Posted on 11/14/2003 7:36:42 PM PST by Canticle_of_Deborah
I am an exorcist in a large French city, and I carry out my ministry under the protection of our Blessed Virgin Mother. In this capacity, I welcome many unfortunate individuals who are tormented and persecuted by Satan. I also hear many healing confessions, and the Lord grants me the joy of being witness to many liberations and cures, which I can only attribute to the merciful intervention of the Mother of God, through the exorcizing prayer of the Church, whose servant and instrument I am. I would like to share one of my many experiences, because it left me somewhat perplexed and because I believe that it might help others.
One day a strange, bizarre man came to my office. Everything about him was unusual: his appearance, his behavior, his extravagant clothes, and most of all, a strong, repulsive, fetid smell! It was not the odor of vice, but something I could not define--something between rotten eggs and sulfur. Immediately, I remembered a type of incense used in some blasphemous sects that, if used often enough, will eventually impregnate the clothes of the members.
I felt that this individual, with his enigmatic and inquisitive behavior, intended to probe me, to guess my thoughts and feelings. Still, I had the impression it was not I whom he suspected, but someone else, because as he was talking, he would suddenly turn toward the door or lower his voice so that only I could hear him. But who? We were alone! At first, I thought that he was afraid of being seen or heard by some other penitient. Finally, I realized that he was afraid that a member of his sect--or even the despicable one to whom he had become enslaved--had followed him to spy on him.
The man's odd suit was ash-purple and strangely fashioned. Slowly and gradually I remembered that I had seen one like it in a magazine, in conjunction with a satanic mass, and I knew that I was seeing one of those liturgical vestments. Then he confirmed my intuition: "My master works mostly at night", he said. That's when I recalled that the magazine article I had seen was describing a liturgy in honor of Lucifer. My visitor told me that he practiced the occult and black magic. I had heard this confession from many others before him, when they were asking for deliverance. On the other hand, I could not understand the reason for this visit because, while he confessed to be tied to a satanic sect that practiced a certain ritual, he did not seem to want to break those ties.
I kept thinking: Why did he come to see me? Surely he wants to be freed from Satan. Or maybe he wanted some consecrated Hosts, to be profaned that same evening? Did he hope to entice me into his sect? Did he simply wish to proclaim the victory of his master? In fact, he continued to speak of victory. The conversation was entirely one-sided; it seemed that he had a momentous message to deliver to me, a small priest of Christ.
The following sentences are taken from notes that I started to jot down as soon as he began to speak: "My master has won over you! We are destroying your Church. My master holds the balance of power between nations and is overwhelming your Church. You will have to recognize it! Yes, Satan's strength in the world, of which the Virgin herself warns in her apparitions, is evident. And it is just as evident that the three pillars (Eucharist, our Lady, Pope) are crumbling among you Christians. As a result, their faith is also crumbling. Paul VI and John Paul II spoke about it; but mostly it is the Book of Apocalypse that talks about it, Satan's battle. It is his hour; but it is also the hour of the Woman clothed with the sun."
When he interrupted his monologue and allowed me to speak, I pointed out that the victory of the demon is only temporary and illusory, of short duration. Jesus, with his Cross, defeated Satan at the exact time Satan believed he had won. And the same will be true for his Church: His current passion brings about the internal renewal that is preparing us for the new Pentecost, which has been so often announced and is so eagerly desired. Satan is one of God's many creatures; he was created good and, through his own fault, became perverted.
"No! Satan is equal to God", my interlocutor quickly interjected. I realized that he did not want to speak about Jesus, only about God. He insisted: "The rebellion was a success!" From time to time he would ask: "Are you not afraid of my master?" He repeated this sentence often, and at first it sounded like a menace. Then I realized that he was voicing his own intimate fears, because Satan sees everything and hears everything. I replied that I was speaking to him in the name of Jesus, whose priest I am, and that nothing could happen to me without his consent. In addition, I was under the protection of the Virgin Mary, especially during exorcisms.
He did not like it when I spoke about the Virgin Mary; he kept trying to change the subject and direct it twoard his master, Satan. Then I reminded him of the protogospel: " I will put enmity between you and the woman" (Gen 3:15) He accepted my speech but with his own, different interpretation: "Satan will bruise her heel (Gen 3:15) means that he will vanquish her." I replied: "How can he vanquish her, if the Woman will bruise his head?" The I proceeded to explain the vision in the Apocalypse, about the Woman clothed with the sun, who fights with the red dragon, and his defeat at Michael's hand. I thought that even in Christ's temptations, as narrated in the Gospels, the biblical texts present us with a battle. But every time I spoke of Mary, the direction of our conversation changed. Against that argument, he felt ill at ease, anguished, and in the end, desperate.
I told him that his master could not give his heart peace, much less happiness. Jesus, instead, brings peace and joy. He freed us precisely from the slavery of Satan, who, at most, could promise us money, power, and human glory. All the while, I was inwardly praying to the Virgin Mary, and I could see that my visitor was losing ground, falling behind. It was clear that all he felt for his master was fear. Then I spoke to him of the love of my Master, who died to save me and who forgave us everything. He spoke of his own blasphemy (his apostasy) with true desperation. Only later, as I reflected on the conversation, I thought of the Gospel reference to "sin against the Holy Spirit"; it seemed to me that this poor, pitiful individual was fully guilty of it.
I invited him to repent, to leave his master; I told him that every night I begged God's forgiveness for every sin, even blasphemy. The man seemed perturbed, torn between two feelings: hope and despair. I asked him if he would accept my prayers on his behalf. He seemed to assent, and I performed a brief, inward exorcism, to banish Satan; then I repeated it out loud. This was too much! He rose to flee, but first he hurriedly revealed his name: Peter. Then he ran out.
I still ask myself about the meaning of that visit. Was that man an emissary sent by Satan to derail me? Did our Lady send him so that I would convert him, or at least pray for him? One thing is certain: This encounter made me touch with my own hand how difficult it is for someone who has been a menber of a satanic sect and who has consecrated himself to the demon to return to God.
(Narrated by Father Christian Curty, O.F.M. exorcist of Avignon, France.) Excerpted from 'An Exorcist--More Stories' by Father Gabriele Amorth.
You think this might be atheist China? Isn't their symbol the red dragon? This could tie in with Fatima prophecies. The Church is being heavily persecuted there.
Only later, as I reflected on the conversation, I thought of the Gospel reference to "sin against the Holy Spirit"; it seemed to me that this poor, pitiful individual was fully guilty of it.
The subject of the unforgivable sin has haunted many a Christian, almost all of whom certainly hadn't committed it, and only God knows if the man in the story had. There's a whole Googly-moogly number of articles on the subject: Googly-moogly.
Do you do outcall for IRS audits?
We are told that some demons come out only with prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29), and to exorcise even one IRS agent might require 24/7 praying while nearly starving to death just getting ready.:)
Yes, I think it very well could be. I also believe that once Russia is consecrated, she'll be a dominant force in the eventual conversion of China.
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