Not one but three letters from a Grandfather about the devil! Isn't that a bit much? No! The devil is actually vastly underrated. How many sermons or religions classes speak of him? Yet, he and his domain are our fierce adversary. Our first and foremost enemies are NOT the Communists, Putin, Trump or Biden. They are: the world, the flesh and the devil. The three work together. I would say the devil is the least of the three. He is restrained in many ways, especially by the sacramental and prayer life of the Church. He is already decisively defeated. It is possible to exaggerate his power in anxiety; that occurs among the psychotic; but is rare in our world. I write to you about him that you may be wise, vigilant and fierce in combat against him, for your own sake and for so many who are bound by him and in need of liberation. Jesus invites us to join him in this Spiritual Combat. Having treated possession, we turn now to oppression and obsession, leaving temptation and deception to the last letter.
Oppression.
Like possession, this is very rare and something you are not likely to confront, unlike obsession, temptation and deception. But it is good to know about nevertheless. Oppression is an external, physical attack by the devil. It is the least of his tactics since it does not take possession of the personality nor does it corrupt the spirit.
The classic case is Job: God allows (in his permissive will, not his direct will; he does not intend it but allows it to bring out greater good; a very important principle!) Satan to torment this good man: sickness, death of loved ones, loss of health and wealth. Job, happily, defeated the Tormentor and praised God: "Naked I came into the world and naked I shall depart it. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
The saints seem to be often the target of oppression. St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, was beaten at night by demons who threw furniture and left him bruised and bloodied. But they did not defeat his spirit. And the power of the devils was restrained: they did not kill him or even leaven him disabled.
Why Satan does this is not clear. Perhaps to discourage and leave the victim despondent and despairing? In the cases noted we can see God's providence: he allowed it for good to triumph over evil. Wise on God's part; not so much on Satan's.
Of course every human life experiences oppression in the form of suffering, sickness, disappointment, failure, and tragedy. All of this is not directly willed by God, but allowed by his permissive will. It is a consequence of the Kingdom of Evil, of Satan's revolt, that of Adam and Eve and their children. But it would be an exaggeration to identify every misfortune as directly demonic. Rather, we would consider supernatural oppression if there is an extraordinary convergence of misfortune as with Job.
Obsession.
Pervasive and often undiagnosed, obsession is the state of bondage to a compulsion or addiction that takes control of ones life. In this condition, a person may sincerely intend to be free and resist the force but is unable to. Examples: all addictions to chemicals, sex, gambling, eating, shopping, and others. Also: overwhelming anxiety, anger, suicidal despair, sense of abandonment, self-harm, unbelief, and others.
You will say: these are psychological, not demonic! Yes they are psychological for sure, but in many cases there is also a demonic component, as the devil exploits weakness of the flesh to thwart God's plan for our happiness and salvation and bring about our ruin an final damnation.
A complex, mysterious composite, the human person in sickness and health has different dimensions: physical, emotional/psychological, social, moral, intellectual and spiritual. And so an obsession/compulsion is operative on all six levels. Consider an alcoholic. He first has a physical tendency to find relief and pleasure in this "medicine.". Many of us lack this; some get sick when they drink too much. Others may have a predisposition to find relief in sex, work, food, shopping and so forth. Secondly, we can imagine emotional wounds, from early childhood on, which leave an interior suffering. At some point the victim finds that drinking drowns out that suffering and brings pleasure. However he can only develop and sustain this addiction in a social environment that makes it possible and especially one that encourages it: think Irish and Russian! Next the moral: he himself makes the decision, frequently, to drink too much. The intellectual comes in here as he may rationalize that his drinking is normal, wholesome, and a well deserved recreation. Lastly, and very important indeed, the spiritual: as he sinks into the addiction, he feels far from God and becomes despondent and depressed, ashamed and guilty, and resentful. With the absence of God, the demons are ready to invade the now unprotected soul and intensify the compulsion and all the toxins of isolation, anger and despair that accompany it.
Obviously, release from this bondage must occur on all levels: physical abstinence from the addictive substance or behavior; healing of the internal wounds that cause it; a moral decision to become sober; a supportive community and detachment from those who support the habit; a new intellectual outlook that values sobriety; and finally renunciation of the devil and intimate embrace of God.
This last will include for the Catholic participation in confession and the Eucharist. May also include 12-step work with Alcoholics Anonymous (or other 12-step group) which addresses all six levels. But if there is demonic presence there needs to be Deliverance. Deliverance is a lesser form of exorcism by which the demon is renounced and cast out of the person he is obsessing. Neal Lozano, a charismatic Catholic, has developed an outstanding method of deliverance which I have learned. He identifies five steps when he prays for deliverance for one to be "unbound" from the enslavement.
1. Repent: turn from sin to Christ. This is familiar to all practicing Christians.
2. Forgive: anyone for whom you have resentment. This is basic. And must be practiced frequently.
3. Renounce the demon. Specifically, by name. In the name of Jesus, not by one's own power. Gently, firmly, confidently with full trust in the Holy Spirit. This is, in my view, the key to deliverance. It is something unknown and unpracticed, so explicitly, in the Church. So, for example, if I realize I am becoming discouraged about something that is clearly God's will for me (my work, marriage, children, etc.) I will calmly, in the person of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, command: "Spirit of discouragement, weakness, despair and cowardice and all related spirits, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to depart from me." Again: this is said gently, confidently, with full trust in Christ. Guess what? It works!
4. Command of the demon to depart can then be done by the prayer minister assisting the deliverance. For example, if I am praying with you and you have just renounced the spirit of discouragement I will follow up and reinforce: "I command you spirit of discouragement to be gone in the name of Jesus Christ." If you are praying deliverance by yourself of course this reinforcement is not available.
5, Blessing. The last and best. The blessing invokes the Holy Spirit to replace the displaced demon with its opposite. In this case: "Come Holy Spirit! Bring courage, strength, hope, energy and ferocity!" This is said by the prayer minister but if praying alone it is done by oneself.
This deliverance prayer is in one sense not prayer itself as it is addressed not first to God, but is a direct command to the devil. "Be gone, in the name of Jesus." But it is done in the power of Christ and ends with the invocation for blessing and infilling of the Holy Spirit.
It should be done frequently. It there is a powerful, entrenched demon it may take years of combat before final liberation. It can become habitual. For example, if I am walking on a city street and hear two people in an argument so violent that I sense the demonic, I quietly pray deliverance, directing the demons to release the people involved. Does it work? Well it sure can't hurt! I pray it long distance for those I love who are distant from God and in bondage. Yes I believe this works. I believe the gates of hell are vulnerable to our prayers. Years ago we were praying with a group in Duncan Projects in Jersey City for a Mexican-American father of about 8 or 9 children who was deep in mental illness and diabolic obsession (after some occult behavior) and we learned later that he experienced a remarkable release at the very time we were praying. This is the power of Jesus Christ!
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