The ultimate struggle between good and evil

Colleen O'Doherty

 

 

"When they [Jesus and his disciples] came ashore a man from the town who was possessed by demons met him...then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?' He replied, "Legion, for we are many...'"Luke. 8:27-30.

 

So begins one of many tales of exorcisms found in the Bible. Exorcisms have been around for centuries and are in multiple religions. They predate Jesus and are still part of the Catholic tradition.

 

The definition of an exorcism varies somewhat depending on where one looks. The Catholic dictionary defines it as "Expelling of demons from persons or things," while www.themystica.com describes it as "...placing the Devil or demon on oath...or invoking a higher authority to bind the entity in order to control it and command it to act contrary to its own will."

 

No matter what definition one chooses, it doesn't change the fact that exorcism is a lengthy, difficult process. Father Michael Gutgsell, head of curia at the Archdiocese of Omaha and is well informed on exorcisms, said that the first step is to make sure the person is truly possessed.  He said, "You must eliminate all possible natural explanations."

 

He also said such questions as, "Are you able to pray?" and "Are you baptized? If you are, have you renounced your baptism? Have you renounced God?" are asked of the person claiming to be possessed as well. Gutgsell said these questions are asked because a person cannot be baptized or able to pray if they are possessed because these elements cancel each other out.

 

According to www.cnn.com, signs that someone is possessed range from speaking unknown languages to having physical strength that is disproportionate to one's age or body.

 

Once it is established that someone is possessed, the next step is to get the express permission of the local diocesan bishop to perform the exorcism. The bishop will assign an official exorcist.

 

The exorcist himself must be, "...a man of tested virtue," Gutgsell said. This is because the exorcist is at risk of being possessed or manipulated by the demon. The website www.themystica.com explains, "The greatest danger to the exorcist is becoming possessed by the Devil or demon himself. This is the reason why the exorcist must feel as free of sin as possible and feel no need for punishment. Otherwise, the devil or demon can easily entrap him."

 

The exorcist must also be physically strong because, "It's not only trying on the soul but trying on the body," Gutgsell said.

 

In addition, the exorcist usually works with others. "Three other people usually assist the exorcist. One is a junior priest who...monitors the exorcism, helping the exorcist when possible not to be distracted by the possessive demon. Others can include a medical physician and a family member,"www.themystica.com said.

 

The exorcism itself can be performed on all people, Catholic and non-Catholic, and entails multiple prayers and symbols for rebuking the evil entity. Such elements as salt, representing purity, and wine, representing the blood of Jesus, are present. Also, the demoniac is supposed to hold a crucifix during the procedure, and the exorcist may use such items as holy water, holy relics, and Biblical scriptures and prayers.

 

The formula for exorcism itself, which was updated for the first time since 1614 in 1999, according to www.themystica.com, follows the ensuing steps:

 

The presence: The exorcist discovers that the person is possessed and then attempts to find out the entity's name in order to control it.

 

Breakpoint: The devil's pretense collapses and it reveals itself for what it is. Terrible sights, noises, and odors may accompany this step. The demon turns on its victim.

 

The voice: The voice of the demon appears, but it must be silenced for the exorcism to continue.

 

The clash: The exorcist is now in direct battle with the demon. All of Heaven, angels, saints, etc. are invoked.

 

Expulsion: The demon is finally cast out.

This process can take days, weeks, or months depending on the situation.  The process isn't popularized and isn't widely available to the public. This fact can be observed through Hollywood's oftentimes-inaccurate representations of exorcisms.

 

Gutgsell said that the movies don't show how truly scary an exorcism can be. "The real thing is much worse. Movies are make believe, we're dealing with supernatural forces," he said.

 

Since real exorcisms aren't commonly heard of, many people don't really know much about them.

Junior Lauren Watters said, "I suppose it could happen. I've never seen it happen. I half-way believe." She said the concept doesn't frighten her that much. She said, "I'm not frightened easily."

 

Sophomore Catrina LeBron had similar views. She said, "I think it can happen, but I don't think it's happened in a while." She said that the concept only scared her a little.

 

Freshman Claire Van Ormer differed in saying that the concept of exorcisms did perturb her. She said, "We just learned about it in class once. It does frighten me." 

 

So whether a person believes in exorcisms or not, they're still part of popular culture and multiple religions.  While not used as often in the Catholic Church anymore, they do still occur. Luckily, it doesn't seem to be a huge phenomenon, at this point anyway.