Be Careful Of Those Who Quote Celebrity Exorcists
I was practicing one of my vices the other day, scrolling through Twitter. I read some Catholics raise concerns about what many people name—celebrity exorcists.
For those of you who do not know, a celebrity exorcist is usually, though not always, a Catholic priest who uploads videos and/or podcasts on one or more of various platforms and addresses issues regarding demonic influence. One of the prime problems with their teachings is similar to the old game “Telephone”. They say something and, eventually, others quoting them take their words out of context and say things like “Father (Exorcist) warns you can be possessed by watching horror movies,” and similar statements.
I lived with an exorcist and I never heard of this from him. In any case, this causes an undo and inaccurate focus on the power of the devil and not enough focus on the ways of God. The devil, I am sure delights in this.
Note what I am writing. I am not saying the exorcist says this, I am saying that others say the exorcist says this. I believe this is a problem for the Church and really do wish that so-called celebrity exorcists stopped posting on YouTube and other venues.
I believe the devil is real and I believe sin is real but I also believe that we have a mission to focus people on the will and power of God. It is not the role of any priest or even Catholic minister of any type to get people to focus on the demonic even in the name of avoiding it.
One of the things I teach is something exorcists taught me, the most powerful form of exorcism is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I also explain that no one does movies about this potent rite because it just does not work in story form.
I learned from an exorcist who studied the case on which the book and movie were based on helping people renounce those attachments that become openings to sin and the demonic. This is exactly what the sacrament of reconciliation does. Someone comes into the confessional and confesses their sins. Their confession is actually renouncing their unhealthy connection to that which is against the will of God. This is why the firm intention of amending their life is so important because it is a form of renunciation and breaking the bonds of sin. Unfortunately, many do not teach this and just proclaim the rules of a good confession and not the reason for the rules.
When you help people understand the work of the grace of the sacrament you can see just how powerful it is. You can also see just how powerful all the sacraments are because they are a source of God’s grace.
Unfortunately, they rarely come with fireworks but fireworks sell movies, TV shows and books.
People forget that the Rite of Exorcism is a sacramental and it is not as powerful as one confession because that is a sacrament. The whole of the sacrament is that one has an encounter with God Himself and it is God that initiates it.
We understand no one enters a confessional unless they are guided there by the Holy Spirit. So, we know these are all manifestations of the Father’s love expressed through the priest In Persona Christi.
Several years ago, I wrote an article that I linked to the Catholicism subreddit on Reddit which is literally one of the most popular forums on the platform. I explained that someone who may feel they are possessed needs to see a neurologist. I added that my experience shows that people would rather learn they are possessed by thousands of demons than they need to see a medical professional.
Many of the faithful do not know that some of what people feel are demonic manifestations are actually neurological issues. One symptom of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy can be in fact seeing demons or angels.
As one exorcist told me if someone has a brain tumor and you treat him or her for possession the patient will die of a brain tumor.
However, a few people in the forum complained about “these priests who will not simply go over and bless someone.” You can see the problem with not understanding the issue more holistically.
Exorcism is reserved to the bishop and he has to authorize it. The reason is, according to exorcists, the devil only recognizes the authority of the bishop. So if someone starts to perform one without his permission, the devil will say “The Church is not here,” and the exorcism will fail.
The danger with this focus on exorcism is by default the podcasts and videos can encourage people to be prideful in their knowledge of the workings of the demonic. Whenever I hear of an exorcist boasting of his successes I really get nervous. A prudent exorcist will be humble and careful of any form of boasting.
Many years ago, I learned the lesson that we do not fight evil hence the reason why we do not cast out demons, God does.
Malachi Martin in his book Hostage to the Devil tells the story of someone who attempts just that. Instead of speaking in the name of Jesus, he spoke in his own name and was thrown against the wall. We do not have the power to fight evil directly only God does so we ask him to battle for us. When people get caught up in the drama of ministries of deliverance or exorcism they can be filled with their own power and this is dangerous.
We are currently in the period of Lent and many people focus on sin and try to turn away from it. There are many who will share ways to turn from the sin that focus on the work of the devil in unhealthy narratives. We need to call the faithful to the power of the sacraments and instruct them on this rather undramatic but potent avenue of grace and healing.
I would not necessarily call people to reject the teachings of celebrity exorcists but I would encourage them to have a more complete understanding of all that the Lord gives us to lead us to eternal life.
One of the disciplines we have in the Fraternity of Priests is daily prayer and many members pray the rosary daily. These are powerful weapons against evil. In my own life, I’ve prayed a holy hour since the seminary and I know it is an essential part of my priesthood. We also have a call to the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis. These are powerful tools for our own priesthood but they are also powerful tools for all sincere Catholics.
During the Covid lockdowns, I encouraged people to use YouTube or other video services to stream live Eucharistic Adorations that Catholic parishes and shrines offer on a regular base. What I found fascinating is some of these streaming forms of adoration come from well know devotions such as the Divine Mercy Shrine in Vilnius, Lithuania, The Maximilian Kolbe Shrine in Illinois and so many others. These are great tools even now for the laity to use to assist in their prayers and to deepen their faith.
It also leads people to focus on Christ.
I always explain to people the words of St. Alphonsus Liguori who taught us to speak to Jesus as we would a good friend. I also add that he said it is those who pray who are saved. I also remember the words of St. James, resist Satan and he will flee you.
These are the messages people need to hear in a world where the words of celebrity exorcists can be ubiquitous. Again, I am not implying any malicious intent on their part but they have no control over their words once they leave their video channel or podcast and those words can lead people on a path they do not belong.
Many years ago an exorcist sent me out to check out a case, a woman seemed to act strange and speak a strange unknown language. I prayed with her and her family but also encouraged the family to take her to the emergency room. I learned later that the doctor took one look at her and said she was possessed. He did not have the training or ability to make that diagnosis. One exorcist explained to be the two things he despised: priests who immediately dismissed such cases as medical and doctors who immediately dismiss such cases as possession. A full evaluation is in order.
I later spoke to a pharmacist, anonymously described the symptoms and asked if this could be caused by a bad interaction of medicines. She said, yes. That was my original suspicion by the way.
Help your people to understand the power of the sacraments and to warn them from taking the words of celebrity exorcists at a higher level than even the teachings of the Church.
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