Word to the Wise
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 - St. John Bosco, SDB, priest
[Hebrews 11:32-40 and Mark 5:1-20]Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.......
When I was a seminarian one of the steps toward ordination ("minor orders") was the "Order of Exorcist." We received this "order" along with the Order of Porter at the same ceremony. In the case of the Order of Porter, we each got up and went to a door, opened and shut it and rang a bell. But in the case of the Order of Exorcist, all we did was to touch what we were told was the "book of exorcisms!" I never opened the book and wasn't about to ask the bishop to let me look through it before he conferred the order! I was to exercise the order of Porter many times in answering the front door or the telephone. But I cannot say that I have ever done an exorcism! Yet, right after my ordination to the priesthood I returned to Tulane Law School right about the time the book and movie THE EXORCIST hit the public. I met more than one student who was convinced that their roommate (or even themselves) were "possessed." My reaction at the time was one of bemusement because even if demonic possession is a reality, it is a rare one, and the reception of the Order of Exorcist was not meant to license me to hang out a shingle with EXORCIST on it! Later on, when pastor of a Hispanic parish in San Antonio, I came as close as I'm likely to come to exorcism through requests from parishioners to come and bless a house because they felt an evil spirit was occupying part of it, or to bless a baby because the date, 6/6/96, contained the sequence 666 which some associate with the devil. Jars of blessed water were continually on hand at the front desk for parishioners to use to feel safe in their homes and persons.
The spectacular nature of exorcism and demonic possession can be deceptive. The point of the story of the Gerasene demoniac is not to demonstrate the strength of the demon or even the dialog or process of exorcism between Jesus and the demon, or the unlucky pigs and their owners. It is to show that no matter who or what the opposing power is, Jesus is more powerful. The incident takes place in pagan territory, so it is clear that Jesus is powerful everywhere and not just among believers. As with any miracle or sign in the ministry of Jesus, the point is not the particular miracle or sign, but the one who is able to bring it about. In the case of the people in this incident, the sad reaction is one of fear rather than faith! They beg Jesus to leave!
It seems that exorcisms are once more a subject of interest in the church and the media. If the discussion helps everyone to understand that not all of reality is scientifically measurable, that evil is a force to be reckoned with on a powerful level, and that our faith is our best protection because God is ultimately more powerful than any evil, then something good will come of this periodic interest. Otherwise we get lost in the "entertainment" and lose sight of the truth! AMEN
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