From The Scotsman.Com
Exorcisms on the rise in Ireland – Catholic Church
by PETER GEOGHEGAN
Exorcists usually work in secret, and are often frowned upon. They may be called in to deal with paranormal happenings – holy water boiling up unaccountably, prayer cards suddenly going up in flames and crucifixes flying around living rooms.
And now, after falling out of favour in recent years, exorcists appear to be making a comeback in Ireland in response to growing demand.
At least three Catholic priests in the Republic have recently been taught how to perform the ancient ritual on people who believe they have been possessed by demonic spirits, according to a Church spokesman.
Exorcism was increasingly frowned on as being out-dated in the modern church but was given new recognition during the papacy of Benedict XVI.
Father Pat Collins, a Vincentian priest based in Dublin, is the most prominent cleric in the field in Ireland and has reportedly dealt with many cases of demonic disturbance. According to church authorities, a Jesuit priest based in Galway and a Capuchin friar in Carlow also now carry out exorcisms.
According to Irish experts, cases of “complete possession by the devil” are rare. In the vast majority of cases, according to one Dublin priest, only a part of the personality is subject to demonic influence. A simple exorcism is all that is required.
So this got me wondering how the determination is made that an exorcism is needed.
I found this on WikiHow
Know the symptoms, if there’s demonic possession. Some of them are: blaspheming, a phobic-like repelling from all things Christian, such as hating churches, the Blessed Sacrament, Bibles, holy water, rosaries, etc. — and some may possess super-human strength, speaking in devilish languages, and they oppose the name of Jesus, the Jesus gifts of the Pentecostal blessing, Holy Spirit infilling with Holy, promised Biblical Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit, and “endowment with power from on high”, available to “to as many as the Lord God shall call”, etc.
Get connected to access the power of The Holy Spirit. Not everyone is in a position to perform an exorcism. If you aren’t connected to the Holy Spirit, you need to get others who are filled with God’s Spirit to do it, (i.e. a true Christan) or become filled yourself, first. If you are not filled with the God’s Spirit and you try to take on demons you are in a dangerous position.
Humble yourself. In order to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, you must first realize that you have not led a perfect life and none of us measure up to God’s expectations and requirements. Tell his Son Jesus that you repent, change your mind and ask his forgiveness for every thing you have ever done wrong in your whole life (even the things you can’t remember). Make a firm commitment to turn away from whatever you have been doing wrong. Commit your life to Jesus who is the only One who can forgive you, wash away your mistakes, and make you right with God the Father. Thank him for his forgiveness because he paid a horrific price to be able to forgive you. Forgive those who have hurt you. This may be difficult, but say the words “I forgive you” about your offenders even if you don’t feel like it.Note: If you say it and don’t mean it Jesus knows and to lie is a sin that you’ll have to ask forgiveness for(again.)
If you have never been baptized, get baptized fully immersed in water in God’s name as a public declaration in front of others. Invite the Spirit of God to enter you. Learn about Him through His Words in the bible. Commit to live a life pleasing to Him.
Bless the possessed person with Holy water. The water will “burn” the evil spirit.
Show the possessed person the Blessed Sacrament. This will repel the evil spirit, as it is the Literal Presence of Christ the Lord.
Love others. Get connected to at least one other strong Christian. Now that you have gone through the basics. You will know if the Spirit is living you by His Fruit. You will start to experience increased: peace, love, patience, charity, kindness, gentleness, humility, honesty, self-control etc. This can take time to develop.
If you have the power of the Spirit of God Living in you, and you know his Word, you’re ready to proceed.
Command the demon to be silent in the name of Jesus. The demon may try to talk nonsense and scare you but the power that lives within you is far greater than the power of the demons.
If you are not sure that you do have the power of the Spirit living in you, then instead of commanding the demons directly, it is much safer to ask Jesus to command the spirit to be silent, or leave etc. “Jesus I ask that you cast out any and all evil spirits in, around or attached to ______(name)”. If the possessed person is willing, then ask them to command the spirit to get out of themselves in the name of Jesus.
Using the demons name(s) command him to leave the victim (by name)in the name of Jesus!(e.g.: Bar & Rail I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave (name) ________’s body now!)In some cases you may have trouble but be very firm, and straight to the point with the demon(s). If you do not know the names, ask Jesus to cast out any and all evil spirits within the person.
- For a Material Possession(s): The thing(s) that you suspect may be possessed need to be analyzed. Overview where the item came from. Who owned it previously. Who lived in the house. Is it a religious artifact? Does it make you feel cold and shiver? When you find out what is possessed you need to determine whether you should discard the item, or cast out the demon(s). Any religious materials from artifacts, idols, books, charms, clothing, things signifying death, etc.. Need to be discarded, or burned immediately! Things such as houses, cars, places, etc, Need to be first searched for any religious materials. After those things are found and discarded then you can sanctify the material, thing, or place.
Don’t do this alone. You can do this alone, if you are very strong in God’s Spirit, but, preferably, you have Christian brothers and sisters with you.
Begin to worship God. Praising, singing, dancing, however you praise him. This increases the power.
- When you feel the Lord’s presence the demons are already trembling.
If it seems that the demon came back or never left do not be fooled. It is another demon, trying to get you to doubt Jesus, and be afraid.
Be aware, that if the person being freed does not give their life to Jesus, the evil spirits can return and bring their friends. The persons final state in the end can be worse than in the beginning. Encourage the victim afterwards to commit their life to God. Matthew 12:43-45, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goes he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
There are many entry points that give demons legal rights to enter or re-enter you. Here are a few of them to pray against (if applicable to the person); false pride/arrogance, sex outside marriage; childhood sexual victimization, materialism, violence, violent martial arts, anger, theft, murder, abortion, addictions, lust, pornography, unholy entertainment, mysticism, channeling, Ouija boards, fortune telling, praying to nature or idols, horoscope, psychics, seances, oaths, unrighteous words, self hatred, judgement of others, greed, slander, resentment, sloth and unrighteous soul ties from ancestors. All of these can be washed clean with prayer, Jesus forgiveness and committing to turn away from these things. In the case of sexual victimization, forgiveness is not needed for the victim, but a break in unhealthy soul ties is what to pray for.
Remember that Jesus resisted the devil three times with the Word of God In Matthew 4:4,7,10 Jesus said to the devil, “It is written …”. Then in Luke 4:13 it shows that the devil did leave, “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” Jesus was tempted with bread (temptation directed against the body), tempted with the glory of all the world (directed towards greed of possessions and fear of loss) and to jump off the temple (this was directed to Jesus pride that “Surely he was God’s son so the angels should protect Jesus”). If we keep ourselves detached from sins of the body, possessions and self, the devil will have no control over us. Ephesians 4:27, “Neither give place to the devil.”
Here are some important tips:
- Exorcise in a group of at least 7 or 8. You have all the power you need, but several people are more likely to stand firm, and not doubt themselves.
- Make sure that the possessed person has nothing that may be possessed such as occult artifacts, dream catchers, voodoo dolls, tribal wood carvings, idols, ouija boards, witchcraft materials and books on Satanic and unholy writings.
- Some invoke the names of the Virgin Mary, and St. Michael and other Saints — though protestants in general do not believe saints’ intercession. There are many exorcists that may tell you that Satan and all devils are more afraid of the name of Virgin Mary than they are of the names of Jesus Christ (He is also the “Rose of Sharon, Lilly of the Valley” ), as she is His Blessed Mother, and He will NEVER refuse her requests to Help a soul in need!
- Only attempt an exorcism if you cannot contact a trained exorcist.
And always remember…
Watching the “Exorcist” movies are not valid guides for performing your exorcism.
For a serious moment, whatever you believe about exorcism and the idea of demonic possession, be it a manifestation of psychosis or a literal fact, the rise in exorcisms is certainly indicative of increased stresses on society.
And if all else fails…
Who you gonna call?
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