Alex,

Regarding this...


My home has had THREE such rituals performed in the last two years.

Alex

Maybe the series "Ghost Whisper" needs to be filmed there...

But I think it has more to do with that previous "Home Improvement" segment...

james

Dear James,

You don't know how right you are!!

It has really "converted" my wife too. We have some Holy Water together in the morning before breakfast.

My wife noticed that our supply of Holy Water is going down and she recently remarked to me, "Just let's not be without any Holy Water in the house. Save some for the 'you-know-what'!"

I definitely will!

Alex

OK...stock up on those 5 gallon(or liter equal)bottles...

james, resident enigma, with Benedictine,Carmelite and Franciscan tendencies, and a wee minor in Byzantine leanings ...

Dr. Eric,

This may soothe your fear.

Several years ago, I read about an exorcism involving a non-Catholic family. When the family's minister entered the room, the devil began to publicly announce the minister's sins. This happened to other minsters who came to attempt an exorcism.
The family decided to contact a Catholic exorcist. Before he arrived, he went to confession. When the priest entered the room where the possessed family member was, the demon shouted, "Not another Christ!" The demon was unable to announce any sins!

Also, when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was uncertain whether the apparitions of the Sacred Heart that she was receiving were authentic, her confessor told her to ask Jesus to repeat the sins she confessed. When she asked Jesus to announce her sins, he answered, "I don't remember!"

I think this is definately a job for just anyone among the clergy to just go and do. Probably why there are so I am told short lists of certain priests who deal with such matters.

ICXC
NIKA

It seems that much holiness is needed to effectively be an exorcist.

Dear Alice,

I have two books by Gabriele Amorth, the exorcist of Rome. He said that in one exorcism he was not able to complete it, and the person was finally exorcized by some Evangelicals. So it probably has to do with one's personal holiness. Of course this was a time when most of the priests discounted the idea of 'possession'.

Also if I recall correctly, at one of the exorcisms of Saint Nektarios, a 'sinful' bishop, (who didn't believe in such nonsense), had his sins revealed by you know who, to all that were present. The bishop left in shame.

People though, that have confessed their sins, can observe an exorcism and not have their past history making 'them' the spectacle.

What I find worse though, is not those that are possessed unwillingly, but those that have willingly subjecated themselves. They are the one's that control our lives and destiny.

Zenovia