The devil in our midst

I have been reading an interesting book lately entitled An Exorcist: More Stories by Fr. Gabriel Amorth, the chief exorcist of Rome, and I'd like to share with the readers some of the author's concepts on the reality of the devil. To most Christians such reality is not debatable. In fact, the Scripture is replete with passages about the devil and his activities among human beings. Father Amorth cites the following biblical lines: "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil" (1 Jn 3:8). "He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil" (Acts 10:38); "Put on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness . . ."(Eph. 6:11-12).

Despite these passages (and many others), how come the Church seems to have taken the reality of the demonic beings for granted? And how come Church fathers have neglected the practice of exorcism? Here's the author's comment: "Catholicbishops, almost without exception, have never performed or witnessed an exorcism. How, then, can they be expected to believe in phenomena that are hand to accept even for those of us who, as exorcists, experience them firsthand?"

The reason for this is that "a wall has been erected between us (priests) and yesterday's praxis and the teachings of the Church: an absence of exorcism. And there is a wall of silence as regards Sacred Scripture and, worse, there is an incorrect interpretation of Scripture by some theologians and biblical scholars . . ."

Fr. Amorth's observation is applicable to the viewpoints and practices of the Church in this country. Our priests and bishops seem to have only a peripheral idea of Satan and his horde. Although they mention him in their homilies they normally don't underscore the need to fortify oneself with the armor of God to avoid demonic influence. This explains why with the exception of a few clergymen, the power to exercise seem to be beyond the capacity of most local priests.

I realized this years ago when more than a dozen students in one of the Cebu City high schools exhibited behaviors suggested of demonic influence. Every day for several days they would suddenly fall into a swoon and start tossing about squirming and shouting obscenities. In one of these happenings, I had the victims carried to an improvised treatment area and placed on beds while their co-students were reciting the Rosary and sprinkling holy water in the vicinity. As this was going on, I noticed the parish priest standing by observing. Approaching him, I said, "Father, would you please exorcise these students". "Vey sorry sir", he replied, I don't know how to do it . . . perhaps you can take them to Fr.Kreekienvic in Santo Rosario".

The phenomenon displayed by the students is what Fr. Amorth calls diabolic possession, which according to him is the gravest form of Satanic activity. This type involves a continuing presence of the demon in a human body, and results in a temporary suspension of mental, intellectual, effective, and volitive faculties. Other symptoms include speaking a language unknown to the victim, superhuman strength and ability to know the occult or other people's thoughts. Other types of demonic activities are diabolic oppressions (symptom: unexplicable rage and tendency to isolation, temptation to commit suicide), diabolic obsession (symptom: split personality, experiencing obsessed thoughts, perennial state of prostration, diabolic infestation, a malefic activity directed towards places, such as houses, offices, stores, fields, and objects; diabolic subjugation, a form of voluntary pact with Satan by which the victim submits to the lordships of the devil.

No doubt about it, the devil is present and busy in our midst. Have you not noticed the prevalence of drug abusers, the frequent incidents of "salvaging", and other crimes against person and property? Have you not observed the abundance of printed or digital materials dealing with naked sex or of tv shows that capitalize on violence as their come-on? More subtle is the devil's spell that makes people callous, full of spite and hate, obsessed with wealth and shackled by excessive pride.

Thinking of all these are cannot help but wish that the Church would teach us more about the devil and how to protect ourselves from his wiles.