Occult Practices, Possession and the Priest

With widespread forms of occult practices, the spirit-world is gaining attention today. Practice of exorcism/deliverance - rituals, prayers, incantations, and other methods used in the expulsion of evil spirits - is prevalent today. While bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, God condemned the use of all sorts of occult practices (Ex 22:18; Lev 19:26,31; 20:6,27).  But the same old pagan practices that brought curses upon Israel were still prevalent at the time of Jesus, and they are still alive in this time of neo-paganism and postmodernism. Some priests indulge in such acts, and advocate spiritualistic techniques. They are abominations.

Many theologians hold that existence of ‘evil spirit’ is a myth and a superstition; that demons are non-personal “mental and emotional disorders”. Satan is seen as a parabolic - rather than diabolic - character; an evil personified. According to Arturo Sosa SJ, the devil is a symbol, not a person. The devil, “exists as the personification of evil in different structures, but not in persons … It is a way of evil to be present in human life.” (Tempi, 21^st August 2019). According to most psychologists and theologians evil spirits are said to be mere mind’s imagination, and “demon possession” as mental illness. Whatever it be, all forms of the occult, whether one believes in the devil or not, reject God. The realities of today’s trendy occult include a lot of con-men, and priest-exorcists who ward off the evil spirits. An Exorcist himself, Gabriele Amorth says, many are “charlatans.” How does a Catholic fight against this trend and prevent people/priests from getting caught up in the demonic, supernatural, or occult?

Possession and Deliverance

Healing or deliverance ministry today is considered as one of many therapies available to help one overcome one’s personal limitations. For example, self-help books became the new best sellers. Many use the expertise of psychotherapists to achieve his/her full potential and be always well, successful and fulfilled. Person may seek deliverance, but the clergy need to take into account the psychotherapeutic and social cultures of the person. Often enough, it is believed to have a demon for almost every shortcoming and bad habit in any person, and therefore, pseudo deliverance ministry offers a readymade quick solution to them.

Some priests claim to have not only curative powers, but they also can identify the source of the problem. For example, in one case of a priest, people from villages and towns admired him as ‘ghost deliverer’. The priest claimed that he could even predict who actually have taken possession of a person, with description including his/her sex, and where one came from.
Priests use various means - holy water, bell, incense, rod, rosary or pendulum - and claim to have received the power of divining from God.

The Catechism says, “All forms of divination are to be rejected” (CCC 2116; cf. Deut 8:10; Jer 29:8).  All occult practices “conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers” (CCC 2116). Often acts of evil and suffering, such a sickness or sudden death, loss of work, accidents and a sudden failure of business are believed to be the work of the evil spirits and for which people seek deliverance from a priest. People and priests risk to misdiagnose all problems and mishaps as having a demonic origin without considering physical/natural causes.

Occult Practices and Mental Illness

The word 'occult' signifies a collection of beliefs and practices - mystical, supernatural, magical powers, phenomena and rituals - based on the premise that humans can tap into the supernatural. Occult is used to allow a person to gain abilities and power to control the nature or other people. Both the Bible and archaeology confirm that occult practices were universal in the ancient world: sorcerers and magicians (Gen 41:8,24; Ex 7:11), diviners (Deut 18:4; 1 Sam 6:2), soothsayers (Is 2:6; Dan 2:27), “familiar spirits” (Lev 19:31); wizards, enchanters and witches (Lev 19:31; 2 Chron 33:6) were common. Biblically, the occult is any practice that tries to gain supernatural power, abilities, or knowledge apart from the creator God: divination, black magic, clairvoyance, incantations etc. The belief that spells, magic, strange gestures, rituals, etc. can alter or manipulate the physical/spiritual world, including the minds of people, and bring healing, prosperity and power, is also of the occult.

“God is infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape the experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be linked to the limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of moral evil” (CCC 385).  Therefore, “Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: ‘The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing’” (CCC 391).  In fact, angels are “spiritual, non-corporeal beings” (CCC 328).

Ancestral worship and various rites of exorcism have emerged from many tribal belief that evil spirits were the hostile spirits of deceased ancestors. There is no automatic safeguard from syncretism. There tends to be a heightened interest in the occult during times of tribulation, loss and despair. In moments of turmoil, fear, major illness and helplessness, people turn to occult. From visiting a con-man, god-man or a psychic, it can compound to mental health problems. Mental illness is distinct from demonic influence. Saint Mathew makes the differences between mental illness and demon possession: “those which were possessed with devils [demons], and those which were lunatic” (Mt 4:24).  Similarly, most unidentified moving objects, strange noises, frightful light in the dark and creaking sounds are not caused by demons. Most mental and emotional illnesses are not brought on by demons. Neither are they cases of demon possession. Again, by assuming that demons are to blame for our sins, physical pain, impatient reactions and violent hostility, we are escaping from spiritual growth and development. The drives and emotions involved in such disturbed persons do not warrant expulsion; they call for priorities, for a disciplined life. One needs to be careful about jumping to conclusions that a person is possessed and therefore needs an exorcist! The psychiatric test by a trained professional or a general assessment is the first course of action one should pursue.

Occult in Catholic Centres

Priests, missionaries, preachers, self-proclaimed god-men, and even evangelists use the rod or pendulum (rosary, chain) for divining (dowsing), and believe they have this ‘magical power’ and a special gift from God. There are number of religious practices taking place at Catholic prayer/ retreat centres. They include energy therapies, Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness training, centering prayer, eco-spirituality, use of religious objects and more. It gives the laity searching for God a false sense of security, and opens them up to false belief systems that are contrary to the Catholic faith. With deep trust put in the Church and its priests, the laity accept what is presented to them and they likely would believe and use them - a mockery and deception that end up in heresies. If meditation/ritual is placed on anything other than Christ, it may open a door to the demonic.

Ordinary simple people fail to see the dangers in participating in these occult practices. People think that wearing a medal, a rosary around their necks or putting on a ring with embossed figures of saints, is going to transmit cosmic energy into them, spiritually enhance their lives and protect them from evil.  These things then turn to be ‘idols’ that take the place of Jesus Christ. It is clear: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex 20:3).

We see an increase (a trend in Charismatic Retreat centres of deliverance) in demonic possession because people are dabbling in the occult and involving more people in it. Fear feeds the demons. So does occult threat based on wrong notion. By saying ‘yes’ to the occult,  one turns against God, a deliberate choice from one’s free will and give demons permission to influence. The Catechism states: “God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility” (CCC 2115). Occult practices (seeking hidden information on identity of person who cast evil spell, or who cheated in a land deal or even the location of the land drawn out and shown, etc.) are “gravely contrary to the virtue of religion” (CCC 2117) and is sinful, in violation of the First Commandment.  “All forms of divination [...] and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers” (CCC 2116).  “They contradict the honour, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone” (CCC 2116).