An Exorcist Tells His Story by Gabrielle Amorth

Author:Gabrielle Amorth [Amorth, Gabrielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Spiritual & Religion
ISBN: 9781681496696
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2015-10-05T06:00:00+00:00

EFFECT OF EXORCISMS

When a person is subject to “negativities”—that is, some form of evil influence—we often notice improvement after an exorcism, even when the evil presence did not manifest itself during the session. When we try to determine whether there is a demonic presence, the reactions of the day of the exorcism itself are not conclusive. For instance, it does not matter if on the day of the exorcism the person shows signs of improvement or deterioration, sleepiness or grogginess, appearance of bruises or disappearance of pain. What is important is what happens on the subsequent days. Usually nothing changes the first couple of days; then signs of improvement begin to appear over a length of time that can last from a few to many days, according to the gravity of the illness. If no improvement is noted for several days, and no signs of “negativities” appeared during the exorcism, it generally means that the source of the problem is not of demonic origin. If the exorcist suspects that the demon is hiding, he can advise another blessing.

What is important is the demeanor of the patient during the following sessions and as a consequence of the exorcism. It may be that the evil influence showed all its strength—whether slight or serious—on the first day. On other occasions it seems that the demon tries to hide, and his power gradually emerges over several sessions. Finally the power slowly weakens. I remember a young man who showed very little negativity at first; during the second exorcism he began to scream and thrash about. Although his condition was worse than many others, it required only a few months of exorcisms before he was liberated.

The cooperation of the patient is fundamental for success. I always say that the exorcism is 10 percent of the cure; the remaining 90 percent is the responsibility of the individual. What does this mean? It means that there is a need for much prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments, living a life according to the Gospel, using sacramentals (I will discuss later the use of exorcised water, salt, and oil). It also means asking others to pray for a cure—the prayer of the entire family, parish or religious communities, prayer groups, etc., is especially fruitful—and requesting many Masses. Pilgrimages and charitable works are also useful. Above all, liberation is obtained through abundant personal prayer and through it a union with God that becomes a way of life. Many times I must deal with people who are far from religious practices. I have found that active participation in the parish or in prayer groups, especially renewal groups, is extremely beneficial.

I often compare demonic possession with drugs to demonstrate my point about cooperation. Everyone is familiar with drug addiction; everyone knows that the addict can be cured, but on two conditions. First, he must be helped by joining a support group or other similar organization because he cannot do it alone. Second, he also must actively cooperate by his own personal effort; otherwise every form of help is useless.

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