Refresh your life in the Spirit- an examination of Conscience

Charismatic Renewal has been a movement in the Catholic Church for over four decades and it's time to examine our Catholic Charismatic Conscience. How well are we living out the grace of being baptized in the Holy Spirit?

1. Have I experienced new life in the Spirit?

Has being baptized in the Spirit made a decisive difference in me? Fr. Raniero Cantalmessa, OFM Cap., the preacher to the papal household, says that he has had two lives: one before being baptized in the Spirit and one after. Has there been a "before" and "after" in my life? If not, have I REALLY been baptized in the Holy Spirit?

2. Have I experienced the Holy Spirit bringing me into a living relationship with the Father and the Son?

My wife, patti, likes to use Romans 5:5 as a definition of what it means to be baptized in the Spirit: "The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Do I have a sense of being a beloved child of the Father, crying out "Abba, Father?" (Romans 8:15)Scripture tells us that no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit. Is that a living reality in my heart? DO I know the Father and Son in a more intimate way?

3. Has my prayer life been significantly changed?

Actually a more basic question would be, "Do I have a real prayer life?" Do I give time to prayer every day? Is this like eating and sleeping for me? Have I experienced a greater sense of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving to the Lord? Have I entered into a charismatic dimension in prayer, that is, the experience of tongues, prophecy, revelation, guidance, impressions, etc?

4. Am I addicted to the Word of God?

Am I irresistibly drawn to the Word of God, Holy Scripture? Do I "eat and drink" the Word of God, like Ezekiel in the Old Testament and John in Revelations? In the early days of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, it was not unheard of for people to stay up all night reading Scripture. The Holy Spirit produces that hunger and desire for God's Word. Has there been that kind of attraction to Holy Scripture in my life?

5. Am I involved in any way in witness and evangelism?

One of the primary purposes of the outpouring of the Spirit was to give us the power to witness to Jesus. (see John 15:26-27, Acts 1:8) Do I have that impulse to share the good news, according to my life circumstances, wherever I am? Do I look for opportunities to bear witness in word and deed?

6. Do I meet together with other Catholic Charismatics for fellowship and support?

Scripture tells us: "Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some.." (Heb 10:25) We know that a way of getting a fire to burn out is to pull the logs apart. In a similar way, if we are pulled from each other, our fire will go out, both individually and collectively. Is some kind of regular Catholic Charismatic Renewal gathering an element in my life? If not, is my Holy Spirit fire still burning?

7. Am I willing to receive and exercise spiritual gifts?

We see especially in the Acts of the Apostles that there is a mysterious link between the coming of the Holy Spirit and the Charismatic gifts. When the Holy Spirit is poured out, there is an outbreak of of Charismatic activity. The spiritual gifts are given for the common good. (1 Cor 12:7) Scripture states that there are different kinds of gifts, for example: preaching, teaching, faith, miracles, healing, prophecy, revelation, discernment of spirits, giving money, exercising leadership, hospitality, works of mercy, administration, etc. Am I open to receiving and using the spiritual gifts? Am I contributing any gift to the Body of Christ?

8. Have I experienced a change in my moral life, my attitudes, and behavior?

Has there been a real break with serious sin still a regular occurrence in my life? Am I still attached to some deep character flaws, for example, in the use of my tongue? Do I still have what the spiritual writers call an 'affection for sin," a "pet sin that I am familiar with and can't bear to let go of, for example, a spirit of criticism? Am I better able to love God, whom I cannot see, and my neighbor, whom I can see, and is apt to be irritating?!

9. Have I exercised a change in my approach to the sacraments?

Do I receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Do I confess?) regularly, with true repentance and faith, as a means of spiritual growth? Has my experience of the Mass changed so that I enter into the liturgy, join with the priest, and make it my own offering and prayer? Have I experienced a change in my reception of the Eucharist so that it is a blessed time of Communion with the Lord and not just a routine formality?

10. Have I experienced a conversion in my mind?

Do I have a desire to learn what the Catholic Church teaches? Am I familiar with the Documents of Vatican II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Do I know basic Catholic Teaching? Do I try to read and understand what the Holy Father says? Am I well-informed? Do my beliefs influence my actions , my conversations, my vote? Have I not only put on the Spirit of Christ, but the Mind of Christ?

This can be a rather daunting examination! It certainly was for me. (...)

Let us trust in God's grace and remember that the Holy Spirit is a GIFT, which we cannot deserve or earn. Let us close by asking the Lord Jesus, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, to baptize us anew and afresh in the Holy Spirit, with all the gifts and fruit that the Spirit brings. Amen!



--This examination comes from an article in the July/August/September 2010 issue of Pentecost Today, and was written by Al Mansfield.
You can find more information about the Catholic Charimatic Renewal Center at:
www.nsc-chariscenter.org

Elijah and Mary: Foundations of Carmel

"The God who answers with Fire is God."
-Elijah

Who would doubt that what the prophet [Elijah] preached on Mount Carmel referred specifically to Mary? For when the fire (which is the love of God) descended on Mary - about which it says 'I have come to send fire on earth' [Luke 12:49] - it utterly consumed with fire the errors of idols and afterwards through Mary showers of pity and grace fell on what had been dried up and in this way restored it all. And so the fire of Divine Love came upon Mary and in this way her womb was on fire. And just as Elijah was swept up in a fiery chariot, so the Son of God was taken up in the Virgin's womb as in a fiery chariot. In this way the House of God is on fire, as the prophet says: 'The house of Jacob is a fire and the house of Joseph is a flame' [Obadiah 18]. Therefore behold on the mountain the feet of one who brings good tidings and announces peace (that is Elijah); that is to say, through Mary, through whom the showers of grace fell from heaven.

Medieval Carmelite Heritage, ed. Adrianus Staring, O.Carm. (Rome, 1989), p. 228

Within the Carmelite tradition, Mary first appears in a vision to Elijah, as he sat on the top of Mt. Carmel, looking out over the Mediterranean Sea. Elijah sees a cloud “no larger than a man’s hand,” which brings with it rain in torrents over the parched land of Israel (1 Kgs 18:41-46). For hundreds of years Carmelites have interpreted the cloud as Mary, symbol of the reign of grace which Mary inaugurates by bearing Christ into the world.

http://earthymysticism.com/carmelite-spirituality/the-story-of-carmel/

In the Carmelite tradition, Elijah and Mary are brought together most closely in the image of the cloud that forms over the sea.

1 Kings 18:42:45

[42] So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Eli'jah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.
[43] And he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." And he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And he said, "Go again seven times."
[44] And at the seventh time he said, "Behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising out of the sea." And he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, `Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.'"
[45] And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.

Mary is the cloud that rises out of the sea. The sea is saltwater, undrinkable, a vast body of water, next to which the kingdom can still thirst and die. The sea is salty, impure, an image of fallen humanity with its admixture of sin. Mary rises out of this sea, pure and perfect, laden with the water of grace that will pour out through her to all humanity--not the source of Grace herself, nevertheless the container into which all is poured until it overflows out to all people, limitless, and life-giving. Not God, but human, Mary rises from the sea, pure and Immaculate in her conception, formed as a vessel of God's grace and a place of refuge for His people.

http://floscarmeli.stblogs.org/archives/blessed-virgin-mary/

While the image of Mary appears over and over in the OT as the "Ark of the Covenant," this particular interpretation of scripture is distinctly carmelite-- requiring prophetic vision and mysticism to delve into and ultimately... believe.

In meditation on the message and mission of Elijah, we see over and over again the message and mission of Mary: teachings us to be active and still pure contemplatives, both living in the world and knowing how and when to retreat from it. The burning zeal which Elijah experienced, his confusion and willingness to follow at all costs.... these were later seen in Mary as behaviors we, members of her order are called to follow and observe. Together with Mary and Elijah, we adore the Holy Trinity, intimately brought to life by the animation of the most Holy Spirit, with zeal and with profound trust and in perfect yearning and godly sorrow. It is from Mount Carmel that Elijah calls those who ate at Jezebel's table to face the choice: "Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Josh 24)

Together with them, let us stand in the gap as a holy reminder that there will be a reckoning, that no less than everything is required of us and that the God of Love awaits us-- whom shall we fear? (Psalm 27:1)

Annika's Prayer (4 years old)

Annika, 4, is sitting by me praying, Bible in hand. Here is an exact rendering of her prayer:


Dear Lord,

Help them to follow you, the Shepherd. Love your priests and us.
We need your Holy Spirit to be like a dove or a tongue of fire over us.
Jesus, give me your heart and make mine pink and not black and full of love. Fill me with your Lord so that I shine like a star and make other people shiny and sparkly.
Thank you for my blessings and for my crosses, thank you for your dying on the Cross for my sins. I want to put roses at your feet.
This is your eucharist in your saints.
Take the people in the world out of the darkness. Help me to obey and be good. Give us food.
Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. Crush the snake on the head.
Amen. Thank you priest.


Children are incredible.

Thought for Thursday

Jeremiah 29:
4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, [1] 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.

10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare [2] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Holy Bible, ESV)

Obedience takes an interesting turn

Yesterday evening we went to confession as a family as we often do,only we went to our old parish instead of the new one. Some of the stuff I needed to confess was personal and directly related to persons and priests in the Parish, so I wasn't sure how it would all go down IN the confessional, I just knew I was supposed to be there. I prayed and asked God to show me WHICH priest I needed to confess to, and He did just that.

While we waited in line we saw one of the staff passing out papers which we knew were to be used in the Mass that afternoon and on Sunday morning. Upon looking closer, we saw that these papers were, as we had suspected, intended to press and squeeze finances out of those who have not yet given to the Church building project. These types of scandalous interruptions of Holy Mass have infuriated us before... so to combine the idea of being faced with another financial shakedown with the prospect of one more round of "America the Beautiful" on the 4th of July made us ever so grateful to be attending the small, orthodox parish we had chosen.
A few weeks ago on memorial day, they had elected to make us plow through the borderline idolatrous praise and glory of this nation during a liturgical service that was intended to glorify God and we jetted out the door over our waves of nausea pretty certain that we would have to switch Parishes soon if it didn't get better. It didn't. We moved on.

So you can imagine my stress levels when I sauntered into said new, orthodox Parish this morning and picked up the worship aid which contains the hymns and prayers for the day. Lo and behold, it was splattered with annoying Patriotic songs. (these songs don't annoy me because I hate America but because singing them in Church is demonstrative of an idolatrous, disordered passion for a nation which, quite frankly, is not at all worth singing praises over at the moment.) My heart sank, and I wondered what my husband was going to say/think/do.
Imagine, then, the absolute SHOCK I experienced then when the priest appeared to begin the procession which starts mass wearing vestments which were entirely white-- except for the gigantic American Flag embroidered in the center. Horror followed shock as I realized that the liturgical linens, which decorate the altar and the sacred vessels in which the priest turns ordinary bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord... .yes, you guessed it. White with American Flags embroidered on them.

At first, I felt as though steam were coming out of my ears. I was seeing red and so totally amazed at the sickness of what I was about to participate in that I seriously considered packing up the kids and storming out. I knew my husband would be right behind me. But something in me told me to stick it out. So I did, and learned a valuable lesson.

Did we sing all of the dreaded "America is awesome" songs? Yes, absolutely. But I noticed the great care with which the particular verses and "styles" of the hymns we were given to sing. Each verse, if it happened to talk about America's glory then went on to BEG the Father of Mercies to keep our nation free and able to serve him, reminding us that we only became America by the Hand of God, that God gives and takes away, and that we must, as a nation, be Holy.
I didn't catch every word of the homily (hey, I've got three small kids to keep in line! :P) but I caught enough to get that he wasn't going to get hung up on finding ways to make the readings of the day "fit" with the Fourth of July theme.

More importantly, from the moment Divine Liturgy began to the moment it ended, a shift in the atmosphere and a holiness descended that could only have been a special grace from the Holy Spirit. These people were here to Worship God, and none of the reverence and specialness of assisting at mass was lost in the patriotic singing. Further, the seriousness of the priest and people during Liturgy (as it should be!)and their cooperation with the Holy Spirit in that mass so totally transported me that I literally forgot A) that it was the 4th of July and B) that the place and priest was decorated like something out of a cheesy Arab flea market in New York. (we go to a Maronite Church. :P)
It was truly amazing.... if every Catholic remembered they were at mass to worship God and not celebrate the Fourth with their families I'm pretty sure God WOULD bless America, what an AWESOME mass.

So I learned a good lesson in that. Yet again-- God is showing me that I am to be obedient to Him AND the Church. Likewise, that He has allowed certain atrocities to take place but that they will serve a purpose. More importantly, He is teaching me that when I am obedient, charitable, and meek, poor in spirit, the Mass truly is Heaven on Earth.

I always knew that in my head, but today my heart got it. What great solace there was in the consecration today!
In the Maronite Church, we hear the words of the consecration in Syriac Aramaic, the language actually spoken by Our Lord. It moved me to weeping to see this sweet, very faithful little Lebanese Priest, dressed head to toe in the most ridiculous American Pride vestments, chanting the very words of Christ in His language so as to bring us Jesus in the Flesh.

At John Chrysostom to women

I wish you women not only to abstain from other hurtful practices (here he has thusfar talked about not practicing exterior adornment by the wearing of comely, expensive clothes but rather simple modesty) but also from the practice of painting your faces and adding to them, as though the workmanship were defective. By doing so you insult the Workman. For what are you trying to do, woman? By using rouge and eyeshadow you cannot add to your natural beauty nor change your natural ugliness, can you? These add nothing to the beauty of your face, but they will destroy the beauty of your soul. For this meddling with nature testifies to your interior weakness. Especially are you heaping abundant fire for yourself by exciting the looks of young men, and attracting for yourself the eyes of the undisciplined; by making complete adulterers of them you are bringing their downfall onto your own head.
It is fitting and helpful to abstain from this practice entirely. But if those women who are caught in the grip of this evil habit should be unwilling to give up the use of cosmetics, at least let them not use them when they come to the house of prayer.
Why, tell me, when you come to church, do you adorn yourself this way? You have come to worship God and to make confession to Him in atonement for your sins. Does He look for this beauty? No. He seeks the beauty from within, he looks for activity which expresses itself in good deeds: almsgiving, temperance, compunction and strict faith. . You have forsaken these virtues, and you are trying to trip up many of the careless ones, even in church! By what thunderbolts do these actions deserve to be punished? You arrive in port and cause your own shipwreck. If some women in the past were so careless of their own salvation, let them now be persuaded to rid themselves of this outrageous practice. If the Apostle (Paul) forbade the use of expensive clothing, much more would he forbid the use of cosmetics and eyeshadow.
-from his baptismal instructions, given at Antioch 390 AD

The hardest part of the journey

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature... And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils."

- Mark 16:15,17

Because it occurred to me today that not every Catholic knows and fully understands the implications of the Church's new decision regarding the practice of casting out evil spirits, I need to post this article.
First, I want to say that this document both infuriates me and convinces me that The End is nearer than ever.
It will also be a very interesting read for any practicing Catholics who watch shows like Paranormal State and see episcopal or Catholic priests and laypeople interacting with alleged demonic entities.

I submit that it completely changes the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples, and further, that it binds and ties the hands of the faithful, who at one point HAD the authority, in the name of the Church of Christ, to cast out evil spirits. I submit that this decision is unscriptural and is fully malicious (read: not for the good of our souls.) I recognize that this means that I am utterly disapproving of an action of a Pope I love very, very much. This disheartens me to the extreme.

For a long while I let my disgust with this action and decision govern my reactions and my ministry. I have, in the past, directly disobeyed this document and thus directly disobeyed the Holy Father. Most of the traditional Catholics I know also disregard this completely, regularly using exorcisms such as the simple exorcism of Pope Leo XIII, which a POPE told us to use regularly. Further, scripture itself is full of commands to the Demons. When we pray certain scriptures over people and situations, we command evil spirits. Surely this is what we are SUPPOSED to do.

And yet, I recently learned the hard way a lesson that I don't think many readers will understand.... at least not many non-Catholics.

I learned the importance of Obedience, even to a flawed system or governance. The pope is NOT perfect, nor does the Church teach that he is. Further, it seems to me that if the man is as wise and holy as I believe he is, somehow, some way, he must have been FORCED by the hand of darkness to sign this document and further, that it will serve a purpose for good. The thing I have learned to accept is that GOD ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN.

Just as He allowed Vatican II, or rather the misinterpretation of Vatican II to happen. Just as He allows Satanic Black Masses to take place. And in allowing these things to happen, our humility is tested to the extreme degree, because those of us who are convinced (as I am) that a very evil spirit lurked and presided over the events at Vatican II, and yet recognize that we must remain with the faith til The End, that we cannot leave now but rather must continue to pray, pray without ceasing and strive for holiness unaided and amid endless obstacles to our spiritual growth....the ultimate lesson here, for me, and it has been LONG in coming, is that obedience in these atrocities serves to perfect my soul, to provide the "challenge" that God's grace will overcome, and that I MUST, must must must acknowledge that if the Church is true, which I believe it is, every time the Church makes a poor decision (which is has obviously begun to do-- just look at what pathetic states our parishes have fallen into. Observe how a holy non-modernist priest who actually BELIEVES in good and evil is one in a million these days. Sit through another round of KUMBAFREAKINGYA during Communion.) GOD HAS ALLOWED IT, and if I set myself up to say: "No, this cannot be so!" then am I not playing God? Am I not telling God what His own Church may and may not do??

I do not understand, not in the slightest, how these things are allowed to happen in the Church each and every day. Why the Pope doesn't just SLAM down his mighty fist and say "BASTA!"
But just because I don't understand doesn't change the fact that it IS happening, that it HAS happened, and that while it appears that every direction I turn the Catholic Faith is in shambles and crumbling it IS STILL THERE. The proof is that there are hundreds of thousands of us wandering around going "What the heck is going on here???"
Where there is ONE person who has retained the faith, there is the Church. And just like the kingdom of God-- we must accept that it IS among us. The Church will NOT fail, and the gates of hell will not prevail against her, although they are certainly doing their darnedest. My obedience to the Church, in this matter, is destined to sanctify me, to give me much needed grace for the journey, even if it's WRONG, even if it's bad, even if it's a concession to the Evil One.
God's mercy trumps everything, and His merciful heart is pleased when we ACCEPT His divine will. I now think of the Church as if she were Job, knowing that She will be restored from this naked mess to Her perfect Glory, knowing that THIS is the struggle between good and evil that has been prophesied in scripture and through the ages by the saints and by visions from heaven. THIS. IS. OBEDIENCE.... to do the will of God, and to suffer, and to see Him in His GLORY.

So, without further ado, I give you the document that breaks my heart and yet fills me with hope. I can attest from personal experience that direct disobedience to this teaching can, and will, put you at risk. Sometimes, we learn the hard way. Even if we think we are right. When the Church teaches us something, Heaven and the Church are in agreement. Peter holds the keys. Whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven. Whether we cooperate with heaven on this issue or not will decide our spiritual fate, and will expose our pride and our sinfulness -- well, in much the same way as it has mine. The very first sin, which Lucifer, God's most precious and glorious angel committed was pride. It was his setting himself up to BE Lord.
Everytime we disobey the Church, even when she is WRONG, (and again-- what I'm about to show you is simply a recommendation of the magesterium, it is NOT a doctrine or dogma... do not be confused)we are making the decision to act as our Enemy did... we are losing the war.

Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.


Inde Ab Aliquot Annis

On The Current Norms Governing Exorcisms

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
September 29, 1985

Translated by Father Gabriele Amorth, Exorcist of Diocese of Rome



Also see:
Comments from Father Amorth about the Document
Latin Edition of Inde Ab Aliquot Annis
Instruction on Prayers for Healing

Prot. no. 291/70; ASS 77 (1985): 1169-70; EnchVat 9, nn. 1663-67

Excellentissime Domine

For some years there has been an increase in the number of ecclesial gatherings which seek liberation from demonic influences, even though they are not properly and truly exorcisms. These groups, even when a priest is present, are led by lay persons.

Since the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has been asked what ought to be thought about this, this dicastry is of the opinion that all other ordinaries should have the following response:

1. Canon 1172 of the Code of Canon Law declares that no one is able to legitimately undertake exorcisms of the possessed unless expressed and individual permission has been obtained from the ordinary of the place (section 1). The canon also establishes that this permission ought to be conceded by the ordinary of the place only to priests who are distinguished in piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life (section 2). Bishops are, therefore, strongly urged to see to the observance of these norms.


2. From these prescriptions it follows, therefore, that no member of the Christian faithful can use the formula of exorcism against Satan and fallen angels, extracted from that which was made law by Leo XIII, and even less are the able to use the entire text for exorcism. Bishops are to bring this to the attention of the faithful as it is deemed necessary.


3. Finally, for the same reasons, bishops are asked to be vigilant that -- for even cases in which true diabolical possession is excluded, diabolical influence nevertheless seems in some way to be revealed -- those who do not have the required faculty not serve in the leading of meeting where, in order to gain freedom, prayers are used which dignify demons by directly questioning them and in searching to make known their identity.

The announcement of these norm, however, ought not to keep the faithful from praying that, as Jesus taught us, they might be delivered from evil (cf. Mt 6:13). Finally, pastors ought to avail themselves of this occasion to recall what the tradition of the Church teaches about the proper function of sacraments and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels and the saints in the spiritual fight of Christians against evil spirits.

May I take this occasion to convey my great feelings of esteem for you,
remaining your servant in the Lord,
Joseph Card. Ratzinger, Prefect

Translated to Italian by Father Gabriele Amorth, Exorcist to the Diocese of Rome in his Exorcist Tells His Story, [American Edition], Ignatius Press, San Francisco (1999), (translated into English by Nicoletta V. MacKenzie), pp. 189-90

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Comments from Father Amorth Concerning Inde Ab Aliquot Annis

from Exorcist Tells His Story, Ibid, pp.190-91

The above-cited letter warns against any direct dealings with demons and states that their name should not be asked by those who have not been granted the specific faculty to do so. The Acts of the Apostles report a particularly fitting event ... (of the consequences of acting without faculty to do so in the story of the Seven Brothers --Acts 19:11-20).

from An Exorcist: More Stories, [American Edition], Ignatius Press, San Francisco: (2002), (translated into English by Nicoletta V. MacKenzie), pp. 189-90

I will now explain some of that is forbidden and what is required, according to these guidelines (of Inde Ab Aliquot Annis).

* First, official exorcisms are not allowed; they are reserved exclusively for the exorcist. The same holds true for the exorcism of Leo XIII, even though it is now part of the public domain. The private use of such exorcisms is another matter; at least, this is how I understand the above-cited document.

* We must avoid addressing the demon directly and to find out his name and -- I add -- anything else. All other considerations aside, a direct dialogue with the demon can be dangerous to anyone who dares to initiate it without the due authorization of the Church, and therefor without her protection.

At the end, the document reminds of of the importance of prayer, the sacraments, and the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the angels, and the saints....


Latin Version

INDE AB ALIQUOT

ACTA CONGREGATIONUM CONGREGATIO PRO DOCTRINA FIDEI

Epistula Ordinariis locorum missa: in mentem normae vigentes de exorcismis revocantur [Die 29 m. Septembris a. 1985 (AAS p. 1169-70)]Excellentissime domine, inde ab aliquot annis, apud quosdam coetus ecclesiales, conventus ad precationes faciendas multiplicantur hoc quidem proposito, ut liberatio obtineatur ab influxu daemonum, etiamsi non de exorcismis proprie dictis agatur; qui conventus peraguntur sub ductu laicorum, etiam praesente sacerdote.

Cum a Congregatione pro doctrina fidei quaesitum sit quid sentiendum de hisce factis, hoc dicasterium necessarium putat omnes ordinarios certiores facere de responsione quae sequitur:

1. Canon 1172 Codicis Iuris Canonici declarat neminem exorcismos in obsessos proferre legitime posse, nisi ab ordinario loci peculiarem et expressam licentiam obtinuerit (1), ac determinat hanc licentiam ab ordinario loci concedendam esse tantummodo presbytero pietate, scientia, prudentia ac vitae integritate praedito (2). Episcopi igitur enixe invitantur, ut observantiam urgeant horum praescriptorum.
2. Ex hisce praescriptionibus sequitur ut christifidelibus etiam non liceat adhibere formulam exorcismi contra satanam et angelos apostaticos, excerptam ex illa quae publici iuris facta est iussu summi pontificis Leonis XIII, ac multo minus adhibere textum integrum huius exorcismi. Episcopi hac de re fideles admonere curent in casu necessitatis.
3. Denique, ob easdem rationes, episcopi rogantur ut vigilent ne -- etiam in casibus qui, licet veram possessionem diabolicam excludant, diabolicum tamen influxum aliqualiter revelare videntur -- ii qui debita potestate carent conventus moderentur, in quibus ad liberationem obtinendam precationes adhibentur, quarum decursu daemones directe interpellantur et eorum identitas cognoscere studetur.

Harum normarum tamen enuntiatio minime christifideles abducere debet a precando ut, quemadmodum Iesus nos docuit, liberentur a malo (cf. Mt 6,13). Insuper pastores has oblata opportunitate uti poterunt, ut in mentem revocent quid Ecclesiae traditio doceat circa munus quod proprie ad sacramenta et ad Beatissimae Virginis Mariae, Angelorum Sanctorumque intercessionem spectat in christianorum etiam contra spiritus malignos spirituali certamine.

Hanc occasionem nactus impensos aestimationis meae sunsus tibi obtestor permanens

add.mus in Domino

Iosephus Card. Ratzinger, Praefectus
Albertus Bovone, a Secretis
L. S. In Congr. pro Doctrina Fidei tab., n. 291/70


I fully expect that most people who have read this far are thinking it's time to call the white coats. And that's OK. God and I have an understanding here. :)

The Carmelite

The Carmelite is given a soul,
One immolated for the Glory of God.
With her Christ she is crucified;
but how luminous is her Calvary!
While gazing on the Divine Victim,
a light blazed forth in her soul
And, understanding her sublime mission,
Her wounded heart exclaimed:
"Here I am!"

The Carmelite is an adoring soul,
Wholly surrendered to the action of God,
Intently communing through all things,
Her heart uplifted and her eyes full of heaven!
She has found the One Thing Necessary
The divine Being, Light and Love.
Enfolding the world in her prayer,
She is an apostle in Truth.

Poem 83
July 29, 1902