Retaliations on the Priest

This aspect should not be over-looked because demonic retaliations on the priest-exorcist can range from mild to serious. Although the Almighty certainly protects his priests; nonetheless, one should never be tactless in matters that one can certainly avoid just by an act of humility and obedience.

 The priest must examine his past and present life carefully to see which areas the evil one may use to attack the priest. Often this is either emotional bondage or attachment to persons or experiences or things. Hence a real and sincere renouncement of the unholy ties, links, and bondages is called for. A good general confession complements regular integral confession and infuses habitual sanctifying grace on the soul of the priest so that the evil one may not have access to the soul.

When harassments occur so that the exorcist finds himself unable to perform well in his priestly ministry, it may even be necessary that the priest-exorcist in training be prayed-over by a fellow exorcist to diagnose and expel if there are any unclean spirits attached to him, especially in the mind or body. One should never be afraid of this as God will always equip His servants with all the grace necessary to make them powerful instruments for the glory of the Lord. Unless the priest is psychic or “sensitive”, the reaction is often minimal. This is no doubt due to the habitual sanctifying grace that is in the priest.

It is also important to put priests who are into the “charismatic” renewal for evaluation before being appointed because the office of exorcist is different from the charismatic way of doing things when it comes to the spiritual liberation and healing ministry. First it is necessary to ascertain that the priest is not contaminated with occult spirits and thereby not using “counterfeit” charisms. This is to minimize possibilities of severe harassment in the event that he has openings. There is also a need to retrain the mind in doing things when it comes to praying over a person afflicted by unclean spirits. The Roman Ritual is very precise in procedure as the act is liturgical in nature. Knowing the spontaneity of those in the charismatic renewal, it would require obedience to the prescriptions of the ritual itself when dealing with the possessed.