Remember when Illinois gave the F-finger to God and passed same-sex marriage? Bp. Paprocki of Springfield performed an exorcism over the state. For which he is to be applauded.
Catholics – traditionally – not so much today – use exorcisms.
There are exorcisms for the elements of Holy Water in the traditional form of its blessing. The salt to be mixed with the water, and the water itself, as directly spoken to, as “you” and they are exorcised before they are blessed.
The traditional form of infant baptism has several powerful exorcisms, each an awesome moment. For example, the priest breathes three times on the child tracing a Cross with his breath and says, “Depart from him unclean spirit and give place to the Holy Spirit, the Consoler”. The priest places his hand on the child and says, “Free him from the snares of Satan which until now have held him.” The salt to be placed in the child’s mouth is exorcised. The priest says, that the salt will be “a health giving Sacrament to put the enemy to flight”. Soon after the priest says, “I exorcise you, unclean spirit … Come forth, depart from this servant of God, for He Commands you, accursed and damned spirit…. Therefore accursed devil, acknowledge your condemnation and pay homage to the true and living God…. depart from this servant of God…”. Father makes the Sign of the Cross on the forehead of the child, and says, “Accursed devil, never dare to desecrate this sign of the holy cross which we are tracing upon his forehead.” The rite moves into the church, where Father says, Priest:
I exorcise thee, unclean spirit, in the name of the Father + and of the Son, + and of the Holy + Spirit, that thou goest out and depart from this servant of God, N. For He commands Thee, accursed one, Who walked upon the sea, and stretched out His right hand to Peter about to sink. Therefore, accursed devil, acknowledge thy sentence, and give honor to the living and true God: give honor to Jesus Christ His Son, and to the Holy Spirit; and depart from this servant of God, N. because God and our Lord Jesus Christ hath vouchsafed to call him (her) to His holy grace and benediction and to the font of Baptism.
They then all renounce Satan, in a way similar to the Novus Ordo ritual.
And just before baptism, with an annointing, the priest says:
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 this child: set him (her) free from original sin, make him (her) a temple of your glory, and send your Holy Spirit to dwell with him (her). We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Catholics do not shrink away from or excuse exorcisms or pooh-poo them. We embrace them. Folks, ask your priests to baptize with the older, traditional form.
The Roman Ritual has exorcisms for places, not just for people. Demons can dominate places because of sins that were committed there. And the places don’t have to be one little patch of ground or room or one building.
From WND:
NATIONWIDE ‘EXORCISM’ PROMPTS WARNINGS
For what is believed to be the first time ever in Mexico, an exorcism has been performed to chase demons from the entire nation.
But several pastors who are versed on the biblical warnings about the devil and his minions say the territory into which leaders of the Catholic Church recently ventured is unstable. [?]
According to a number of reports, the nationwide exorcism against demons blamed for crime and violence in Mexico was performed by Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez and other clergy, including a Spanish exorcist and demonologist, behind the close doors of the cathedral of San Luis Potosí.
Archbishop Jesús Carlos Cabrero explained the ritual as a “blessing for the people.” [Ummm….]
But exorcist Fr. José Antonio Fortea said the purpose of the rite, known as the “Exorcismo Magno,” was to combat demons who “tempt” people as “sin increases more and more in a country.”
He described the effort as the “first ever carried out in Mexico … to exorcise the powers of darkness, not from a person, but from the whole country.”
Pastor Karl Payne of Antioch Bible Church, who served as chaplain for the Seattle Seahawks football team for 21 years until just recently and is the author of “Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization, and Deliverance,” urges caution in matters of demonology and exorcism. [Right, because when there is an issue of demonic activity, to whom do people turn? Antioch Bible Church was founded… when?]
Payne said, “There is much about demons and deliverance that I do not understand.” And says he has never met “anyone who owns the block or even the corner on this subject.”
He told WND: “I have never heard of a country-wide exorcism. [Well… la dee da.] I do believe that Daniel 10:10-13 indicates that countries can have demonic hosts assigned to undermine the work of God and the people of God doing that work. But I do not see any New Testament teaching on exorcisms being attempted on countries rather than people. This may reflect my lack of understanding on the subject, or someone else’s attempt to extrapolate beyond Scripture.” [For example, the “biblical teaching” that we can only use the Bible alone? Whoops! Not there.]
[…]Catholic clergy have been highly critical of a rise in occult practices in Mexico, particularly the cult of Santa Muerte (Saint Death), which has been growing in recent years. Pope Francis had also blamed satanic forces for violence in Mexico in March, stating, “I think the devil is punishing Mexico with great fury” during an interview with Mexican television.
[…]
Think of all the hideous stuff that has happened in Mexico, and is happening there now.
Think of all the hideous stuff that is happing in these USA!
Where you are!
Yes, I think exorcisms are just the thing.
I invite all the bishops reading this to consider doing an exorcism over their own dioceses, with the older Roman Ritual. It doesn’t have to be public. It doesn’t have to be just one.
¡Hagan lío!
Just to play for a moment with the word “lather”, which can also mean “to beat”…
Lather, Rinse and Repeat.
