Somebody told me that after the last week burning of DZVT and Chancery Office, it is proper for the local Church to under go exorcism. The comment drove me to amazement not because I do not believe in the physical domination of evil spirits in paranormal sense but for me it’s somewhat "out-of-bounds" at this early stage. Even Rule No. 3 of the official Roman Ritual of Exorcism states that, “He (the priest performing exorcism) should not believe too readily that a person is possessed by an evil spirit; but he ought to ascertain the signs by which a person possessed can be distinguished from the one who is suffering from some illness, especially one of a psychological nature.” And I believe that it pertains not only to an individual but even to an organization or a social institution. “What do you think, Father, was it demonic or psychological?” “Maybe both,” he retorted. Later that day, I just found myself in a dilemma trying to figure out if I'll take his comment seriously or fall from my seat, laughing.
Don't get me wrong. I believe in the existence of the devil and no doubt that the world is an arena of spiritual warfares and indeed prayer is our most potent weapon and defense against these fallen angels. Since we were young, we are told that the greatest deceit of the devil is making us believe that he doesn’t exist. True enough, priests and pastoral workers – specifically those who are belonging to charismatic communities – must not ignore it for such gesture is dangerous not only to our faith but even to our whole being. We have no other choice but to, “Resist him and [be] solid in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9a) Maybe our man of cloth is right. The culprit or the mastermind may be psychologically deranged or spiritually under demonic spell, or both. One thing is certain : the Devil is at home in the hearts of men and women where selfishness and other grave sins were there as its permanent fixtures. Sinners who prefer to demonstrate innocence than acknowledging their unworthiness. A world-acclaimed exorcist, Fr. Carl Vogl in a documentary entitled “Be Gone Satan!” has this to say: “It is precisely through cooperation of sinners that the devil has such power on earth.” Well, to let you know, I have learned a lot about the subject matter while browsing recently the pages of “Exorcism: Encounters with the Paranormal and the Occult” written by Fr. Jose Francisco Syquia, director of the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism.
But while they exorcise, they should not underweight the criminal intent of pure human hands and brains behind this horrible act of arson. Not unlike evil spirits, soul-and-flesh human puppeteers, like any other human controllers also employ various disguises and often, those disguises are accepted by many in our society. Indeed there are people who love to control (in the negative sense) because they cannot control their own feelings, loves to control what other people feel. To those who are not familiar or were not able to detect evilness in a person, these earth-bound devils may appear as angels from above, a redeemer from poverty and even initiator of development and progress. In the end we would feel very sorry because we failed to see his true colors, his motives and intentions early on. The devil, if I may add, may also be pretending to be our BFF (best friend forever) and allies or leaders. Having said that, most often than not, beyond paranormal situations, what people need are firm and competent leaders rather than exorcists!
Reading said book on exorcism taught me one important thing and this re-affirmed my faith: Only in the name of Jesus can there be authentic liberation and deliverance and the demon is controlled, defeated and subdued in the name of Jesus but none of the demons will obey an exorcist when he command him in the name of the any president, senator, congressman, governor or mayor.
What if this particular case does not concern exorcism in the technical sense of the word but in-depth criminal investigation? Well, with that, the Fallen Angels will just become fall "guys"…
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(Photo : Mystery of the Inquity)
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