The Rite shines forth the light of truth from the darkness of Hollywood

WARNING: SPOILERS!

The Rite is the movie I've been praying and waiting for my whole life.

Disguised as a horror flick, The Rite recreates the drama of the human soul, exposing the reality of death, the beauty of a life well-lived, and the true battle between good and evil.

All my life, I've watched a parade of exorcism movies go by, hoping, with each one, for a glimmer of truth and reality-- a film that might reflect some of my own experiences with demonology and deliverance- the inner turmoil between doubt and faith, terror and wonder, that scratches away at the soul.

The Exorcist, and the Exorcism of Emily Rose, are certainly excellent films in their genre. Succeeding both at the horrifying of the viewer in the presence of evil and at the dissemination of the light of truth, in that they describe the very real dangers of demonic possession and the need for God's truth to overcome. However, the focus of those two films is entirely too much on the phenomenon of demonic possession (which, lets face it, is what people always want to see and talk about) and not enough on the inner battle, which is the whole point. Often the priest is seen as the "fix-all" solution to the problem, by intoning the Rite of Exorcism over the possessed, he alone can save her. The reality is much more complex--- for faith is required. Further, although the phenomena described  in those movies is not entirely implausible (particularly in the Exorcism of Emily Rose) it is certainly not common, and thus not a "full picture" of what Satanic activity looks like.

The Rite is full of the same type of phenomena: crosses turning themselves upside down, doors moving without hands touching them, growls that come from thin air, voices in the patient's head, swelling of limbs and apendages, visions, a darkening of the eyes and appearance, supernatural strength, repulsion under the power of the applied cross of Christ, etc.

But the focus of the movie is not on these events--- it's on the hearts of the people experiencing them.
For many years, Hollywood has succeeded, through cinematic expression about the presence of evil-- in completely demolishing any shred of credibility in the process of good vs evil in the minds of people who, although superstitiously "aware" of evil, think of it as something to be concerned with on a dark night in a storm and not in the ins and outs of every day decisions.

Most of the people I talk to- perhaps you're one of them--say that they wont watch horror movies about exorcism because they are scary, and yet they have no problem watching a show like "Toddlers and Tiaras," "Skins" or "Oprah," which in reality is far scarier-- since these shows depict people making awful decisions that will impact the life of their soul and the souls in their care in the future. Possessions occur, and this is a fact of life. But this is the extraordinary work of the Devil. The ordinary work of the Devil, which is FAR more terrifying, in a sense, because it is hidden, is to support people in their desire to sin, and thus stray from God, which condemns them to an eternity of Hell.

The reality is stark and simple: the presence of evil comes in when we choose to give that extra glance at a person we cannot have, when we make little lies, or listen to that nagging thought in our head that says "this responsibility isn't important enough to be on time for," or "I'll just use this to help me get out of here and then tell them I've changed my mind." Evil is in the day-to-day decisions we make, and it is relentless. The Rite demonstrates that clearly. The beauty of the message is not only that extraordinary evil exists, but that extraordinary evil exists to remind us that every single evil choice is extraordinarily dangerous.... to choose a life of sin-- indeed to choose even ONE sin--  is a certain death.

The film is an epic display of the glory and necessity of the priesthood. Although it is about a priest who doubts, it shows that it is when we are most unsure of ourselves that God is able to work mightily-- that a calling is a calling even when we refuse to cooperate with it, and that one cannot leave the priesthood without leaving behind the people who need the priesthood.

In the beginning of the movie, as Fr. Michael is handing in his resignation, a woman is hit by a truck in front of him. Dazed, he stands over her,and she asks for his blessing. It is a powerful moment... when death comes, and it will come to all of us, we will all be like this woman, begging for the mercy of God. Catholics who do are so fortunate to have a priest to absolve them and bless them, which Michael does despite his uncertainty, with a tenderness and fatherly disposition that melts the heart. In that moment of doubt, God works in him and the soul of the woman finds peace, along with his own. But the audience- and the world-- assumes that this action is nothing to a priest. It's his job, a routine. No... every time a priest is called to a deathbed, it is as much a moment of grace for HIM as it is for the person in need. A priest is not a "magic man." He is a cooperator with God's grace, which He himself needs to live.

Later on, when faced with the prospect of performing his first exorcism, amidst the ugliness of the tangible presence of evil,  a beautiful dance of faith is depicted-- the priest doubts, the possessed mocks and scoffs. The layperson present, herself unsure of what she believes in, is strengthened in a moment and her faith and belief in HIS faith strengthens the priest for the exorcism. When her faith, a few minutes later, seems drained, it is the PRIEST who is able to sustain her and remind her to draw on God's grace for the task at hand. Finally, when both seem incapable of going on, it is the possessed himself, begging for the help of God, who gives them the push they need to believe they MUST act by believing.  Isn't that the way it always works?

Father Michael's doubts and the gradual building of his faith is subtle and deep besides the obvious connotations of struggle we see on the surface.  When God and the Devil speak to us, it is, as the Prophet Elijah has said: "In the still, small voice." We must quiet ourselves and our thoughts and then choose Life and reject Sin and Death. These points are constantly being played through the plotline, giving the movie a very accurate sense of the need for recollection and self-reflection in the human life. It is beautiful!

Another element which The Rite contains and which is so sorely missing from other Exorcism movies is a depiction of the pain of the exorcist. This is something dear to me. The exorcists I have known have been deeply joyful, but also tired, men. The burden of the world is literally on their backs, and this handful of incredible priests is often abused, mocked, and scorned. Modern America -- even within the Church herself--- often believes it has little use for these men, and the depiction of the exorcist as the lonely man living in the decrepit house in a back alley surrounded by cats and scorned by the community is not all that innaccurate-- the fight against the Devil is indeed a very lonely work. The movies was powerful in it's depiction of the Priesthood in every way, especially when it demonstrated the "set-apartness" of the priest who seeks holiness, as well as the absolutely enormous burden for souls which is placed squarely on the shoulders of the person, priest or layperson, who earnestly seeks to "find the Kingdom of God" and "expose every dark corner" here below. As a person who prays a rosary daily for Priest exorcists, the possessed, and lay deliverance workers, I can tell you that it brought me to tears to see the very real dangers to the souls of these precious people which exist outside of the fear of supernatural (and even natural) phenomena. These persons risk depression, despair, physical pain, constant sorrow, and even death.... all for the battle. All for the Lord. And yet they are rejected, scorned and mocked. Like Christ himself.

Protestant viewers will no doubt be outraged or at the very least indifferent to The Rite. Having been a protestant deliverance minister myself, I can hear in my head the objections I would have given at that time: We need only look at the headlines of recent Christian reviews of the film to get an idea of what they may be thinking:
"The Rite only gets some things Right."
"The Right way to view The Rite."
etc. etc.
Perhaps they will say that The Rite focuses too much on "religion" and not enough on "faith," or that too much emphasis is placed on the Ritual of Exorcism itself and not enough on the acceptance of Christ by the person possessed. These same questions plagued me as I returned to the Catholic Church several years ago-- I wanted to know WHY only priests were allowed to offer exorcisms when I myself had successfully exorcised demons, and why such a hullaballoo was made over something EVERY lay person had the authority to do in Christ.
The priest who walked me through these events and that time in my life, a very special, very holy priest, told me that "while anyone could exorcise someone, not everyone should." This made sense to me, that the Church would restrict the activity of exorcism to those persons whose faith and training  ensured the best possible outcome... I had, as a protestant, seen and prayed with many other protestant deliverance ministers who used methods and had ideas I thought were totally wacky. When it comes to exorcism, quite honestly, there is a lot of mystery and confusion. We are dealing with the supernatural-- no one has all the answers and God and the Devil will always surprise and amaze us.
Anyone who asserts otherwise is suffering from a serious pride problem.

Thus, I could accept that priests were best "trained" to pray for deliverance, but I was irked by the idea that priests were special people who had special powers-- this was very "unbiblical" in my eyes.
Over time, God has adjusted my view.... I see that there is a class of people called to the priesthood not by anything special they have done or been but rather because God has called them. I see that this class of people certainly struggles in all of the same ways and experiences grace in all the same ways as we do. I see also our great need for them because I see our great need for the sacraments. I see the biblical, historical, and spiritual reasons and explanations for the priesthood, for the sacraments, and especially for the Church as the arm of God on earth.

This is not a place for an apology for the priesthood or the sacraments, but it is the place to share that in my personal experience (and believe me, I have STRUGGLED!) with demonology, it has become clear to me that as a protestant deliverance minister I relied entirely on my own person and ability to "Stir up faith," and receive grace,  even though I was under the illusion that I was relying entirely on Christ, and that as a Catholic deliverance minister, I have relied entirely on the mercy of God and His sacraments.

For example, I have experienced  paralyzing fear in deliverance prayer as a Catholic, and never as a protestant, and while a protestant reader my say that that is a sign that I was going about it the wrong way, I would say that it is a sign that I finally began to use God's strength and not my own.

This is perfectly depicted in the movie in the "final battle" between Father Michael and the demon possessing Father Lucas... which is actually the beginning of Father Michael's war. It is only when he has reached the end of himself that He finds God. And isn't that always the case?

Further, the importance of being "One" with God's Church, in full communion, and the spiritual authority and power that comes from being under that covering is perfectly depicted, for the faith of the characters is only as strong as their union with the Church and her teachings.

Finally, the film does a wonderful job of explaining the importance of family, of parenthood, of handing on the faith. The mother in the film has passed down her hope in Christ, and the Father has cast doubt and depression into Father Michael's life. We are powerfully reminded of our duty as parents to teach our children how to differentiate right from wrong, good from bad, and light from darkness.

This is the work of The Rite: to show the drama of the human soul. If this film exists, it is by pure miracle, On par with miracle of the success of The Passion. In these dark days, God has allowed a great grace to shine forth through the dark fog of Hollywood, and those who will receive the message will be changed and strengthened for the days ahead. Take everyone you know to see this film. It will change lives.

The Rite opens with a quote from Pope John Paul II on the reality of the existence of the Devil and hell. The film closes with a renewed, faithful priest hearing a woman's confession. The Message of this film is crystal clear:


"The whole of man's history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the dawn of history until the last day. This dramatic situation of the whole world, which is in the power of the evil one, makes man's life a battle."

--Catechism of the Catholic Church: 409


Amen, Amen, and AMEN!!!