For me, it has always been a head-scratcher when I hear some folks claim to be spiritual but not believers in God – to claim the existence of ghosts but not their Creator – to appoint godparents for their children but have no idea what godparents are truly for. They are behind the existence of all things supernatural, yet they struggle with having any relationship with God whatsoever. They decorate for Halloween but don’t go to church. They watch the latest Conjuring movie but silently disparage Christian believers for clinging to their Bibles. They believe the devil exists but not the One who defeated death on the cross.
What can we make of this curious social phenomenon?
Lilydale, New York is a community of spiritualists not far from where I grew up in Pennsylvania. Many folks flock to this village every year to get their palms read or participate in seances. I have been there. I did not willingly partake in the aforementioned activities, choosing instead to stand aloof and observe, but even then, a spiritualist called me out by saying that my grampa, many years deceased, spoke to her, saying that the decision I was wrestling with had an answer. No. Do not do it.
She was right. The call was good.
I think about that event sometimes when I consider the rampant demonic activity in our world today. To those who have eyes to see, it is ubiquitous – everywhere. Senseless conflicts continue to rage. Injustices are committed daily. The basic tenets of our human design are incessantly being twisted. What is good is now bad, and what is bad is now good. And everybody, it seems, is just going along with it.
To call this endless distortion and mockery of God’s blueprint for humanity what it really is would invite certain derision. Father Vincent Lampert, however, is not so timid about naming the truth.
His book, Exorcism: The Battle Against Satan and his Demons, gives readers clear insight into what exorcism is and what it is not. It removes Hollywood from the mix and explains an ancient Catholic rite firmly rooted in Church tradition and scripture. Beyond this, however, the book makes the simple claim that demons exist and that they must be dealt with. We have all heard the saying that the devil’s greatest trick is convincing the world that he does not exist. It is clear that this is the case today. The Western world, at least, is having internal conversations about sex trafficking, the definition and fluidity of gender, the increasing suicide rates of our young, the very meaning of the word truth, violence and substance abuse, the breakdown of the nuclear family and the fatalism that is wracking millions. And on and on and on.
Some insist that these are practical problems with practical solutions, but I beg to differ, and Lampert may feel the same. We have had the debates and the discussions, and they have proven to be fruitless. Perhaps we need to take a different approach by recognizing that the evil spirits mentioned in Saint Michael’s prayer are, indeed, doing their very best to seek the ruin of souls. The West, one might argue, is experiencing what Lampert calls a demonic infestation that can only be addressed on a spiritual level – a massive exorcism, a cleansing of the temple.
Do we have the wherewithal? Can we muster the will? Or will we binge-watch another show, playing the violin while Rome burns to the ground and the demonic hordes shriek with laughter?
https://www.amazon.com/Exorcism-Battle-Against-Satan-Demons/dp/1645850617
