Tonight I listened to a lecture on exorcism. It was a very interesting and eye-opening discussion about the reality of demonic forces in the world.
One of the things that struck me particularly was the way in which the harassment of Satan usually manifests itself. It is not in the flashy Hollywood ways of vomiting pea soup or speaking in foreign tongues -- not usually anyway. It is in the infestations, obsessions and oppressions that we all inevitably encounter and, if left unchecked, can lead to greater spiritual heaviness and sin.
A good point made by our speaker, Msgr. John Essef, one of the leading exorcists in the US, was that we, as baptised Christians, have more power than we realize against evil forces. This is especially true with regard to binding evil spirits. According to Canon Law and the Ritual of Exorcism, only a bishop has the authority to exorcise from possession or give that authority to another, but all baptized Christians, and particularly Catholic priests have the ability and really the obligation to bind demons that infest, oppress and obsess.
The best way to do this is, first and foremost, to be a man of prayer. For the priest, this is more than simply do the bare-minimum, like saying Mass, reading the Liturgy of the Hours and attending to the obligations of the parish. It is specifically making time for God. This means "praying without ceasing" in all that we do and to bring all that we do to God, through His angels and saints.
Mary plays a very central role in this. through her intercession, her guidance as a loving a compassionate mother, she points to her Son and directs our gaze and footsteps to the true mediator of God and Man: Christ Jesus.
So, with a friend, I have decided to begin a journey of prayer. Starting today, I have begun my preparation for Total Consecration of myself to Jesus Christ, Wisdom incarnate, through the hands of Mary, according to the prayers and guidance given by St. Louis Marie de Monfort. I am hopeful that this consecration will strengthen not only my devotion to the Blessed Mother, but, through that strengthening, the realization of my beloved sonship to the Father that I share with Christ, my brother, my King and my God.
Please pray for me and for all here at IPF, as we seek to do God's Will and make it manifest in our interactions with others, but most importantly, in our interactions with God Himself.
Love, love, love the Consecration... I need to re-read everything again! Caleb & I made it a year or two ago. We talk about possession all the time, exactly as you speak of it here, so this was interesting.
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