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To most rational people in the Western mindset, the Devil conjures up clichéd imagery involving a suave-looking man with a goatee deftly drawing up contracts for the damned to sign. This is a by-product of our de-mythologizing the Devil from persona to an abstract concept. But to several cultures in the Twenty-First Century, the Devil is still real.
Enter the exorcist. For those who have more than a passing knowledge beyond the movie of the same title, an Exorcist is the seemingly anachronistic holdover from the early history of Christianity and the Catholic Church. But in reality, the Catholic Church takes the Rite of Exorcism seriously because it still takes the Devil seriously.
In The Rite, journalist Matt Baglio follows the training of American priest Father Gary Thomas in Italy as he apprentices to become a fully-fledged exorcist. On being approached by his Bishop in California to train in Rome as an exorcist, Father Gary is surprised, but willingly takes on the vocation, even if he does have doubts. But as he is immersed in the training and witnesses firsthand exorcisms in Italy, he becomes aware of the Devil as a tangible force, and an intelligent adversary. After seeing an experienced Church exorcist at work, Father Gary is forced to consider how the demonic can have a direct personal effect on innocent life. The consequences can range from disquieting to downright nasty and frightening.
One of the key issues which The Rite deals with is reconciling the phenomenon of diabolical possession with the modern world. Are they compatible? Is acknowledging the possibility of a Manichean struggle between good and evil a quaint leftover from a more superstitious period of human history? Having come of age just as the Catholic Church was implementing the reforms of Vatican II, Father Gary was at the crossroads of modernity and old tradition within the dogma of Catholicism. The Catholic Church in Italy seemed to have found at best an uneasy coexistence with the phenomenon of demonic possession and ways to deal with it. The Catholic Church is by no stretch monolithic in its outlook and Father Gary has to transplant his new perspective from Italy to his parish in California.
The book is an eye-opener both for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, and readers might be surprised to see how a church-sanctioned exorcist must adhere to a strict set of criteria to gauge whether or not a person is actually possessed. Even then, there are levels of demonic possession. Each category requires a different set of responses by the exorcist. What is also striking about The Rite is a peek by the exorcists into the mindset and behavioral responses of the possessing demons. There is a methodology both to how a demon controls a person and what the exorcist does to psychologically and spiritually peel apart the psyche to reveal either neurosis, possession, or both. The Devil is indeed, serious business.
Comments
Because Catholic exorcisms and the myriad of eye witnesses to the events are always dismissed as unreal. The only thing unreal to me is the obstinacy of those who do not want to face the reality of life, death, heaven and hell.
The book "The Rite" gives some excellent first hand accounts of some recent exorcisms and also gives a good description of the Rite of exorcism.
There is a very interesting story from the book here:
www.stgemmagalgani.com/2009/05/exorcisms-intercession-of-st-gemma.html
Just as sure as we are real, the devil is real.
The fact that you even have to question his
existence may just be evidence of his effects
on one's life. Ask God for protection, and the
devil will lose every time.
"If you don't believe in the devil, you don't believe in Jesus Christ." said Pope John Paul II, as he reaffirmed again in public that belief in demons and in Christ's power to exorcise them is an ESSENTIAL DOGMA of the Catholic Christian Church. Good men mislead others to think belief in exorcism is antiquated. Sadly, this weed has made inroads into most of Catholic Seminaries, choaking back the fruit of the gospel, methodically hamstringing it.
I believe in the devil and in demonic spirits, but the method for exorcising demons in "The Rite" differs from the bible. RED FLAG!
Fr. Gary seems sincere in trying to help people, but he seemed duped by his "mentor" Fr. Carmine, who lied to him the first time they met, and who is proud of not fasting to prepare himself spiritually for the rite of exorcism. TWO MORE RED FLAGS going ignored by reviewers of this book.
Further, the most outrageous stories in the book are "memories" of Fr. Carmine and a priest whose name is a PSEUDONYM, a "Fr. Daniel". I even doubted the memories of the so-called Vatican experts quoted.
My reason for reading the book was to see how someone could be deemed "official" exorcist for a diocese. Prior to reading "The Rite", I had NO preconceived notions of exorcism - Hollywood or otherwise.
I thought the book may be spooky, but instead, I laughed out loud, for much of it. While the devil is REAL, "The Rite" sounds like fiction. RED FLAG!
A child of God cannot be possessed by Satan. He goes after much easier prey. No reason to go after those already sold out to Christ.
In the not-too-distant past, my mother, who suffers from a form of epilepsy would have been mislabled "demon possessed." The persistence of the notion of exorcism being a necessary form of treatment is dismaying to me from the perspective of someone who knows that most aberrant behaviors are the result of physical and biochemical imbalances that require skilled medical treatment. To be sure, I am not oblivious to the healing powers of prayer and meditation. But any treatment of disturbed individuals that relies solely on healing of the spirit, to the exclusion addressing physical and psychological defects and needs, is woefully deficient. Exorcism is probably the original form of intervention - a forced wake-up call to an individual that he or she is way off track from leading a healthy life. In that respect, exorcism is probably perfectly valid as a symbolic form of transition and redirection. But I remain concerned for anyone who relies on this to the exclusion of other treatments.
Odd that I cannot read the comments now. When there were nothing but raves about the book, comments were there.
But there were two comments that questioned the validity of the information in the book, and now the comment page cannot be accessed.
Is anyone else having trouble with viewing the comment page? Odd that just a glowing review is able to be read. Very, very odd.
If anyone else has a problem viewing the comment page, enter in a "comment" and the page will show up, as well as your comment.
I'm glad it doesn't appear to be a case of censorship, as ALL 8 comments are recorded, and this one should be Number 9.
To Leeandra - the book clearly distinguishes between those that need medical help, such as the diagnosis of your mother, and those that are under spiritual attack.
That said, after having read this book, I do not feel comfortable with either the skills or the discernment abilities of the priests in quetion.
The best of them (Fr. Gary) is like a child playing a game of Good versus Evil, though I think he's well-meaning.
The others are, I believe, just not telling the truth, in order to make themselves look important and needed.
Catholics in Rome come across as a superstitious lot that just can't get enough attention from priests & being 'blessed'.
500,000 Italians sought out exorcism! Like if you build it, they will come.
Everyone is entitled to his own belief and skepticism. That's why I respect Cradle Catholic's views though I don't agree with them. I am a nurse and I have studied psychiatry and I don't think I'm the gullible sort - unless I see the "_% discount" sign at my favorite retailer.
The author wrote from Fr. Thomas's first-hand account; hence to level those accusations against him and the other priests without the benefit of on-site presence to debunk those claims doesn't just make sense. Recounting his days as an exorcist's apprentice, Fr. Thomas possessed a healthy dose of skepticism which one needed. To say that he was playing a child's game of "Good versus Evil" is ludicrous. And those who have yet to read the book should understand that the Catholic Church recommends only the rite of exorcism after all physiological and/or psychological bases for a malady had been ruled out.
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