Do you believe in ghosts? Demons? Possession? Certainly many of us must have at least a passing interest in these other-worldly things or we wouldn't being seeing so many stories on the recent exorcism conference sponsored by the U.S. bishops. (The New York Times ran this story this week. We posted about it here last week.)
We are at once intrigued by and cynical about the existence of evil as an actual physical force in our world, one that can cause destruction and, at its worst, possess another person and cause them to do harm to themselves or others. Why is it so easy to believe in God and the power of good in our world, and not the reality of the Devil and the power of evil?
A good friend of mine -- Msgr. William Benwell, vicar general for the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J. -- was at the Conference on the Liturgical and Pastoral Practice of Exorcism sponsored by the USCCB’s Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance. He's not involved in exorcism ministry in any way but was attending in order to get information for his diocese. I asked him what he took away from the conference, and here's his report just for you:
1. There is a need for balance and prudence in approaching the subject of the demonic. It is equally dangerous to see personified evil nowhere and everywhere.I wanted to know what he found most surprising during the conference. Msgr. Benwell said he was most surprised to learned just how many priests in the United States are involved at some level in this ministry. Although his diocese gets an average of six exorcism requests each year, they do not have a team in place to deal with it. Not so in other dioceses.
2. Exorcism ministry is more than the celebration of a ritual. It involves the pastoral care of the Church for the possessed before and after the actual ceremony of exorcism. An exorcised person is freed, but will remain wounded by the experience of having been in relationship with the demonic.
3. Demonic possession is rarely an arbitrary action by the demonic. Possession is a relationship where the possessed has given the demonic some opening. That relationship is broken when the demonic is driven out and replaced with loving relationships with God and family.
4. The primary pathways by which human beings can create an opening for the demonic include curiosity for the occult/demonic that is often coupled with an emotional/psychological need caused by trauma, fear, isolation; and direct engagement in occult/demonic activities.
5. An exorcist never works alone. It is essential that he gather around himself people of deep prayer and experience in the medical and behavioral sciences to assist in both evaluating and addressing cases of possession. (An exorcist must a priest.)
"It's a subject that’s going to take some getting used to for some people," Msgr. Benwell told me.
Here's a little info for the Church history buffs: Before there was an actual Rite of Exorcism, which goes back only to the 17th century, the exorcism prayers that would be said when trying to expel a demon were passages from the Gospel. The most common passage used was the prologue of John’s Gospel, Msgr. Benwell said.
Personally, I get that. I have that very passage hanging by my desk. The reminder that "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" is powerful. Apparently even more so than I had ever imagined.
Msgr. Benwell also explained that the theology of the Rite of Exorcism has changed over the years:
"In the old rite in use from about 1614 up until more recent times... exorcism was described as being like a weapon, where you confronted the devil. The prayers were addressed to the devil. The theology was to confront, to go into battle. The theology behind the new rite is not so much confronting the devil but praying for the possessed, asking God to deliver that person. It’s not so confrontational with the devil. The focus is more the person.Interesting. So confronting the devil directly has more power than tiptoeing around. And, according to those speaking at the conference, so does the thoughtful and prayerful blessing of objects. One exorcist at the conference stressed that priests today are too quick to dismiss or do by rote blessings over an object or house.
"Some bishops have remarked to the Holy See that their exorcists find this new rite ineffective. The Holy See will grant permission, if it’s asked, to use the old rite. So the old rite is probably used more than the new rite."
"If the demonic has power, we have power through Christ," Msgr. Benwell explained.
Some may read all this and smirk or shake their heads, brushing it off as something out of the ancient past, but I think it's a mistake to dismiss evil so easily. I remember when my son was very much into the Harry Potter series. We had no problem with him reading the books, and yet we explained to him that you don't want to spend too much time even with a fiction story that delves into darkness. I believe my exact words to him were: "You don't want to invite darkness into your life. You don't want to get too close to it." Turns out I was onto something.
I asked Msgr. Benwell if he got the sense that there is an increase in the presence of or activity of evil in our world. He told me that the experts at the conference are definitely concerned by what they see as a growing interest in the occult, covens, black magic and other dark arts. He was told that in some dioceses covens outnumber churches, and it's not just a radical fringe involved in covens; it reaches "all strata of society."
If we believe it happened in the past, why can't we believe that it still happens now? Is it because it's too scary to consider, or do we think of it as preposterous? Tell me, I want to hear what you think.
