CASE STORY: What if a curse bounces back?

There was this case of a woman, one of the first I met when I was appointed assisting exorcist in 2014, that I encountered along the corridor going to the chapel where we will have an exorcism. The man accompanying her greeted me. I was in my dominican habit at that time. The woman upon seeing me started to have a bizarre facial contortion. First time to see such a thing. She seemed like yawning but then her jaw started to separate one part going to the left, the other to the right. There was the part that was staring at me with a sharp look, and the other seemingly sheepishly shy. I saw them enter the chapel where we will hold the prayers. I was going to the opposite direction to look for fr. Jocis. Since it was the second case for the day, we were in a short break.

When fr. Jocis and I went back to the chapel, we saw the woman being interviewed by one of the AMOE lay volunteers. She looked normal to me, until she saw us priests when she started again to have that facial contortions. When the interview was over, we went to a private room to be oriented on the case.

The story goes back when the woman saw by way of online video chat the husband who at that time was working overseas in the deserts of the Middle East with another woman on the background. She recognized the woman and immediately jealousy overtook her. She did not ask any rational question to the husband but began accusing him and the lady on the background of being lovers. That cut the video chat. Immediately she wrote slanderous accusations at the woman by email, accusing her of being a bitch, and a woman who steals husbands from their wives. Her last words to her was a curse: "Ang asawa ko ay hindi pumapatol sa mga asong katulad mo. Dahil isa kang p***** aso!" (My husband does not have relations with a dog like you. For you are a bitch!) Of course the accusation was so strong and unjust. The woman was on the background because the video chat was at the workplace, and it so happened that the woman just passed by and said hello. What triggered the woman's jealousy was the thought that since the husband is far away, temptation towards marital infidelity is strong. She knew all about being left for another woman, as her mother experienced that tragic fate when the father left the house for another woman when she was just a young girl. Then at high school she had the sad experience of being left by her boyfriend for another. And therefore the thought that the husband would perhaps leave her was simply overwhelming.

What made this even more surprising was that they were not even married yet neither in church nor civilly. The woman was waiting for her immigrant petition to the US, she was notified that it would be coming soon. And therefore she could not get married at all, nor have children. So they were just common law couple living together without the benefit of a legally binding marriage. Hence, it was not far fetched to imagine of the possibility of a separation. Now this man accompanying her in the chapel is that common law husband who came home to give her moral support. For after that curse sent through email, it was not long that something bizarre started to happen to her. She started to act like a dog in front of people. At home alone she acts normally. But somehow when there were guests around she would yawn like that of a dog, pant like a dog, and have the contortions on the face pretty much what I saw earlier. She would even scratch herself often as if she has fleas.

Artist's conception of the Jackal Demon of the Desert
http://lordofhjoerring.deviantart.com/art/Jackal-Demon-146568381

Her sisters brought her to the local shaman or albularyo. After doing some rituals on her, the shaman gave up because there is a desert dog demon in her who was very powerful. She was referred to another albularyo for a second opinion. This albularyo told them that a more powerful curse was sent against her. During that briefing, we asked ourselves whether it really was a case of another curse being sent to her or was it a bouncing curse? This albularyo recommended that they see a priest instead. So off they went to their parish priest who kindly referred them to a priest who guides a charismatic prayer group who were into deliverance ministry.This group prayed over her attempting to expel the demon but they were unable to. When the demon manifested itself to them, they were simply terrified at what they saw and closed the prayer without any resolution. It was then that they were referred to AMOE.

I only had a chance to pray over her twice. I was told she had about a total of six exorcism pray overs done to her by other priests of AMOE. On this first pray-over she was very violent. She really was like a wild dog, biting, howling, scratching, panting. During the exorcism prayers she reacted very strongly to all the prayers against the demons that attack through iniquity, emotions and passions, and the occult. We understood immediately why. Her irregular marital condition was a significant hindrance to the healing. God is never pleased with immoral relationships even if it be done in the name of love. Hence the sexual relationship between them was plainly immoral. And even if she would confess it over and over again, nothing changes in her situation. She remains in a state of sin as long as she and the man would sleep together like husband and wife. Then her trauma of being replaced for another woman, her jealousy were very strong emotions that drove her to curse and slander another person. Finally, the curse itself was an occult act, a calling of a demon to do harm to another human being. This was further aggravated by the rituals done on her by the albularyos.

We could not exorcise the demon out at that time. The Lord was not allowing it to be driven out. The reason was clear. She had to tidy her life first. I was very sorry for her. I knew she would suffer. But that was the penalty for sending a curse that bounced back. Why did it bounce back? We would never know the answer. We could only have conjectures. Perhaps the other woman was protected by God and she was innocent of all the things she was being accused of. Perhaps she had a talisman or amulet that protected her and that the demon of the amulet or talisman was more powerful than the demon of the curse. Perhaps she herself had sent a more powerful curse against the accuser.

Finally, she received her petition and was able to settle in the US. When all the papers were done and has clear legal resident status, she went back to the Philippines to be married to her boyfriend. Before marrying the boyfriend, they went to confession together. They were married in church and settled their status before God. Having the irregular status regularized, AMOE continued to minister to her.

Indeed the curse sent to her was really strong. As I said it would take about six exorcisms over a span of a few months for her to be truly free. The challenge on her christian life continues. We pray that she would persevere in grace and virtue.