[Catholic Caucus] Exclusive excerpt from Father Euteneuer's book on exorcism

Below is the Introduction to Exorcism and the Church Militant, a new book authored by Father Tom Euteneuer, president of Human Life International.

This mission cannot be accomplished without entering into conflict with "the world, the flesh and the devil." It is not a mission for the fainthearted or for those who wish to take the wide road to heaven. It is the path of warfare, of spiritual battle. And although we know that Our Lord has fought that battle before us, and won, every age of the Church must take up arms anew and fight it until the end of time. Let it be said with certainty that those who embrace wholeheartedly the Church's mission to save souls will live a difficult life, one full of challenges and at times real sorrows, but, at the same time, a life imbued with immense blessings that accrue only to those who risk everything for Christ. It is for those who "fight the good fight" for souls in hand-to-hand combat with the devil that this book is written, to support, encourage and strengthen them in their conflict with the forces of evil arrayed against man's salvation. Theirs is the work of the Church Militant.

In today's day and age, Satan is growing exponentially more powerful due to the enormity of human sinfulness, and the Church must confront his power either willingly or unwillingly. Satan is normally "hidden in the dark sea of human sin and error," like Leviathan of the Old Testament, but nowadays he is walking tall in powerful structures of sin like abortion, pornography, sex slavery, rapacious greed and terrorism. He flexes his muscles in the massive diffusion of errors and sinful practices like the doctrines of myriad false religions, pernicious ideologies like radical feminism and "pro-choice" extremism, the militant homosexual movement and the aggressive mass media which is the ministry of propaganda for Satan and all his works and all his empty promises.

Never in all of history have we seen evil promoted so effectively and the true good so roundly mocked and rejected as in this age of extreme technological prowess. Although evil has existed since the dawn of time and manifested itself to the world, the difference between the modern world and past generations is that Satan has a greater ability to use groups and institutions for increasing his wicked reach into human life and society. No longer is evil just practiced in the haunts of cemeteries, seedy parlors and hidden covens. Nowadays, objective evil is displayed out in the open air with impunity, celebrated in the public forum and strategized in plush board rooms. Whole industries and power groups are dedicated to its promotion and dissemination, and sometimes the sheer power of these industries of immorality defies imagination. They target the younger generations with an immense seductive force, and the young are almost entirely unequipped to deal with this tyranny of sin due to unparalleled attacks on faith, marriage, family and innocent human life in modern times. Not only do young people not know the truth about their salvation; they don't even know that they don't know it.

The 21st century is a moral and spiritual battlefield of such immense proportions that no era of human history will have ever seen a war like it. Satan is using the cumulative force of this world's sinfulness to re-define life as we know it. Now, this war is not just against trained combatants. It is total war against all that is sacred and natural. It is a war against humanity itself, something unseen before in all of history with the possible exception of atheistic Communism.

The devil now arrogates to himself the right to control the totality of human existence even in so-called free societies: from manipulating the very act of creation (in vitro fertilization, cloning, Human Genome); to the authority over life and death (abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia); to the definition of human sexuality and marriage (birth control, divorce, homosexual unions); to the very prospect of human annihilation (nuclear war, genocide and the impending New World Order). Nothing escapes the rebellious forces of hedonism and secularism in their violent march through our world. They creep into the fabric of our lives and families like a vapor until they have poisoned the entire environment and make everyone believe that their toxicity is "normal." If the measure of a war's ferociousness is the number of casualties, the modern war to exterminate souls is unprecedented in the history of humanity; it is nothing short of history's worst nuclear holocaust in spiritual terms.

Malachi Martin, in the 1992 preface to his book, Hostage to the Devil, said that "ritualistic Satanism and its inevitable consequence, demonic Possession, are now part and parcel of the atmosphere of life in America....such pervasive cultural desolation is the most fertile ground one could possibly imagine for the causes of Possession to take root and flourish in almost unimpeded freedom." It must be kept in mind that such a frightening observation was made at a time before the advent of the Internet, the massive diffusion of New Age beliefs and the Harry Potter books and movies. Martin's observations suggest that this evil is so all-encompassing that only the authority of God Himself, borne and administered by the Church, is adequate to meet this challenge.

We know from our catechism that the whole Church of Christ is not confined just to this earthly realm. The battle against Satan has already been won in heaven and purgatory, and only in this earthly realm is the devil allowed to work. God, in His Mercy, certainly has not abandoned us to the forces of evil, though. There is one spiritual force on earth that can counter the hubris of Satan and his apostate angels and conquer them. That force is the "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church," which, in my opinion, has been singularly unprepared for and unengaged in the hard work of spiritual warfare since the Second Vatican Council. By this I mean that if the institutional Church on earth were ever to train its members to be spiritual combatants and aggressively apply its great authority against the power of evil in this world, the evils mentioned above would simply not be able to exist in their potency or scope. As it is, the Church has yet to seriously enter the battle and become what it is called to be, namely, the Church Militant.

The hour is late, Satan's forces are already assembled, and the Church's army and its officers must stir for battle. The trumpet call of Christ our Commander beckons. Souls are at stake, and the devil's only real hope for victory is that the Church will sit this one out. The devil certainly "knows that his time is short" and would be much shorter should the Church of Christ ever take the call to spiritual warfare seriously. When our Lord healed a paralytic by forgiving his sins and restoring him to health, the Gospel said that "a feeling of awe came over the crowd, and they praised God for giving such authority to men." Indeed, that spiritual authority has been given to the men of the Church for the protection, sanctification and saving of souls — it only has to be used.

The transformation of exorcism into a popular cultural phenomenon in recent decades has led to a major distortion of both the Church's mission to expel demons and the power of the devil. A main concern of this present work is the taking back of this important pastoral ministry of the Church from the realm of the internet, movies and tabloids and placing it back in the hands of priests where it belongs — the true officers of the Church Militant.

Exaggerated pop images of exorcism falsely define people's understanding of the Church's ancient ritual that is meant to liberate victims of the devil from these very deceptions. Popular movies like The Exorcist (1973) and The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), while containing some truthful elements, have done very little to present a correct picture of exorcism itself. These movies and others, for the sake of sensationalizing the power of the devil, present the Church and her priests as being the underdogs in a fight against the devil and oftentimes as weak or reluctant combatants. While there are certainly moments of heroism depicted in these movies, the devil is shown as powerful and tantalizing, sort of like one who always seems to have the upper hand against the Church. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Exorcists are never in a position of subjugation to the evil one during the course of an exorcism, nor is the devil ever entertaining and enthralling like he is portrayed in the movies. He is pure evil, and that is never lost on the one who has to face him down in a possession.

A correct understanding of exorcism can also divest many people of a dangerous fascination with the occult. No sane person who truly understands the nature of demons would be fascinated with them or their works. Due to its mysterious nature, exorcism will never be totally removed from popular distortions or fear, but priests can assure that the Church's rightful patrimony is understood by the faithful and people who need sacramental assistance against demons. The priest's work is to fortify Christians to "reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises."

The organization of the chapters in this book is meant to introduce people to the diverse dimensions of exorcism. Through a discussion of the nature of Christ's high-priestly ministry of exorcism, the nature of the demonic forces that afflict men and the rightful authority of the Church over evil, readers will understand better the theological and pastoral dimensions of exorcism. Furthermore, I have made every attempt to rely on only the most reputable sources on exorcism from the tradition and modern writings that are tested and orthodox. I pray that this work will become a resource for many in their fight against the forces of evil.

Exorcism is best understood in the context of evangelization and the care of souls, and, as such, is the proper office of ordained Catholic priests. As such, the second purpose of this work is precisely to help Catholic priests recognize that exorcism is a normal and very important form of pastoral ministry in the care of souls. In times to come, priests will be increasingly called upon to expel real demons from truly demonically-afflicted individuals who have, in one way or another, fallen into the seductions and empty promises of the master deceiver.

Occult influences have been unleashed into our modern world like the emptying of a demonic Pandora's Box of unclean spirits. The popularity of the New Age movement, the rise of Satanism as an organized and institutionalized force, the flood of satanic video games and Heavy Metal music, the massive diffusion of occult terminology and images through the immensely-popular Harry Potter series and other youth-targeted entertainments, like the rash of modern vampire movies, assure that Catholic priests will be very busy in the next decade.

To aid priests in a proper understanding of the nature of exorcism, one chapter explains how exorcisms are actually conducted, which may help to take away some of the mysticism or fear related to a ritual that any priest can perform (with the proper authorization). I also attempt to provide some clarity in the nebulous area of differences between the ministries of exorcism, deliverance and healing and some practical rules for discernment of ambiguous cases. Chapter 7 will show priests that exorcism is a truly pastoral ministry, worthy of their engagement, and will give them principles and best practices for helping their parishioners discern the presence and power of evil in their lives. It concludes with some of my personal recommendations for resources on spiritual warfare and discernment which will be helpful to any priest wishing to give people guidance and direction in these matters. The bibliography included at the end of this book will be a resource for information on exorcism and deliverance.

This book is essentially for priests, but it may be read with benefit by any lay person who is interested in spiritual warfare. It offers only one priest's point of view but has been written after fairly extensive consultation with other priests in the ministry and attempts to be as comprehensive as possible on the subject while keeping the text relatively short and readable. I have organized six of the seven chapters in a short question and answer format to facilitate the book's use as an ongoing reference source, and not just something that is read from cover-to-cover. The detailed Index and Table of Contents are given for this same purpose.

As in all things related to faith and morals, I submit my views on these matters to the final judgment of the Church's Magisterium and welcome any feedback and correction from priests, more capable than I, who are involved in this ministry. We can all benefit from further fraternal dialogue on these matters. It is my thesis that the devil's spiritual warfare on our flocks will intensify as the years proceed and that all Christians, but especially priests, will have no choice but to engage more deeply in the spiritual battle for souls. There is no time like the present to begin the training. Read more... [emphasis/link; mine]

There are elements in spiritual warfare that are best left to our priests, and a morbid curiosity about exorcism can indeed be dangerous ... I sent a friend at our TLM a copy of the longer version, and when he discussed it with our pastor, our pastor actually recommended against laity using the longer version, because the longer version is much more akin to exorcism prayers, which should be reserved to the priest, implying that there was a danger in laity attempting any kind of exorcism itself.
Yes, "morbid curiosity" is a good way to phrase it. My daughter had an exorcist come to her college to speak and there was quite a turnout. Therese said the students were really stunned a bit, as they had only known of exorcisms through the "spectacular" movies. As far as the long version of the St. Michael prayer, I wouldn't have imagined it to not be used because of that reason. I never gave it much thought (thanks for the info!).

Funny, after you mentioned Stella d'Oro, I noticed on our walk home from church today that every third or fourth house had some blooming. They are used a lot in our neighborhood as well. I do have some hostas around Mary and another plant that I've forgotten the name of (has beautiful veiny heart-shaped medium green leaves with tiny blue flowers in the spring). And I sent for some night scented stock seeds although I would imagine it might be too late to plant those. They are beautifully scented; intoxicating actually. Have you smelled them?

I'm sure you are correct about other saints in heaven that we know nothing about. My sister's friend passed away and her rosary turned gold in her casket and the priest literally saw her in heaven the night of her wake while he was driving home. Somehow he was able to have the vision and still operate the car. Anyway, I asked my sister for her wake prayer card and frequently I will ask her for intercessory prayer. So you'll have to ask some intercessory prayer (her name was Diane by the way) so that you no longer have ~~nightmares~~ ~~dreams~~ nightmares with Obama and Clinton in them. :):)

Martin had been kind of relegated to the fringes for a long time.

Actually, I only read a few of his books, but he probably fell afoul of the hierarchy with his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Church" and others I didn't read. The D and F was especially captivating, dealt with church history, parts of which were unsavory. I believe he mentioned the early Jewish Christians, and I've always been curious what happened to them, whether they died out or were assimilated. Many were martyred.

I used to listen to him on Art Bell, taped a few interviews on VHS, have one show left, sent one to somebody in Canada and never got it back. Oh well. Most guests on that late show I'm extremely leery about and don't listen to them.

I never really figured him out, they smeared him in the end, the one I remember was an article in the Guardian alleging an an affair at an earlier period in his priesthood IIRC and also the business about his landlady.

But a lot rang true. I'd forgotten he was so heavily into exorcism. Maybe he saw the need where he lived in NYC and in Rome itself. Post Vatican II was a tumultous time for the church which is what I think may have made him choose the path he did. He might have helped a lot of people for all I know.

Somebody mentioned not dwelling too much on evil, point well made. It's just unusual I stumbled across that vid series on youtube, don't generally seek out anything on that topic, but I wanted to know what causes possession years ago, and I must say I got some valuable insights into that but by no means an expert.

Many would mock and find it laughable, relegate it to the "superstitious middle ages". I most certainly know people have been abused and even died by those in various groups outside the church that ought not to have delved into it. There was also supposedly a Catholic exorcism in Germany that ended in the death of the individual. I think that's why they put a huge damper on it because of bad press for the church, never looked into the details.

Then I wondered if Jesus pandered to the superstitious beliefs in his time but decided, no, it was real to him. He knew what he was dealing with and the power. Simon Magus had powers, and only St. Peter was able to best him. So maybe we moderns should take some of it more seriously because psychiatrists/Freud/Jung and their ilk did and do not have all the answers.

But my eyes had been opened some, and I witnessed something at a very unorthodox charismatic catholic mass that left me shocked to the core, have never gotten over it. I came home and fell on my knees and prayed, suddenly had to go and throw up which is unusual for me. That was my answer. Leave it alone. The following day, I called a young priest whom I believe was disturbed about it, too, shared about Dr. Martin and his "Hostage to the Devil" and many other negative experiences I'd had seeking healing the wrong way. I was partially slain in the spirit by that John Wesley Fletcher, the one who introduced Jessica Hahn to Jim Bakker before he got busted and went to prison. The priest had a candle burning, so I felt he was disturbed about it, too, what had happened to him. That's all I dare say, but I can only hope maybe I was able to help that priest in a small way. He was transferred out shortly after, and I was glad he was no longer under the authority of the head priest who mentored him in what I felt was leading the younger one seriously astray.

I'll never know. I just know there is a fifth column in the church, maybe more than that. E. Michael Jones has written extensively about it in back issues of Fidelity magazine, was a great comfort to me to see I was not the only one who had serious questions about what was happening, and I was a nobody, a naive convert at age 48.

I was fervently saying that prayer when I went forward at a healing mass, feel to this day it protected me from being slain in the spirit, that and confession. Most people who went forward went down, including the priest after the mass when a lay couple prayed for him in the altar area right in front of the tabernacle. He went down on the hard marble floor, had metal in his head from a terrible accident he'd suffered prior to that, wasn't visibly hurt. But when he came out of it shortly, the man held out his hand to halp him up, he waved him off, so I felt he was irritated about it. He had told us you couldn't be slain against your will.

Curiously it all started with a small group from New Orleans who came here. They had a book, can't remember the title, but checked and it did have an imiprimatur. But it was from Cardinal Sin (curious surname) in, I believe, the Phillipines or SE Asia. The book had a new-age-type illustration of grapes on the cover, wouldn't buy it. I can't find anything on google about any of that now, was in the early 90's.

Why did they not get an imprimatur from the local bishop there in New Orleans or an American bishop? What do I know? My granddaughter and her friend were planning to go to some obscure church (Vineyard?) here locally and get slain in the spirit. I sternly told her not to do it. She wondered why, and I said it was a good way to get yourself possessed. Many would disagree with me, but I stand firm. For once, I think she might have listened to me.

ABC featured a prominent one, can't remember his name, very well known, the flashy one in a white suit who waves and everybody falls over, holy laughter, that sort of thing. Millions are IMO deceived by that, but few will listen. I did an extensive bible search in different versions.

Nowhere but one place did anyone fall backwards when touched by the Spirit of God but prone with their faces to the ground. Just one, the Douay Rheims described the soldier who laid his hands on Jesus as balling backward.

I do have some hostas around Mary and another plant that I've forgotten the name of (has beautiful veiny heart-shaped medium green leaves with tiny blue flowers in the spring)

If the leaves are variegated, it sounds like Brunnera, Jack Frost, very pretty. The blossoms are like Forget-Me-Nots which also bloom in the spring in part shade. It does sound partly shady there. Heuchera (coral bells) are nice for shade, too (don't have any).

That second part was pretty amazing and inspiring, sounds like a faithful priest. As to the dream/nightmare lol, wasn't a bit unpleasant but very unusual for me, chalk it up to a fluke. Most dreams make no sense anyway, the ones I remember, very very rarely dream about anybody famous anyway.

I forgot to mention in my flurry of posts that I like Dr. Kopp's chapel in his home, just lovely.

Your grotto is a little area of peace and tranquillity in a troubled world. Enjoyed sharing with you.

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