"Exorcism" (part I)

“Jesus and Burritos” tonight, 6 pm, followed by Christmas decorating and raffle for $50-$100 Visa gift cards. Should be fun!

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I just finished a fascinating and powerful book by Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, “Exorcism and the Church Militant”. Strap on your salvation gear for this one! It is hard hitting. Fr Euteneuer is very active in pro-life ministry and is also an exorcist. He tells some stories from exorcisms that tell the “real story” as opposed to what Hollywood tries to depict. For some, the real deal is scarier. For all, exorcisms are so intriguing because they are real…evil really exists and Christ’s power over it exists. We will try to get Fr. Euteneuer or some other exorcist to speak here next semester. I would appreciate comments from GW Catholics about the following excerpts from the book:

“Once, in an exorcism, a demon used the person’s actual voice to attempt to throw me off the track. The person said to me in her natural voice, ‘I think he’s gone, Father. No, I am sure he is gone, I feel so much better. ‘ I suspected that it might be the demon speaking, so I commanded the person to recite the Hail Mary, and when the person refused, I knew whose the voice was. There are many other ways demons attempt to deceive the exorcist: half truths, mumbling, vague or symbolic answers, etc. Demons are like the most inveterate criminals under interrogation who will not give information except under the greatest duress.” (p.84)

“In a recent deliverance I conducted, the unclean spirit yelled out, “I hate priests!” but he had no power to harm me or the two other priests in attendance. The devil cannot effectively harm the exorcist who endeavors to live in a state of grace and fortifies himself against the wiles of the devil, as both St. Paul and St. Peter admonish in their writings. A priest can be harmed, however, if he is imprudent or inattentive to his enemy. For example, the first exorcism done on the boy whose case formed the basis of the movie, The Exorcist, was performed by a young priest whose arm was gashed from the shoulder to the wrist by the demon wielding a sharp piece of metal he had pulled out of the bed spring. The wound required more than one hundred stitches. This was the case of an inexperienced priest attempting to exorcise a very powerful demon. The exorcism was unsuccessful, and the priest eventually handed the case on to another priest.” (p.88)

“Pope John Paul II in fact performed three exorcisms during his tenure as pope. The first was in 1978, the second in 1982 and the third one was in September of the year 2000 at the end of a papal audience. Apparently, the latter occurred when a 19-year-old Italian woman who had a history of demonic problems and had had an exorcism the previous day was in the papal audience and began to scream with a demonic voice as the Pope left the audience. The Holy Father prayed over her for half an hour and ordered the devil to leave, unsuccessfully. Another priest spent two more hours with her that day, also unsuccessfully, but of course, as has been noted many times in this book, an exorcism is not an “event” – even if a pope is performing it. It is always a process. Allegedly, the young woman continues under the care of an exorcist in Rome.” (p.90)

“Some years ago I was asked by a particular diocese to investigate the case of a woman who was asking for an exorcism. Hers was a very advanced state of possession when I met her, and this is the story of her exorcism. I used the 1614 Rite of Exorcism in its English translation to conduct the exorcism sessions.” (p.188) …

The incredible, dramatic story to be continued…

Here is Fr Euteneuer on TV years ago performing a spiritual work of mercy (admonishing the sinner). From what I understand, he tried to reach out privately to Mr. Hannity to admonish him before doing it publicly. I don’t know if he handled the whole situation perfectly, but he does an excellent job in articulately and courageously defending the Church in a hostile interview. Go Father!