How many of you have been Catholics all your life? Most hands up. Sorry you’re wrong. We become Catholics when we are born again of water and the Holy Spirit, which in my case took place thirteen days after my birth. For thirteen days I was a pagan of some sorts.
Next question. How many of you have attended any exorcisms? Few hands. Sorry, wrong again. If you’ve ever attended a baptism, including your own, an exorcism took place there. We were transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light, literally. The devil was driven out!
In case you weren’t listening more carefully, here is the prayer said at baptisms.
Almighty and ever-living God, you sent your only Son into the world to cast out the power of Satan, spirit of evil, to rescue man from the kingdom of darkness, and bring him into the splendor of your kingdom of light. We pray for ___. Set them free from original sin, make them a temple of your glory, and send the Holy Spirit to dwell within them.
With this prayer, the Church operating under the authority of Jesus Christ, exorcises demons and releases the person formally into the kingdom of light. This is called a minor exorcism as compared with the major exorcisms that are performed on those possessed by demons. Though the exorcism at baptism is non-dramatic, demons are driven away as the soul breaks with original sin and the glory of God comes to dwell within the person.
Today we start the public life of Jesus all over again, reading the gospel of Luke. At the outset of Jesus ministry Jesus exorcized demons. He came to re-establish the authority of God on earth. We read an example of this today (Luke 4:31-37).
“In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
This unclean demon had found a comfortable home in a vulnerable person, and was telling Jesus, “Mind your own business; leave me alone!” Isn’t this what the demons continue to say to the Church? “Mind your church business; stay out of ours.” Jesus came to set the captives free from Satan’s grip.
“Jesus rebuked him and said, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm.”
Like it or not, the demon had to obey Jesus through whom it was created. It got one last “lick” in by throwing the man to the ground, but no harm was done. Jesus came to destroy every foothold of Satan and establish the reign of God on this earth.
Reports tell us that there is a growing number of exorcisms taking place these days—the major type. Moreover, several bishops have gone to places where riots took place and exorcized the grounds. As faith weakens, the presence of evil spirits steps in. Let us remember that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, making us think he is a “nice” person. His demonic works also disguise themselves as “good works,” as is evidence in revolutionary groups that tell people they are standing up for a noble cause. Let not the lack of obvious evidence mislead us.
At times when Satan seems to be gaining ground, we must become more aggressive in gaining ground for God.
