LESSON 2
Before resuming the Rite where I left off in Lesson 1A, I want to go back to items 6 and 7 in that Lesson, and discuss their importance, which is not insignificant.
I want to do this because I want people to understand the profound meaning (authority and power) of that simple but profound act of The Sign of the Cross (Item 6). It is extremely powerful and demons hate it.
Likewise, I also want to give some background and meaning to the power of Holy Water (Item 7), and why demons are repelled by it as well.
The Sign of the Cross
Edward Sri has an excellent section in his book A Biblical Walk through the Mass about the Sign of the Cross. In that chapter, Sri tells us that the sign of the cross is a sacred tradition that goes back to the earliest centuries of Christianity, “when this ritual was understood to be a source of divine power and protection. In making this sign, we invoke God’s presence and invite him to bless us, assist us, and guard us from all harm. It is not surprising then that the early Christians made the sign of the cross quite often, desiring to tap into the power that lay therein.” Sri also points out two principal aspects of the sign of the cross: 1) the actual tracing of the cross over our bodies; and, 2) the words we recite while doing this: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The sign has roots in sacred scripture going back to the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, where a mysterious mark on the forehead was used as:
1) A sign of divine protection
2) A mark distinguishing the righteous from the wicked
In the story, told in Ezekiel chapters 8-9, the righteous ones would receive a mysterious mark: the Hebrew letter tahv – or “tav” which had the shape of an X or a cross – which would be placed on the foreheads. This mark on their foreheads (just like the blood on the doorposts protected Israelite families from God’s punishment on Egypt at the first Passover), as we learn from Ezekiel 9, would protect the faithful ones in Jerusalem when judgment fell on the city. The mark had a twofold aspect, as noted above. It set them apart, and it served as a sign of protection.
Sri says that when we make the sign of the cross, we are doing these same two things. First, we are expressing our desire to be set apart from the corrupt ways of the world in our own day. Making the sign of the cross is our strong statement that expresses our firm commitment to live according to Christ’s standards, not the world’s.
Second, when we sign ourselves with the cross, we are invoking God’s protection for our lives. We are asking him to guard us from all harm and evil. St. Cyril of Jerusalem noted these two aspects of the sign of the cross – the distinguishing and protective aspects—calling the ritual both “a badge of the faithful” and “a terror to the devils.” Little wonder then, why an exorcist would make this sign at the beginning of an exorcism! It will be repeated many times throughout the rite. But, the sign itself is not all, the words we speak while making the sign of the cross are powerful in and of their own right, and coupled with the sign, weaken and dismay the demons.
Second, when we sign ourselves with the cross, we are invoking God’s protection for our lives. We are asking him to guard us from all harm and evil. St. Cyril of Jerusalem noted these two aspects of the sign of the cross – the distinguishing and protective aspects—calling the ritual both “a badge of the faithful” and “a terror to the devils.” Little wonder then, why an exorcist would make this sign at the beginning of an exorcism! It will be repeated many times throughout the rite. But, the sign itself is not all, the words we speak while making the sign of the cross are powerful in and of their own right, and coupled with the sign, weaken and dismay the demons.
While we sign ourselves, we call on God’s name, saying, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In scripture, calling upon the Lord’s name denotes worship and is often associated with prayer and sacrifice. To call upon God’s name is to invoke his presence and his power.
Invoke: a transitive verb; to petition for help or support; to appeal to or cite as authority; to call forth by incantation; to make an earnest request for ; to put into effect or operation
Invoking or calling upon the name of the Lord for his help, power and support is done all throughout the Bible (for a mere handful of examples, see Gen. 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25; Ps. 54:1; 80:18; 105:1; 124:8; 148:13; Phil. 2:9; 2:10-11; Mk. 16:17-18; Acts 3:6; Luke 24:47; Acts 10:43; Luke 10:17; Jn. 14:13; 15:16, 26-27; Mt. 18:20; 28:19). Calling upon the triune personhood of the Holy Trinity is especially powerful. God has indeed promised that those who gather in His name will receive the blessing of his presence among them: “For where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). So, given the above, is there now any wonder why an exorcist at the beginning of an exorcism would make the sign of the cross and utter those words? Hardly! After all, St. Mark ends his Gospel with the words that Jesus himself used to grant the power to cast out demons to all who believe in him: “In my name they will cast out demons” (Mark 16:17).
By the way, this type of invoking is different than the invoking done by those practicing magick (Neo-Pagan, Wicca, witchcraft, etc.). The Christian invoking is done in humility, recognizing the proper authority is God in Christ Jesus alone, and in the case of this Rite, is done in order to help an afflicted person. Magick, in sharp contrast, is done by a human with no thought whatsoever of invoking the true and living God, but is done in a motivation rooted in SELF, in desire to get what that particular person has deemed he or she wants. It’s an appeal based and centered in humanism, and invokes the mystical god and goddess who in fact are less-than-God, and more likely to be demons. Neo-pagans throw up their hands and protest that we always think they are invoking demons and becry foul, that they are not. Yet, we insist they are being shadow-ruled, and duped. Thus the argument goes on.
Holy Water
From the excellent chapter in The How-To Book of Sacramentals, Ann Ball writes:
“Water is used many ways liturgically…Holy Water is simply ordinary water sanctified [set apart for special use by God in and by the power of the Holy Spirit] by the blessing of the Church. The blessing once consisted of exorcisms of water and salt; the salt was added to the water in the form of a cross [see above] to signify that the water was preserved from corruption. The practice of putting salt into the water came from the incident of the miraculous cure of the poisoned water, when the prophet Elisha used salt to purify water form a spring (2 Kings 2:19-22).
In the Roman Ritual, the priest prays, “May this creature of yours, when used in your mysteries and endowed with your grace, serve to cast out demons and to banish disease. May everything that this water sprinkles in the homes and gatherings of the faithful be delivered form all that is unclean and hurtful; let no breath of contagion hover there, no taint of corruption; let all the wiles of the lurking enemy come to nothing. By the sprinkling of this water may everything opposed to the safety and peace of the occupants of these homes be banished, so that in calling on your holy name they may know the well-being they desire, and be protected from every peril; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Christ’s faithful are permitted to take holy water home with them to sprinkle the sick, their homes, fields, etc. it is recommended that they put it in fonts in the rooms of their homes and use it to bless themselves daily and frequently.” (Ball, pp 77-78)
It is no wonder that with such as powerful blessing of the water, why it is so effective – so long as it is not used as a talismanic “magic fairy dust” and is matched with faith and holy living by those who use it. I personally have many bottles of holy water that I receive from my priest during the Easter season when the blessing of the water takes place.
Thus one can see how these sacramentals are intermingled and interdependent upon one another (the use of the sign of the Cross in blessing the water, for example.] By the way, you might be interested to note that the difference between a Sacrament (of which there are seven in the Roman Catholic Church – such as Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, etc) and a sacramental is that the seven Sacraments were instituted by Christ himself, while the sacramentals were instituted by the Holy Church. It is the source of the Sacrament or sacramental that is the difference. Naturally, the Sacraments are more important, but that does not mean that sacramentals are not effective or powerful, because they certainly are. Their power and effectiveness are also ultimately in Jesus Christ in and by the Holy Spirit, because the Church is the Body of Christ, and He gave authority (right and might) to his apostles in order that the work of God might go on after he ascended into heaven.
The Rite Begins In Earnest
After the above preparations and actions and after praying the Liturgy of the Saints (if chosen to) the Rite begins in earnest with the following prayer:
“Remember not, O Lord, our offenses, nor those of our parents: neither take retribution on our sins. Our Father…(he continues the prayer inaudibly at this point until) …and lead us not into temptation.”
Assistant(s) say(s): “But deliver us from evil.”
It is interesting to notice that the prayer petitions the Lord for forgiveness of the sins (offenses) of the exorcist and all of those present, including the possessed (note the pronoun “our” in “our offenses”), but also adds “nor those of our parents.” Why would an exorcist begin an exorcism which would ask for the forgiveness of offenses and sins of those present including the sins of the parents of those present, who are not even there? I believe this is a direct pre-emptive strike against familial sins due to curses that may be generational. This is one of the brilliances of the Roman Rite of Exorcism, is that it is the product of literally centuries of experience in dealing with 1) Diabolism; 2) Demonology, and 3) Warfarology (Spiritual Warfare). Much has been learned through dealing with demons and knowledge gained in understanding the nature and potency of curses—including generational ones that, for unknown reasons, seem to pass from parents to child. (Does anyone deny that the children of alcoholic parents are more prone to become alcoholics themselves…etc). All of this experience and knowledge has obviously been poured into the Rite, and you can be assured that every word has been carefully chosen. That is the confidence we can have in the Rite’s efficacy.
Also, you should note that while the Rite says “deliver is from evil,” that what is meant is literally deliver us from the evil One. That is the correct translation from the original Greek text –and clearly points to and addresses the evil caused by the personified diabolical evil of Satan, whose person and kingdom is being encountered in this very Rite.
Psalm 53
Reading this Psalm comes next, if chosen.
“Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.
Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
For insolent men have risen against me, ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before them.
Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
He will repay my enemies with evil; in your faithfulness put an end to them.
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name O LORD, for it is good.
For you have delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Glory be to the Father.
It should be noted by the reader that the “insolent men have risen against me ” mentioned above can include fallen angels (demons), and that the “seek my life” –in this context—means the spiritual death of those involved.
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