Catholic Kermit

One of the greatest “gifts” God gave to the Church was the power of exorcism.  What most people think about when you say exorcism is actually a “major exorcism” where the Church determines a demon has possessed someone’s body (but not taking their free will) and a priest (approved by the bishop) does the rite of exorcism (usually done in 5 minutes, but may take several months).  I didn’t explore my ignorance about exorcism (because I thought it may invite bad stuff) until I saw a DVD available called “Interview with an Exorcist”. 

Here’s a few facts that clarified my misconceptions.   Although a demon may possess a body, it does not control a person’s free will.  All priest are taught the rite, but the bishop must approve doing one.  A priest prepares more for the the sacrament of reconciliation than the rite of exorcism.  Priests have been known to successfully perform exorcisms in the state of mortal sin (it’s not a battle between the priest & a demon, it’s between GOD & the demon).  Any prayer denouncing the power of Satan is a prayer of exorcism.  Although a majority of possessions includes some occult practices, even a Christian believer can be possessed (although less likely).

I think I was more afraid of exorcism due to my own ignorance than I am today.  I would recommend more knowledge & understanding to those who may empathize.  A new book supplements the DVD just came out.  More Catholic resources on exorcism are HERE.  The movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose is also pretty good.

I saw an episode of Showtime’s Penn & Teller’s Bullsh*t about exorcism (season 5#5).  They had some ridiculous (non-Catholic) “exorcists” that made the whole rite into a joke, concluding there is no such thing as demonic possession.  They just affirm Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.” 

This is WHY exorcism is a “gift.”  In an exorcism, Satan is manifested (revealing his existence) and the supreme power of God over evil glorifies our Lord.  — but I don’t want to be the person in the middle (possessee).