Exorcisms, demons and Calling Out to God and One Another

Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. Mark 1:21-28

It was a dark and stormy Saturday anyway, so the mood was right for a day of Exorcism

Movies. I watched Constantine, and The Rite, in which Anthony Hopkins plays a grizzled Welsh Jesuit priest who teaches a young protégé’ the skills for being an exorcist. Finally, I watched Priest, Paul Betany’s action movie about an order of priests who battle demonic vampires in a dystopic future. (He has a cool cross tattoo on his forehead, too!)  

I geek out on exorcism  movies  in the same way that others do for movies about policeman and firefighters. I like seeing people who “practice” the same calling going out and kicking evil’s butt. After all, what we are about in our “practice” of God’s goodness is proclaiming to whatever forces are out there that good, love and Jesus are of ultimate worth and power in a world that often seems otherwise.

Jesus does open battle with demons in the Gospel of Mark. We would probably be right in consigning many of the ailments the “possessed” people suffer from to illnesses like epilepsy or schizophrenia. If you are or I were to meet someone convinced they were possessed, we would be right in seeking out medical help for them. We don’t often seek out the exorcist anymore for people who are acting strange.

Yet, there is something pretty instructive for us in the scene. We can still “exorcise” stuff from our life with prayer, conversation and care for one another using Jesus’ “technique.”  Notice that Jesus has a conversation with the demons. Notice that they know who he is and recognize that they are powerless. Notice too that with Jesus’ help they depart. They are named, called out, and then banished!

You too can name-call out- and banish darkness from your life and the lives of others. You have already done it before, even.

When was the last time you had something on your heart or on your mind that felt heavy, or dark, or unbelievably sad and you prayed about it or talked to someone who loved you and you felt its power over you lessen or even go away?  When you did that- you “banished darkness.”

When we name our “darkness” or trouble it begins to lose its power over us. Remember, as you encounter problems or dark times, that you have a community of people in the Church who can listen to what is going on. You can be connected to resources like counselors and (if necessary) Doctors who can help in that work, too. Like the people in Jesus’ day, we have to recognize our need for one another and for God’s help, and open ourselves up to that help by “crying out” to God and to people who love us. The possessed man cried out, then Jesus could do his work!

[And by the way, know that you have in Joel and me two people who care about you who are always willing to be listening ears and a resource to help you find whatever help you need.]

Demons, whatever their form,  are powerless against the light, love and life offered by Jesus.

Tim