I write to alert you to a book to be released on 19 November – now available for pre-order at 25% off – by my friend Fr. Carlos Martins, whose apostolate with relics Treasures of the Church is well-known to you. Right now he is taking the arm of the Apostle St. Jude around the country.
Here is the new book, forward by Card. Burke. It’s comprehensive and instructive about angels, demons, all manner and level of demonic attacks, exorcism, etc.
The Exorcist Files: True Stories About the Reality of Evil and How to Defeat It
US HERE – UK (not quite yet)
If you trust me, just stop here and order it.
It is intended as an aid in the spiritual life.
I want to look at this list from the book. Look at it carefully.
Did you read that? Really? Perhaps integrate it soon as an element of an examination of conscience for confession (which you should be doing on a DAILY basis).
Let’s go on.
I wrote a longer review of the book, but I won’t trouble you. GET IT.
Get a copy for your priests.
It is worthwhile even from the account of Alessandro Serenelli, St Maria Goretti’s murderer. Believe me.
A personal note.
Over the years I have had problems with my left leg. Always my left. Multiple fractures, etc., chronic pain. Also, for a couple years, I could not keep my left shoe or boot tied. Double-knots, tucked in military style. Several times a day I had to retie. I mentioned this to a long-time reader and daily Mass stream viewer visiting Rome from Ireland and she said she would pray for my boot problem. It went away.
Fast forward to present day. Some time ago, Fr. Martins sent the PDF of his book. Of course he wanted me to help promote it, which I am delighted to do because it is a great. The next day my left leg, knee especially, was killing me and I had to tie my darn shoe. Coincidence? Remember my problem during Mass with the demon next to The Parish™ on those two recent Sundays? (Recounted elsewhere… you really should be paying attention.)
Also, you will perhaps have seen the video interview with Fr. Martins about the demonic vexation that Tucker Carlson experienced and related elsewhere. HERE
Real stuff, friends.
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The book is ordered. Its timing is excellent. I must admit (and soon confess) taking a small measure of morbid enjoyment, watching these videos of liberals having complete meltdowns at the election results. I did not watch too many of them because they are pretty much all the same and very sad. However, there was one in particular that was over the top. It was being filmed by presumably her boyfriend who said in the video as she was screaming incoherently for him to turn off the camera, that he had to record it because the cops were not going to believe it. She was flailing about rolling on the floor, got up to run and hide when he refused to turn off the camera and ran straight into the wall, knocking her to the ground. This went way beyond, simply being upset at the election. Something demonic was manifesting I am convinced and I offered my rosary this morning for her deliverance.
Real stuff indeed. Every time I work this topic into the conversation with family and friends, I get stares and shifts in the conversations. It is a real shame that people do not take it seriously. For my part, I appreciate the reminder on Election Day to ask the Holy Angels to intervene in the use of electronics used to count ballots. Thanks as always, Father Z!
This is certainly timely. Speaking just of personal observations, what else can explain the confounding behavior of people today, beside such demonic involvement. I see people I’ve known all their lives, their actions make no sense at all, given who they were or are. This seems to be a common observation by many. Or people who have just fallen apart, their lives in ruin, by their own choices that are out of character with what they were formerly. Many people seem to sense this.
Getting this book immediately! About 2-1/2 years ago I fully returned to the faith (thorough lifetime general confession, found the Latin Mass, attend mass every Sunday, regular confession, Bible Study, etc). About 6 months in, I had an episode of seriously narrowed vision (like panic attack narrowed vision) in that split second I immediately turned to Jesus; it immediately stopped. It happened quite a few more times, same response, same outcome. After the first 2x I went in for a complete eye examine by a National Top clinic for eyes, they found nothing wrong. I knew they wouldn’t. Every once in a while now I get a sensitivity to light; I call on Jesus and/or ask Mary to intercede and it goes away. I’ve since learned vision is one of their favorite things to mess with.
OK, so at what age do parents force their kids to stop pretending “because demons?” At what age does pretending become the gateway for demons? 7? Anything else is arbitrary. Go tell your seven-year-old to stop pretending and see how well that goes. Every excuse that I’ve read for D&D being bad applies to me if I so much as read ANY fiction, yet no one would dare tell me to get rid of LOTR or Narnia.
What kind of role playing games and how are they an entryway?
Refusing to forgive oneself. Insightful. I think this happens a lot in our culture. Struggled myself with this. Learning to let go is liberating!
Thanks for sharing, my brother in law talked to us about this after Mass last Sunday. Here we are.
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About children and “pretending”. I think some insight could be gained from a book by Michael D. O’Brien; his
A Landscape With Dragons: The Battle For Your Child’s Mind, which I recommend warmly for parents of young children and educators.
Ugh! What a heartbreaker. Fr. Martins is an amazing priest, and he gives some really great insights into spiritual warfare. The problem is that if you recognize some of the things happening in your own life, and you don’t know him personally, you’re kind of out of luck. You’re average parish priest will not even talk about spiritual warfare, let alone engage in it. **Sigh** It’s beyond frustrating … Jesus, Mercy!
I was wondering about role playing games also. I would think that it’s referring to playing evil characters and classes like necromancer, especially when modeled on real life occultism. Playing a good character that’s clearly fantastical (like shooting fireballs out of your hands) would seem okay but perhaps I’m missing something.
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Sorry, second comment. I actually ordered three copies for myself and loved ones.
Regarding the tour of the relic of St. Jude, I think it is still going on, if anyone can at all go, go! All relics are amazing, but the arm of St. Jude is just different. That arm was around Jesus, so it’s stunning to be near St. Jude’s arm.
@Crysanthmom. What you describe sounds like a vasovagal response, very bizarre experience, you feel odd, vision quickly narrows to a small central point, you might hear a loud sound, and it ends quickly. A number of things can trigger it, but, calling Jesus is always the best response to anything.
The parallel in the early Church to the question about RPGs is whether or not Catholics could be actors. A lot of the current argumentation for and against participation in RPGs is either recycled or descendent argumentation. In a nutshell, the Church Fathers landed on yes with caveats. (The related question of whether or not Catholics can be in the military is also yes, with caveats.)
Most, if not all, RPGs recycle occult names and actions, as well as demonic names. But then, so too does most non-fiction literature. Some of this is intentional, some of this is just accurate world-building, and some of this is just the writer opening a dictionary of mythology.
Just as some things such as Harry Potter are not kosher but Lord of the Rings is, some RPGs are fine and some are not. It takes discernment, like all other things.
Note: Before I became Catholic, I had some experience with 2nd Ed. AD&D. The problem there are optional rules pertaining to its magic system and deity system. Optional. Don’t play with them. Beyond that, it is pretty much repackaged Tolkien and other 19th-20th high fantasy works. D&D is just a bucket of rules to do things. It really depends on the DM as to how occult and dangerous it is. Everything else is really just an excel spreadsheet with flavor text.
@Lurker 59. Yes.
What is “role playing games”? Most games are “role playing,” in baseball you play the pitcher or the catcher; in Mario Bros you play the role of Mario or Luigi; video game in which you choose to play an elf or a hobbit is a role-playing game.
There may be some games that because of the content are “doors,” but saying it just like that sounds a bit too much.
I have listened to every episode of Fr Martins’ podcast, and I have learned many things. I often recommend it. 6/5 stars.
Send the Exorcist to the Capital at Washington DC. Many many demons .
I take issue with “horoscopes”. They’re mentioned in the bible. Used by the Magi to find the Baby Jesus. They looked to the stars and consulted charts. God made those stars and planets. It’s when we take horoscopes or ~astrology~ and use it in place of God. Looking to your “sign” as if that explains why you are who you are, or on what day communications might go bad. Or if you shouldn’t marry someone because they’re not the right “sign”. That’s ridiculous. If you want to study ancient astrology (not the modern psychobabble) then you’ll find that the planets and stars have moved in relation to one another and signs are not mathematically “aligned” anymore to what they once were. So you’re actually studying history – of the planets and stars. Also known as ASTRONOMY. If you say Mercury or Mars, or if you mention the word Ares (the name of rockets, software, the element and other every day brands) you’re not calling on the Roman myths of astrology and need to make the sign of the cross. These have no power over a Christian Catholic. Emperor Constantine made Roman and Greek astrology and horoscopes subservient to the one True God – Jesus Christ.