are, for example: the
number and name of the
spirits inhabiting the patient, the time when
they entered into him,
the cause thereof, and the like. As for all
jesting, laughing, and
nonsense on the part of the evil spirit - the
exorcist should prevent
it or contemn it, and he will exhort the
bystanders (whose number must
be very limited) to pay no attention to such
goings on; neither are
they to put any question to the subject.
Rather they should intercede
for him to God in all humility and urgency.
Let the priest pronounce the exorcism in a
commanding and authoritative
voice, and at the same time with great
confidence, humility, and
fervor; and when he sees that the spirit is
sorely vexed, then he
possesses and threatens all the more. If he
notices that the person
afflicted is experiencing a disturbance in
some part of his body or an
acute pain or a swelling appears in some
part, he traces the sign of
the cross over that place and sprinkles it
with holy water, which he
must have at hand for this purpose.
He will pay attention as to what words in
particular cause the evil
spirits to tremble, repeating them the more
frequently. And when he
comes to a threatening expression, he recurs
to it again and again,
always increasing the punishment. If he
perceives that he is making
progress, let him persist for two, three,
four hours, and longer if he
can, until victory is attained.
The exorcist should guard against giving or
recommending any medicine
to the patient, but should leave this care to
physicians.
While performing the exorcism over a woman,
he ought always to have
assisting him several women of good repute,
who will hold on to the
person when she is harassed by the evil
spirit. These assistants ought
if possible to be close relatives of the
subject, and for the sake of
decency the exorcist will avoid saying or
doing anything which might
prove an occasion of evil thought to himself
or to the others.
During the exorcism he shall preferable
employ words from Holy Writ,
rather than forms of his own or of someone
else. He shall, moreover,
command the devil to tell whether he is
detained in that body by
necromancy, by evil signs or amulets; and if
the one possessed has
taken the latter by mouth, he should be made
to vomit them; if he has
them concealed on his person, he should
expose them; and when
discovered they must be burned. Moreover, the
person should be exhorted
to reveal all his temptations to the
exorcist.
Finally, after the possessed one has been
freed, let him be admonished
to guard himself carefully against falling
into sin, so as to afford no
opportunity to the evil spirit of returning,
lest the last state of
that man become worse than the former.
The Rite of Exorcism
The full ritual for exorcism is some five
thousand words in length. It
consists of the recitation of psalms,
readings from the Gospels, and
lengthy prayers asking God to deliver a
possessed person or place from
infestation by the devil.
Before beginning to exorcise the priest is
instructed to go to
confession, offer the sacrifice of the Mass
and implore God's help.
He is to be vested in a surplice and stole.
He is to bless himself and
the possessed person or persons, using holy
water, pray on his knees,
recite the Litany of the Saints, and only
then begin the formal
exorcism.
Although a bit lengthy, I think the formal
act of exorcism should be
quoted in full. It is both sobering and
enlightening, especially in
view of the widespread influence of the evil
spirit in our day. The
words are addressed directly to the devil:
I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with
every satanic power of the
enemy, every scepter from hell, and all your
fallen companions; in the
name of our Lord Jesus + Christ. Begone and
stay far from this creature
of God. + For it is He who commands you, He
who flung you headlong from
the heights of heaven into the depths of
hell. It is He who commands
you, He who once stilled the sea and the wind
and the storm. Hearken,
therefore, and tremble in fear, Satan, you
enemy of the faith, you foe
of the human race, you begetter of death, you
robber of life, you
corrupter of justice, you root of all evil
and vice; seducer of men,
betrayer of the nations, instigator of envy,
font of avarice, fomenter
of discord, author of pain and sorrow. Why,
then, do you stand and
resist, knowing as you must that Christ the
Lord brings your plans to
nothing? Fear Him, who in Isaac was offered
in sacrifice, in Joseph
sold into bondage, slain as the paschal lamb,
crucified as man, yet
triumphed over the powers of hell. (The three
signs of the cross which
follow are traced on the brow of the
possessed person). Begone, then,
in the name of the Father, + and of the Son,
+ and of the Holy +
Spirit. Give place to the Holy Spirit by this
sign of the holy + cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and
reigns with the Father and the
Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
When the Savior told us that the devil is the
prince of this world, He
meant this literally. Our century has been
the most homicidal, the most
crime ridden and, as the Holy Father tells
us, the most seduced century
in human history. What we need is a global
deliverance by Jesus Christ,
the Divine Exorcist who has overcome the
world.
For more information, read:
- Catholic Encyclopedia article on Exorcism
- CDF - On the Current Norms Governing
Exorcisms
- Prefect for Divine Worship on the New Rite
of Exorcism
- CRNET - Mark 9,38-41, and the Validity of
Protestant and other
Unauthorized Exorcisms
- Bishop Angelo Scola - Satanic Rites in the
Church's Judgement
- Increase in Cases of Demonic Possession
- ZENIT - Satan's Strategy of Confusion
.
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| User: "foolsrushin" |
|
| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 01:49:07 AM |
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Dearest Guys,
After this lot, read on, who wouldn't want a bit of peace an quiet!
--
'foolsrushin'.
Peter Jason wrote:
This MUST be a fake. What self-respecting
priest would have a name like "Hardon"?
"Sound of Trumpet"
<soundoftrumpet@hoshmail.com> wrote in
message
news:1146269919.833302.173500@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of Commentary
and Opinion
24 April 2006
Posted on 04/24/2006 5:47:06 PM PDT by
Te=F3filo
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
To believe in exorcism you must first believe
in the devil. Exorcism is
the act of driving out or warding off evil
spirits from persons,
places, or things. The means employed for
this purpose are especially
the solemn and authoritative adjuration of
the demons, commanding them
in the name of God to leave the person or the
object which is under
their malevolent influence.
Among polytheistic religions the use of
protective means against the
molestation of evil spirits is an essential
part of their worship of
the deities. The benevolent gods are invoked
for whatever help people
need. The malevolent gods are propitiated,
especially by sacrifice, in
order to ward off the harm which these evil
deities can perpetrate.
Centuries of the history of polytheism show
that among these sacrifices
have always been children, and even infants,
whose lives had to be
taken to satisfy the demands of the malicious
deities whom the people
worshipped. Thus we have record of how
literally thousands of children
were killed and offered in sacrifice on a
single day among the Aztecs
in Latin America before the discovery of the
new world.
Old Testament
Before the time of Christ, there is no record
in the Old Testament of
any exorcism being performed by man.
Certainly evil spirits were driven
out of possessed people. But in every case
the exorcism was done either
directly by the Lord or by an angel under
divine authority.
No doubt there were alleged exorcisms
performed by human beings. A
record of these deliverances is found in
Jewish apocryphal writings.
The chief characteristic of these
non-biblical Jewish exorcisms was the
naming of names believed to be effective in
driving out evil spirits.
The principal names used were those of the
good angels, either alone or
in combination with El (God).
It is most significant that there are no
recorded exorcisms performed
by human beings in the Old Testament
Scriptures. The reason is obvious.
If there is one characteristic of the New
Testament, it is the many
deliverances of possessed people by Christ in
the Gospels. Furthermore,
among the powers which the Savior conferred
on His disciples was the
power they would have to drive out evil
spirits.
New Testament
As we enter the New Covenant, two remarkable
phenomena are recorded.
The number of possessed persons in the four
Gospels is almost beyond
counting. Among the evangelists, St. Mark
narrates more cases of
possession and of deliverance by Christ than
in all the other books of
the Bible put together.
The second remarkable feature is the
hostility of the evil spirit in
the possessed persons. This hostility, we may
say, began at the opening
of Christ's public ministry when He was
tempted three times by the
devil.
All the exorcisms performed by Christ were
done in an instant. All He
had to do was to tell the devil to depart,
and the evil spirit left the
victim at the Savior's words.
Not surprisingly, the possessed persons whom
Jesus exorcised were
afflicted in some externally manifest way.
What is crucially important
to understand is that the devil has power to
injure or harm his victim,
both physically and psychologically. Behind
this fact is the mysterious
providence of God who may allow the evil
spirit to harm human beings in
their mental or bodily faculties.
One more thing should be mentioned. The
deluge of possessions which
began with Christ's coming into the world has
set a pattern for all
future time, even to the end of the world.
The history of evangelization reveals that as
the Gospel begins to be
preached in some part of the world, the devil
becomes extraordinarily
active among the people being evangelized. If
there is one
characteristic of the evil spirit, it is his
hatred of Christ.
Exorcism by the Church
The closing book of the Bible is at once a
prophecy and a promise. The
Apocalypse predicts the operation of the evil
spirit, as the
anti-Christ until the end of time. It also
reassures the followers of
Christ that they will overcome Satan provided
they trust in the
Savior's power and are submissive to His
divine will. In His parting
message to the apostles, He told them, "These
signs shall attend
those who believe: in my name they shall cast
out devils" (Mark
16:17).
In the twenty centuries of Christian history,
this promise of the
Redeemer has been dramatically fulfilled.
Our focus in this conference is on exorcism
in the technical sense of a
person authorized by the Church, delivering a
person, or a place, or a
city from what we call the preternatural
malicious influence of the
evil spirit.
Understandably only Christ, acting through
the Church, has the power to
exorcise.
There is an exorcism which is part of the
baptismal ritual. But that is
not our concern here. We are addressing
ourselves to the exercise of
delivering persons or places who are
possessed or obsessed by the
devil.
Just a short clarification. Obsession means
that the devil afflicts a
person or place externally. Possession is the
result of internal
influence by the devil without, however,
depriving a person the use of
free will.
For centuries one of the minor orders before
the priesthood was that of
exorcist. The Church's present legislation is
very clear:
No one can legitimately perform exorcisms
over the possessed unless he
has obtained special and express permission
from the local Ordinary.
Such permission from the local Ordinary is to
be granted only to a
priest endowed with piety, knowledge,
prudence, and integrity of life
(Canon 1172). As we see, the faculty to
perform an exorcism is now
restricted to ordained priests. Moreover, the
priests must be
outstanding in the virtues identified by the
Code of Canon Law.
As might be expected, the norms for the
practice of exorcism, laid down
by the Church, are detailed and extensive. It
is worth quoting them in
full.
A priest - one who is expressively and
particularly authorized by the
ordinary - when he intends to perform an
exorcism over persons
tormented by the devil, must be properly
distinguished for his piety,
prudence and integrity of life. He should
fulfill this devout
undertaking in all constancy and humility,
being utterly immune to any
striving for human recognition, and relying,
not on his own, but on the
divine power. Moreover, he ought to be of
mature years, and revered not
alone for his office but for his moral
qualities.
In order to exercise his ministry rightly, he
should resort to a great
deal more study of the matter (which has to
be passed over here for the
sake of brevity), by examining approved
authors and cases from
experience; on the other hand, let him
carefully observe the few more
important points enumerated here.
Especially, he should not believe too readily
that a person is
possessed by an evil spirit; but he ought to
ascertain the signs by
which a person possessed can be distinguished
from one who is suffering
from some illness, especially one of a
psychological nature. Signs of
possession may be the following: ability to
speak with some facility in
a strange tongue or to understand it when
spoken by another. The
faculty of divulging future and hidden
events; display of powers which
are beyond the subject's age and natural
condition; and various other
indications which, when taken together as a
whole, build up the
evidence.
In order to understand these matters better,
let him inquire of the
person possessed, following one or the other
act of exorcism, what the
latter experienced in his body or soul while
the exorcism was being
performed, and to learn also what particular
words in the form had a
more intimidating effect upon the devil, so
that hereafter these words
may be employed with greater stress and
frequency.
He will be on his guard against the arts and
subterfuges which the evil
spirits are wont to use in deceiving the
exorcists. For often times
they give deceptive answers and make it
difficult to understand them,
so that the exorcist might tire and give up,
or so it might appear that
the afflicted one is in no wise possessed by
the devil.
Once in a while, after they are already
recognized, they conceal
themselves and leave the body practically
free from every molestation,
so that the victim believes himself
completely delivered. Yet the
exorcists may not desist until he sees the
signs of deliverance.
At times, moreover, the evil spirits place
whatever obstacles they can
in the way, so that the patient may not
submit to exorcism or they try
to convince him that his affliction is a
natural one. Meanwhile, during
the exorcism they cause him to fall asleep
and dangle some illusion
before him, while they seclude themselves, so
that the afflicted one
appears to be freed.
Some reveal a crime which has been committed
and the perpetrators
thereof, as well as the means of putting an
end to it. Yet the
afflicted person must beware of having
recourse on this account to
sorcerers or necromancers or to use any
parties except the ministers of
the Church, or of making any use of
superstitious or forbidden
practice.
Sometimes the devil will leave the possessed
person in peace and even
allow him to receive the holy Eucharist, to
make it appear that he has
departed. In fact, the arts and frauds of the
evil one for deceiving a
man are innumerable. For this reason the
exorcist must be on his guard
not to fall into this trap.
Therefore, he will be mindful of the words of
our Lord (Matthew 17:20),
to the effect that there is a certain type of
evil spirit who cannot be
driven out except by prayer and fasting.
Therefore, let him avail
himself of these two means above all for
imploring the divine
assistance in expelling demons, after the
example of the holy fathers;
and not only himself, but let him induce
others, as far as possible, to
do the same.
If it can be done conveniently the possessed
person should be led to
church or to some other sacred and worthy
place, where the exorcism
will be held, away from the crowd. But if the
person is ill, or for any
valid reason, the exorcism may take place in
a private home.
The subject, if in good mental and physical
health, should be exhorted
to implore God's help, to fast, and to
fortify himself by frequent
reception of penance and Holy Communion, at
the discretion of the
priest. And in the course of the exorcism he
should be fully
recollected, with his intention fixed on God,
whom he should entreat
with firm faith and in all humility. And if
he is all the more
grievously tormented, he ought to bear this
patiently, never doubting
the divine assistance.
He ought to have a crucifix at hand or
somewhere in sight. If relics of
the saints are available, they are to be
applied in a reverent way to
the breast or the head of the person
possessed (the relics must be
properly and securely encased and covered).
One will see to it that
these sacred objects are not treated
improperly or that no injury is
done them by the evil spirit. However, one
should not hold the holy
Eucharist over the head of the person or in
any way apply it to his
body, owing to the danger of desecration.
The exorcist must not digress into senseless
prattle nor ask
superfluous questions or such as are prompted
by curiosity,
particularly if they pertain to future and
hidden matters, all of which
have nothing to do with his office. Instead,
he will bid the unclean
spirit keep silence and answer only when
asked. Neither ought he to
give any credence to the devil if the latter
maintains that he is the
spirit of some saint or of a deceased party,
or even claims to be a
good angel.
But necessary questions are, for example: the
number and name of the
spirits inhabiting the patient, the time when
they entered into him,
the cause thereof, and the like. As for all
jesting, laughing, and
nonsense on the part of the evil spirit - the
exorcist should prevent
it or contemn it, and he will exhort the
bystanders (whose number must
be very limited) to pay no attention to such
goings on; neither are
they to put any question to the subject.
Rather they should intercede
for him to God in all humility and urgency.
Let the priest pronounce the exorcism in a
commanding and authoritative
voice, and at the same time with great
confidence, humility, and
fervor; and when he sees that the spirit is
sorely vexed, then he
possesses and threatens all the more. If he
notices that the person
afflicted is experiencing a disturbance in
some part of his body or an
acute pain or a swelling appears in some
part, he traces the sign of
the cross over that place and sprinkles it
with holy water, which he
must have at hand for this purpose.
He will pay attention as to what words in
particular cause the evil
spirits to tremble, repeating them the more
frequently. And when he
comes to a threatening expression, he recurs
to it again and again,
always increasing the punishment. If he
perceives that he is making
progress, let him persist for two, three,
four hours, and longer if he
can, until victory is attained.
The exorcist should guard against giving or
recommending any medicine
to the patient, but should leave this care to
physicians.
While performing the exorcism over a woman,
he ought always to have
assisting him several women of good repute,
who will hold on to the
person when she is harassed by the evil
spirit. These assistants ought
if possible to be close relatives of the
subject, and for the sake of
decency the exorcist will avoid saying or
doing anything which might
prove an occasion of evil thought to himself
or to the others.
During the exorcism he shall preferable
employ words from Holy Writ,
rather than forms of his own or of someone
else. He shall, moreover,
command the devil to tell whether he is
detained in that body by
necromancy, by evil signs or amulets; and if
the one possessed has
taken the latter by mouth, he should be made
to vomit them; if he has
them concealed on his person, he should
expose them; and when
discovered they must be burned. Moreover, the
person should be exhorted
to reveal all his temptations to the
exorcist.
Finally, after the possessed one has been
freed, let him be admonished
to guard himself carefully against falling
into sin, so as to afford no
opportunity to the evil spirit of returning,
lest the last state of
that man become worse than the former.
The Rite of Exorcism
The full ritual for exorcism is some five
thousand words in length. It
consists of the recitation of psalms,
readings from the Gospels, and
lengthy prayers asking God to deliver a
possessed person or place from
infestation by the devil.
Before beginning to exorcise the priest is
instructed to go to
confession, offer the sacrifice of the Mass
and implore God's help.
He is to be vested in a surplice and stole.
He is to bless himself and
the possessed person or persons, using holy
water, pray on his knees,
recite the Litany of the Saints, and only
then begin the formal
exorcism.
Although a bit lengthy, I think the formal
act of exorcism should be
quoted in full. It is both sobering and
enlightening, especially in
view of the widespread influence of the evil
spirit in our day. The
words are addressed directly to the devil:
I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with
every satanic power of the
enemy, every scepter from hell, and all your
fallen companions; in the
name of our Lord Jesus + Christ. Begone and
stay far from this creature
of God. + For it is He who commands you, He
who flung you headlong from
the heights of heaven into the depths of
hell. It is He who commands
you, He who once stilled the sea and the wind
and the storm. Hearken,
therefore, and tremble in fear, Satan, you
enemy of the faith, you foe
of the human race, you begetter of death, you
robber of life, you
corrupter of justice, you root of all evil
and vice; seducer of men,
betrayer of the nations, instigator of envy,
font of avarice, fomenter
of discord, author of pain and sorrow. Why,
then, do you stand and
resist, knowing as you must that Christ the
Lord brings your plans to
nothing? Fear Him, who in Isaac was offered
in sacrifice, in Joseph
sold into bondage, slain as the paschal lamb,
crucified as man, yet
triumphed over the powers of hell. (The three
signs of the cross which
follow are traced on the brow of the
possessed person). Begone, then,
in the name of the Father, + and of the Son,
+ and of the Holy +
Spirit. Give place to the Holy Spirit by this
sign of the holy + cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and
reigns with the Father and the
Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
When the Savior told us that the devil is the
prince of this world, He
meant this literally. Our century has been
the most homicidal, the most
crime ridden and, as the Holy Father tells
us, the most seduced century
in human history. What we need is a global
deliverance by Jesus Christ,
the Divine Exorcist who has overcome the
world.
For more information, read:
- Catholic Encyclopedia article on Exorcism
- CDF - On the Current Norms Governing
Exorcisms
- Prefect for Divine Worship on the New Rite
of Exorcism
- CRNET - Mark 9,38-41, and the Validity of
Protestant and other
Unauthorized Exorcisms
- Bishop Angelo Scola - Satanic Rites in the
Church's Judgement
- Increase in Cases of Demonic Possession
=20
- ZENIT - Satan's Strategy of Confusion
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| User: "Matt Giwer" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 04:11:46 AM |
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Peter Jason wrote:
This MUST be a fake. What self-respecting
priest would have a name like "Hardon"?
"Sound of Trumpet"
<soundoftrumpet@hoshmail.com> wrote in
message
news:1146269919.833302.173500@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
If you really want to know that you have to buy the complete seven year
collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The supplemental Angel series is
recommended. Not Charmed. That is on an entirely different channel.
Seriously there are very few recountings of exorcisms from the exorcist which
can be matched up with popular accounts of the same exorcism. They have never
lived up to the popular version.
But consider Sigmund Freud was a total fraud and con artist who was copied by
L. Ron Hubbard. Still today people talk about Freud as though he were not a
crook and cite his ***** con artist ideas as though they were legitimate.
Con artists claiming to be psycholigists can get state licenses to steal at the
rate of at least $100 and hour from the gullible rubes.
So lets mount an attack on the really damaging frauds before we deal with
exorcists who do not charge.
--
Bush's idea of diplomacy is to make demands at a press conference.
Bush's idea of serious diplomacy is increasting demands.
Bush's idea of justified war is a country refusing those demands.
Bush's idea of history is saying a country did not comply when it did.
-- The Iron Webmaster, 3628
nizkor http://www.giwersworld.org/nizkook/nizkook.phtml
Lawful to bomb Israelis http://www.giwersworld.org/israel/bombings.phtml a11
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| User: "foolsrushin" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 06:31:35 AM |
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Sure, Freud was a fraud:
At the moment, however, I am focusing on another fraud here at
wreck.org.mensa. Who would blink first, wreck.org.mensa or EnlightenMe.
He, she or something andrgynous is jumping up and down after consuming
to much Bailey's, and I am tying to drive the said entity out of rom by
reciting the necessary stuff, found on every Bailey's bottle. I shall
be more than happy to discuss Freud, once I have banished a rather
nasty entity, and I do mean that.
'EnlightenMe': Out, out, out dark spot on mensa.wreck org! Bow-wow!
Snarl-snarl!
--
'foolsrushin'.
PS: I know lots about Freud, and would enjoy an honest discussion: just
help me clean up wreck.org.mensa or we can go to cam.misc: they cannot
do it there!
Matt Giwer wrote:
Peter Jason wrote:
This MUST be a fake. What self-respecting
priest would have a name like "Hardon"?
"Sound of Trumpet"
<soundoftrumpet@hoshmail.com> wrote in
message
news:1146269919.833302.173500@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1620834/posts
What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?
If you really want to know that you have to buy the complete seven year
collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The supplemental Angel series is
recommended. Not Charmed. That is on an entirely different channel.
Seriously there are very few recountings of exorcisms from the exorcist which
can be matched up with popular accounts of the same exorcism. They have never
lived up to the popular version.
But consider Sigmund Freud was a total fraud and con artist who was copied by
L. Ron Hubbard. Still today people talk about Freud as though he were not a
crook and cite his ***** con artist ideas as though they were legitimate.
Con artists claiming to be psycholigists can get state licenses to steal at the
rate of at least $100 and hour from the gullible rubes.
So lets mount an attack on the really damaging frauds before we deal with
exorcists who do not charge.
--
Bush's idea of diplomacy is to make demands at a press conference.
Bush's idea of serious diplomacy is increasting demands.
Bush's idea of justified war is a country refusing those demands.
Bush's idea of history is saying a country did not comply when it did.
-- The Iron Webmaster, 3628
nizkor http://www.giwersworld.org/nizkook/nizkook.phtml
Lawful to bomb Israelis http://www.giwersworld.org/israel/bombings.phtml a11
.
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| User: "Paul Hovnanian P.E." |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 04:30:51 PM |
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With kill files.
--
Paul Hovnanian mailto:Paul@Hovnanian.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
Opinions stated herein are the sole property of the author. Standard
disclaimers apply. All rights reserved. No user serviceable components
inside. Contents under pressure; do not incinerate. Always wear adequate
eye protection. Do not mold, findle or sputilate.
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| User: "foolsrushin" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
03 May 2006 05:51:16 PM |
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Don't worry: I have already done it!
--
'foolsrushin.'
Paul Hovnanian P.E. wrote:
With kill files.
--
Paul Hovnanian mailto:Paul@Hovnanian.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
Opinions stated herein are the sole property of the author. Standard
disclaimers apply. All rights reserved. No user serviceable components
inside. Contents under pressure; do not incinerate. Always wear adequate
eye protection. Do not mold, findle or sputilate.
.
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| User: "Geopelia" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed? |
29 Apr 2006 05:03:46 PM |
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Has long-distance exorcism ever been tried? Say, with Hitler or Stalin?
I expect plenty of folks tried to cast spells on them, but that is a
different matter.
Apparently Hitler was a Catholic. Why wasn't he excommunicated officially?
Now there is a scary ritual!
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| User: "BruceS" |
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| Title: Re: What is Exorcism and How is it Performed?< | | | | |
