There was this case of a very successful lady, professional and all, who have practically everything that a human being would often desire --beautiful house, wealth, flourishing career, a faithful husband who is equally affluent. Their married life is characterized by love and fidelity. This marriage would soon be tested when out of nowhere something strange started to happen in the household and in the woman's health condition. In the household noises started to be heard. Well the noises can be thought of as a mouse running around in the ceiling. But pest control could not find anything. Then electrical appliances started to be heard switching on their own like the toaster popping up as if somebody is toasting bread, or the microwave oven with its usual beeping sound once the timer is over. At first all these when only the woman was around and nobody else with her, then later the husband and wife experienced it together. Then at the same time these started happening, the woman's health started to become fragile. She became sickly. In the same manner that the strange sounds and powering on of appliances started appearing with no explanation from the electricians, plumbers, and pest-control, the physicians of the woman did not also find any cause of the symptoms the woman was feeling. They decided to live with it. Meanwhile, the woman started also to join a charismatic renewal group thinking that the spiritual component in their life needed to be bolstered. Unfortunately, the group that she joined had prayer techniques that are not basically christian. They had a notion of the "Spirit" possessing people and controlling their lives. But the idea they had on the manner of "possession" is more akin to demonic possession than anything else. It is the desire to do a DIY (Do It Yourself) connection with the divine as if one can on one's own have direct access to the spirit world and see God immediately.
Nonetheless, she allowed herself to be "possessed" by what she thought then as the Holy Spirit. She would enter into trance-like state during those sessions. Her health condition never changed but grew more precarious and the things happening at home became more frequent. Eventually she narrated this to her confessor who was wise enough to counsel her to no longer attend those kind of prayer services nor do them at home but to concentrate more on the traditional way of prayer. This did help a bit as the woman would no longer go on trance-like state. But the rest continued.
They finally, after many weeks of waiting, had the opportunity to meet Fr. Jocis Syquia, the Chief Exorcist of the Archdiocese of Manila, and head of the Office of Exorcism. The initial diagnosis of Fr. Jocis after a prayer session was there are indeed signs of the demonic, e.g. entering into trance-like state and then not remembering anything after it, the paranormal events in the household, the sickness that cannot be explained, knowledge of hidden things. So Fr. Jocis scheduled for an exorcism with her, but meanwhile while waiting for that day to come, he told her to start doing her spiritual assignments and never give in to the urged to do the prayer techniques she learned in the group. He enjoined the husband to accompany the wife in this struggling times of which he willingly acceded.
It was probably their 6th or 7th exorcism appointment when I finally had a chance to meet the couple. And by then, the demon harassing her was probably greatly weakened. When Fr. Jocis asked me to preside over the pray-over, this was the way we decided it to be done -- (1) Renouncement of all unholy soul ties (2) Profession of Faith (3) Exorcism of the spirit of Occult and Divination (4) Closing of the Third Eye and (4) Consecration to the Immaculate Virgin Mary. All went rather smoothly on steps (1) and (2) but upon reaching the exorcism part which is really just a simple exorcism, the afflicted started to have reactions strong enough that steps (4) and (5) would be impossible to do unless the afflicted with be liberated.
Fr. Jocis instructed me to do a major exorcism instead, using the Roman Ritual in Latin. Reaching the part of the exorcism prayer commanding the unclean spirit to reveal its name, the reason of its invasion, the time and day of its departure, the afflicted started to have another set of reactions. They were not violent but neither were they pleasant to behold. I went through the reading of the Prologue of the Gospel according to John. When the part of "and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" was read, the reactions became even stronger. I went then to Exorcism Prayers I, II, and III. In all of them the afflicted reacted strongly. What was of course difficult to witness is how the afflicted resisted entering into a trance. It was sure to us that the unclean spirit was forcing her to enter into a trance so that it can show its fury. But the lady has so prepared herself spiritually by then after seven exorcisms in the past that she has enough grace and strength to not allow the evil spirit to take over her body again. But by doing so, she suffered a lot during the exorcisms.
After the first cycle of exorcisms, I was instructed to once more command the unclean spirit to reveal its name. I prayed that command at least seven times but in each time the demon would not reveal its name. However, it did reveal the reason for the possession. It was to no fault of the victim. The possession occurred because the father consecrated the entire bloodline to the demon in exchange for success in career and for family protection. Of course the father did not know that it was consecrating the family to a demon. There were a set of rituals in the secret society he joined. Every time that he would go higher in the echelons of the group, a set of oaths were made. In one of those secret rituals the pact was made to the "protecting family spirit". And the pact was signed with the father's blood and thrown where it would not be found. In short, the demon received the family in a silver platter. Nothing was said about that ungodly-vow. Nobody knew about it except the father and the group that he belonged to. Through the years all was "well". All was well in the family and the "protecting family spirit" was simply in the background, providing success, wealth, luck, health and fortune. The protecting family spirit even allowed the family to go to church on occasional basis and even receiving holy communion, and have baptisms for new members of the family as well as church weddings. The protecting family spirit would not object to these occasional religious practices as long as no one among the family members would be serious about their christian life and relationship with God.
The protecting family spirit eventually became agitated when the daughter, who in this case is the afflicted, started to approach her catholic faith in a different way, there were signs of her becoming serious about it and wanting more. This was the reason she eventually joined a prayer group. At the same time she was being initiated into that group, she has gotten hold of Fr. Jocis Syquia's book Exorcism: Experiences of the Paranormal and the Occult, that providentially opened her eyes to dangers that lurked in the darkness that would steal her soul by pulling the rug under her feet. This made her think and pray for discernment and enlightenment. This therefore provoked the spirit to act and stop her from praying "correctly". He started to terrorized her. He first attacked her in her dreams, giving her lascivious dreams, giving her lustful thoughts even in uncalled for moments and without any provocation. Then the dreams turned into nightmares, where she was dreaming that her husband, her son, her parents figured in an unfortunate accident. These dreams prevented her from having a relaxing sleep. Then there were the noises and the appliances acting on themselves. Life was becoming unbearable. But prayer seemed to help even if it was becoming more and more difficult. And the intervention of Fr. Jocis came just in the nick of time.
Now during that 8th exorcism, the demon said it would not leave no matter what. It threatened that if it would leave he would smite the entire bloodline. This was of course a threat of a demon that is seeing its hold on the family about to end because of a command of a higher power of which it cannot disobey nor resist. But nonetheless, the torment he was giving the woman was a heavy one. We can see it in her reactions, her face, her voice. We instructed the team and the husband to pray while Fr Jocis and I were doing the exorcisms. Fr. Jocis signaled me to repeat the command prayer against the demon to reveal its name. At last, it shouted its name, Asmodeus. At that time it did not occur to us who this demon was. He threatened us, he threatened the woman, he threatened the family. One member of the team started to petition Our Lady of the Angels to send forth heavenly legions to fight and chase the demons away. Suddenly, the demon blurted out a name that gave inspiration to us all, and we knew that liberation was near. The demon said: "It is you again Raphael. Why are you here? This woman belongs to me!" When we heard the name Raphael, it suddenly dawned upon me that Asmodeus was the demon that St. Raphael the Archangel battled with in the Book of Tobith. "He is here?" I said to myself. This gave me further courage. And Fr. Jocis motioned for me to continue bombarding the demon with the command, this time with the question when it will depart.
At first the demon refused to answer. But commanding it this time directly with its name and threatening it with the judgment of the Almighty, it replied: "Soon." The answer was not sufficient. We commanded it again in the name of Jesus reminding the demon of its defeat and that it is the Lord Jesus who commands him. The demon was forced to reply: "In Advent!" Still that was not enough. We commanded it further. Reminding it of the Paschal Mystery, of the Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, tortured it tremendously. It responded: "On a Sunday." Although we have an answer now, that is a Sunday of Advent, we found it not enough because Advent was just starting and there are four Sundays in Advent. Fr. Jocis signaled once more the team to pray, and they started to pray the Rosary. Another set of the Latin command prayer, joined with the praying of the Holy Rosary in the background broke the demon who answered begrudgingly: "On the feast day of that Woman!" It was pointing to an icon of Our Lady in-front to the left side. Although her eyes were closed shut, she pointed exactly to where the icon was. It was December 7 at that time. Tomorrow is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, December 8. But in that year December 8 would fall on a Sunday of Advent and therefore the liturgical celebration was to be celebrated on the day after, which is December 9. We have now a definitive date Sunday in Advent Feast of the Lady -- Dec 8. Fr. Jocis told me to repeat the command on the day. The demon remained stubborn telling us that he gave us all the answers. But I continued with the command prayer again and forced it say the exact time of its departure, it gave the time: "At three o'clock in the afternoon!" Then I followed it up demanding for the sign of its departure, cum aliquo signo, I said in Latin. It responded: "I will visit his room", pointing to fr. Jocis. "I will turn down all the frames of that woman in his room."
Of course the devil will lie to no end. It will try to answer our questions, so that we would stop torturing it with the prayers. But we also have full trust in the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ for it is He through the unceasing prayers of the Holy Ones of God, especially of Our Blessed Mother and of the Archangel Raphael that the demon Asmodeus indeed was coerced to tell its name and the truth. No doubt the last part of what it would do as a sign that it has left, we considered that simply as a lie. For the demon could do no such thing as the Lord God controls it tremendously that its movement is limited.
We commanded the demon Asmodeus further of which it was forced to give the answer. When we had all the answers we wanted, we continued with the rest of the exorcism prayers; it begged us to stop and he will leave. We did not stop until we arrived at the end of the prayers. At the end of the Ritual of Exorcism we prayed for the complete healing of the woman and for her protection. And sent her off with God's blessing.
The day came, December 8, the day of the Immaculate Conception, at 3:00 p.m. the women felt a gust of wind inside the house, and there was silence, the silence of peace. Since then nothing moved in the house, no noise, no appliances turning on and off. She could finally sleep. The demon left her. Now she could pray. God has saved her. May He be praised for ever and ever!
Now it is the struggle for the saving of the father from the clutches of Asmodeus. But that is another story altogether.
An artist's conception of the demon of lust and power -- Asmodeus. The demon is depicted with the breast of a man, a cock's leg, with a serpents tail, three heads (one of a man spitting fire, one of a ram, and one of a bull), riding a lion with dragon wings and neck. These animals in ancient lore are associated with either lasciviousness, lust, and revenge. Both conjurers of the demon, the spiritually afflicted in their nightmares, those given the gift of discernment of spirits during the pray-overs all describe the appearance of this demon the way depicted here.
