EWTN and the exorcist

As one of my first steps to combating stress, I spent the weekend holed up at a bed and breakfast with my girl friends. We ended up drinking sweet red wine while eating corn chips and watching EWTN in the wee hours of the morning.

EWTN, which stands for Eternal Word Television Network, carries Roman Catholic programs. I don’t usually turn to this channel, except when there are significant Catholic events, like a papal election.

My two best friends, Emily and Sherwil, are devout Catholics, and, since we all went to the same Catholic school for most of our young lives, we often have discussions related to our faith. What was interesting about the EWTN program was that it featured a real Catholic exorcist in a Q&A interview.

Fr. Thomas Euteneuer was being interviewed about his new book on exorcism called “Exorcism and the Church Militant” by EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo in a program called The World Over. Fr. Euteneuer has had many media appearances, including on EWTN, but it was the first time I saw how engaging a subject he really is.

He approached the subject with intellect and, sometimes, a touch of wryness. Fr. Euteneuer veered away from the usual attitude towards exorcism—which is of the Hollywood type. The host asked Fr. Euteneuer about his experiences and he said that most of the time, the devil doesn’t come in an ala-The Exorcist way. Sometimes, he said, the devil would just test your patience with little annoyances that will fray your nerves. 

This stirred a discussion between us on the idea of “oppression,” which my two friends always cite when they’re experiencing troubles when organizing retreats and other spiritual activities. We quieted down when we heard Fr. Euteneuer mention the word “complaining,” which prompted Sherwil, the most impatient among us, to say, “I won’t complain again.”

Arroyo asked Fr. Euteneuer if he’s had frightening experiences closer to how Hollywood portrays exorcisms. Yes, he said, but again he stressed they’re not like that most of the time. “The devil is very banal,” he explained.

The host opened up the interview to questions from callers, and one caller asked whether the devil could read minds. The exorcist said that demons, as well as angels, don’t have a physical form, so they don’t really understand words the way humans do. They, however, can pick up thoughts, if these thoughts are addressed to them. The key, then, is not to engage the devil in a dialogue, because it will play tricks with your mind.

For me, the most important thing I picked up was his answer to the host’s question on possessed people upon whom the devil inflict physical pain, like Padre Pio. Fr. Euteneuer said with a wry grin that it only happens in rare cases, like when you are doing significant damage to the devil’s kingdom.

“So that means most of us are all safe?” the host replied with a smile.

That was good to know.

Have a good, enlightening Holy Week, everyone!