St Thomas Becket (Tevington submission to Catholic 365)
Exorcism and Popular Culture
Photo by Benjamin Fay on Unsplash
Background/As Per the Catechism
In Day 228 of his Catechism in a Year podcast, Father Mike Schmitz reminds us that the Catechism makes its' points about exorcism in relatively few words:
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authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism.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.
In Interview with an Exorcist, Rev Jose Antonio Fortea makes the point that "confession is a divine gift much greater than exorcism."
Outside of the Catechism
Outside of the Catechism, books and films concerning exorcism are a mixed bag. I have also read or The Devil & Father Amorth, Deliver Us from Evil, An Exorcist Explains the Demonic, Hostage to the Devil (or at least parts of it), Exorcism & the Church Militant, Demonic Abortion,Exorcist: The Beginning, The Exorcist, Interview with an Exorcist ,Legion , andThe Rite - as well as seen some of the respective movies. I have also seen the Exorcism of Emily Rose. All of us would be best served by familiarizing ourselves with the Catechism and/or its compendium.
St Pope Paul VI
In the early 1970s, far more significant than the Exorcist (for anyone truly paying attention) would have been the words of St Pope Paul VI:
- "through some crack, the smoke of Satan has entered the Church of God" (6/29/1972).
- What are the Church's greatest needs at the present time? ....one of the Church's greatest needs is to be defended against the evil we call the Devil....
This matter of the Devil and of the influence he can exert...is a very important chapter of Catholic doctrine which should be studied again, although it is given little attention today....
The Christian...must at times make use of special ascetical practices to escape from certain diabolical attacks. Jesus teaches us this by pointing to "prayer and fasting" as the remedy.[29] And the Apostle suggests the main line we should follow: "Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. "[30]?
With an awareness, therefore, of the opposition that individual souls, the Church and the world must face at the present time, we will try to give both meaning and, effectiveness to the familiar invocation in our principal prayer: "Our Father . . . deliver us from evil!" (11/15/1972)
Conclusion
All of us would be best served by familiarizing ourselves with the Catechism and/or its compendium.
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About the Author
Joe Tevington is a proudly orthodox Catholic, a husband since 1986, a dad to two married adult children, a grandpa to two, and a civil service retiree. He is a sign language fluent certified rehabilitation counselor with graduate degrees in deafness rehabilitation, religious studies/moral theology, & Christian counseling psychology, as well as a catechetical diploma and certificates in benefits planning and Catholic social ministry. He deeply appreciates Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of the transmission of human life, as well as how they are to inform us in our apostolates and ministries.
On much lighter notes, he fancies himself to be the foremost authority on his native Brooklyn, when it comes to architecture, geography, history, Italian food, Saturday Night Fever, stick ball, stoop ball, or wiffle ball.
