The devil and his demons can indeed possess an individual. The New Testament presents several stories of diabolical possession and our Lord’s exorcism of the demons. For instance, Jesus exorcized the demons (who identify themselves as “legion”) of Gerasa. The possessed man was so strong he was able to pull apart the chains that bound him and smash them. In the end, the demons entered the swine and destroyed them. (Cf. Mark 5:1-20). In each of the exorcism stories, we see the power of Christ triumphantly vanquishing the devil and his demons.
Christ also empowered the Apostles to cast out demons in His name: “Then He summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority to expel unclean spirits and to cure sickness and disease of every kind” (Matthew 10:1). The practice of exorcism is recorded in the writings of the early Church Fathers, including St. Justin Martyr (d. 165), Tertullian (d. 230), and St. Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386). Over the course of the centuries, the Church has well documented cases of possession and exorcism, including the one to which the reader refers.
Given this brief Biblical and historical foundation, we can better examine the issue. Father Jordan Aumann, O.P., a noted Professor of Spiritual Theology, offers the following definition: “Diabolical possession is a phenomenon in which the devil invades the body of a living person and moves the faculties and organs as if he were manipulating a body of his own. The devil truly resides within the body of the unfortunate victim, and he operates in it and treats it as his own property. Those who suffer this despotic invasion are said to be possessed” (Spiritual Theology, p. 408). However, the soul cannot be entered or overcome and thus remains free; in a sense, the soul– really the person– is like in a state of suspended animation. Pope Benedict XIV in his teaching De servorum Dei beatificatione, et beatorum canonizatione stated, “Demons, in the individuals whom they possess, are like motors within the bodies which they move, but in such a way that they impress no quality on the body nor do they give it any new mode of existence nor, strictly speaking, do they constitute, together with the possessed person, a single being.”
In determining whether a person is possessed by the devil or his demons, the Church would first make sure he underwent thorough physical and psychiatric examinations. Eliminating these natural causes, Church officials would seek other signs: unexplainable physical phenomena, such as levitation or the uncaused movement of objects; displaying strength that surpasses one’s condition; the knowledge and usage of archaic languages which the person would have no way of previously knowing, such as speaking Aramaic; and the secret knowledge of a person’s life, particularly the exorcist, which no other person would know. Another sign is the vehement aversion to God, the Blessed Mother, the saints, the cross, and sacred images, demonstrated by blasphemous remarks or sacrilegious actions. The devil also reveals his presence by acts of anger and violence, and through blasphemous, sacrilegious, profane, and obscene remarks. The Bishop would authorize an exorcism only after serious examination and a careful weighing of all of the evidence.
The Roman Ritual prescribes a Rite of Exorcism, a series of prayers, blessings, and invocations in the exorcizing of the devil. (The Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments released a revised ritual on January 26, 2000 with the approval of Pope John Paul II.) The holy arsenal of weapons used in an exorcism include sacramental confession, the reception of Holy Communion, fasting and prayer (particularly saying the Rosary), the use of sacramentals (like blessings with holy water, the presence of a crucifix or other religious images), blessings with the relics of saints, and the invocation of the names of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Michael. The ritual is repeated until the devil is cast out of the person, at which time the exorcist petitions God to never permit the devil to possess the person again.
During the course of the diabolical possession and even the exorcism, the person has not only periods of crisis when the struggle with evil is most apparent, but also periods of calm when one thinks the possession has ended. Interestingly, after the exorcism, the person does not remember what transpired while being possessed.
Why would God allow the devil to possess someone? We must remember that we all contend with the temptations of the Prince of this World. After all, we are the weak victims of Original Sin and need God’s grace to do what is holy and good. When the new ritual for exorcism was released, Cardinal Medina, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, stated very poignantly, “…I would like to stress that the evil influence of the devil and his followers is usually exercised through deceit and confusion. Just as Jesus is the Truth, so the devil is the liar par excellence. He deceives human beings by making them believe that happiness is found in money, power, or carnal desire. He deceives them into thinking that they do not need God, that grace and salvation are unnecessary. He even deceives them by diminishing the sense of sin or even suppressing it altogether, replacing God’s law as the criterion of morality with the habits or conventions of the majority.” Consequently, spiritual writers think that a person has some initial openness to such a possession, through, for example, living a mortally sinful lifestyle, the habitual practice of evil, the desire to explore the occult, and the fascination with forms of spiritism, magic, and sorcery.
Nevertheless, why would the devil want to possess a person? In the book The Exorcist, the older priest, Father Merrin speaks with the young Father Karras, who asked him, “Why this girl? It makes no sense.” Father Merrin, an experienced exorcist, replied, “I think the point is to make us despair– to see ourselves as animal and ugly, to reject the possibility that God could love us.” Although this text is fictional, the underlying message is valid. Whether through the horror of sin or possession, the devil wants to shatter our belief that God loves us beyond our imagining and will even forgive any sin if we are truly sorry. Therefore, we have great hope, for our Lord is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) who has “overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Concerning both the book and the movie versions, The Exorcist was based on a true account of diabolical possession. One must remember that the book and especially the movie have certain sensational, “hollywoodesque” elements which are purely fictional.
The true story began in January, 1949 and involved a thirteen-year-old boy named Robbie who lived with his parents and grandmother in Mt. Rainier, Maryland. (Some sources indicate that the family actually lived in nearby Cottage City; possibly, authorities wanted to keep the actual place secret to protect the boy.) Robbie was very close to his aunt who visited the family frequently from St. Louis, Missouri. She was a medium and attempted to communicate with the spirit world. Not only did she spark Robbie’s interest in this practice, she also taught him how to use the Ouija board.
Strange phenomena began happening on January 10, 1949. The family heard scratching on the walls; however, exterminators found no evidence of pests of any kind. Objects moved by themselves: a table would turn over, a chair would move across the room, a vase would fly through the air, and a picture of Christ would shake. At night, Robbie felt scratching in his bed, and he suffered nightmares frequently.
After the aunt died suddenly on January 26, Robbie continued to use the Ouija board to communicate with her and others. The strange phenomena also continued. Moreover, Robbie’s disposition changed– he become unsettled, agitated, and angry.
In February, his parents took Robbie to visit their Lutheran minister, Rev. Schulze. Being interested in parapsychology, he thought perhaps a poltergeist was tormenting the family. Pastor Schulze allowed Robbie to move into his house for observation for a couple of days. The minister witnessed chairs and other objects moving by themselves. After he saw the bed shake, he moved the mattress to the floor, where it glided along by itself. Pastor Schulze became suspicious of the presence of evil.
Upon Pastor Schulze’s recommendation, the family took Robbie to the Mental Hygiene Clinic of the University of Maryland for testing. After two rounds of testing, nothing abnormal was discovered. Pastor Schulze then advised the family to contact the local Catholic priest.
Robbie and his parents visited Father Hughes of St. James Catholic Church in Mt. Rainier. While interviewing Robbie, Father Hughes saw the telephone and other objects in his office move by themselves. Robbie also cast obscene and blasphemous remarks at him in a strange, diabolical voice. The room became eerily frigid. Fr. Hughes was convinced that Robbie was possessed. After reviewing the facts of the case and the medical evidence, Cardinal O’Boyle authorized an exorcism.
Robbie was admitted to Georgetown hospital, where Fr. Hughes began the ritual of exorcism. The boy became violent, with spitting and projectile vomiting. He cast obscenities and blasphemies at Fr. Hughes. Although restrained to the bed, Robbie broke loose and wrenched out a metal spring with which he slashed Fr. Hughes from his left shoulder to wrist. The wound required over 100 stitches to close it. Robbie seemed calm after this attack, not remembering the ordeal. He was then released and sent home.
The strange phenomena soon resumed at their home. One night, when Robbie was changing for bed, he screamed. A bloody word had been scratched on his chest, Louis. His mother asked if this meant, “St. Louis,” and another bloody word appeared, yes.
Almost immediately, the family journeyed to visit their cousin in St. Louis, Missouri. The same strange phenomena began to happen. The cousin, a student at St. Louis University, talked with one of her priest professors, Fr. Bishop, S.J., about the situation. Fr. Bishop then contacted one of his close friends, Fr. Bowdern, S.J., pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church.
The two priests and a young Jesuit scholastic went to interview Robbie on March 9, 1949. They noticed bloody zig-zig scratches on his chest. They heard scraping sounds. They saw a large bookcase move and turn around by itself and a stool move across the floor. Robbie’s bed would shake as he lay on it. He hurled obscenities and blasphemies at them. The priests knew they were confronting evil.
They petitioned Cardinal Ritter for permission to perform an exorcism. After reviewing all of the evidence including medical and psychiatric exams, he granted permission on March 16.
As the priests began the Rite of Exorcism, Robbie became violent. He made howling and growling noises. The bed shook up and down. On his chest appeared bloody scratches with the words Hell and devil, and even an image of Satan. Robbie spit at the priests as he hurled obscenities and blasphemies, with intermittent fiendish laughter.
For his own safety and for the family’s welfare, Robbie was then transferred to the Alexian Brothers Hospital and placed in the psychiatric ward. Fr. Bowdern, continued to perform the exorcism. With the family’s consent, Robbie was baptized a Catholic. When Fr. Bowdern tried to give him First Holy Communion, Robbie five times spit out the Sacred Host; they then paused to say the Rosary, and Robbie finally received the Holy Eucharist.
On April 18, Easter Monday, the exorcism came to a climax. As Father Bowdern continued the ritual, the demon recognized the presence of St. Michael the Archangel, and was expelled from Robbie. A sound like a gunshot was heard throughout the hospital. After this whole ordeal, Robbie remembered nothing of the diabolical phenomena, except the vision of St. Michael. Interestingly, The Washington Post ran a front-page story on August 20, 1949 entitled, “Priest Frees Mt. Rainier Boy Reported Held in Devil’s Grip.”
Certainly, this story is frightening, but is nevertheless true. Keep in mind also that no matter what sensational effects Hollywood may have added to the real movie, they cannot compare in horror to the actual presence of evil displayed in diabolical possession.
So yes, the devil really can possess someone, and yes, the Church really does exorcisms. Be on guard! Stay away from anything dealing with the occult, including Ouija boards. Use the weapons of the holy arsenal that protect us from evil: pray, attend Mass, receive Holy Communion, live by the commandments and the teachings of the Church, and confess sins frequently. If we rely on this holy arsenal for God’s graces, we have no need to fear: the love of God will always triumph over evil.