There are those who come to us at AMOE seeking to volunteer in the ministry. We get a whole lot of people with various kinds of motivations. There are those who are volunteering for adventure, for curiosity's sake, those who would like to share in the power to control and expel demons, there are even those who would like to teach us other means to cast them out, then there are the mediums and psychics who claim that they can point to us who and where are the malevolent spirits. None of them of course we entertain. They may have good intentions but that does not qualify them to be volunteers in the ministry. For in this ministry in the Catholic Church there is no other name, power, and authority by which we cast out demons, except that of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other means by which we cast them out except by the way the Catholic Church sanctions it. There are no other instruments or weapons except through prayer, the sacraments, and the sacramentals of the Church. All other means we shun and consider dangerous and not of God.
And when it comes to persons, they are chosen by their orthodoxy of faith and uprightness in life, fidelity to the teachings of the Church, and obedience to ecclesiastical authority, and the exorcist whom they are going to assist. Just as ecclesiastical law is very strict in choosing those who are to be appointed to the ministry of exorcist, the exorcist too must be very stringent in those who will be part of his team. As the volunteers need to be as strong as he is in many ways, as they can prove to be the weakest link in the ministry.
The volunteers are then trained on how to first conduct themselves, then how to do interviews, how to do basic counseling, and a healthy inter-personal relationship. For after all they are at the forefront of AMOE's ministry. They are not saints, no one among us consider ourselves as such. But we all strive by the grace and mercy of the Lord to be guided by His grace and to follow it.
Not withstanding this striving, they seem to bear the brunt when demons retaliate. And it is no laughing matter. The more powerful the demon encountered in a particular case, the heavier the kind of retaliation. But what is so awesome is that the Eternal Father does not allow anything fatal to happen to them. Still what is able to penetrate no matter how little still causes inconvenience, pain, headaches, body aches, fever, falling objects, noises, heavy knocking, emotional pain. These are people who know how to protect themselves, imagine what kind of retaliation comes to the uninitiated.
In the course of the ministry, I would at times invite seminarians both religious and diocesan to assist us in a session. There are those who would volunteer, others are afraid. But even from those who raise their hands or present themselves to me, I need to reassure them that they need not fear anything. The focus is always on God not the devil. The only thing I advise them is never to come without being in the state of grace, went to confession, received sacramental absolution, went to holy mass and received holy communion before the scheduled date of the prayer-over. There are those who are fortunate enough to witness a real case of possession on their first participation. And they rejoice in seeing first hand the power of God but also the terrible pain the demon inflicts on the afflicted. They would often thank us for giving them the chance to assist and requests that they be invited again next time. We are indeed glad to have them as these seminarians would one day become priests and when the appropriate time comes and their help is needed by the Church for this specialized ministry, they would not hesitate.
However, while we are very hopeful for this prospective, I suppose, the devil is not. And hence, when the seminarians or anyone else intends to be a mainstay in the ministry are not looking carefully on their demeanor, the devil works fast and double time to inflict his retaliation. This is the reason that one cannot simply volunteer without any preparation whatsoever nor possess the courage and grace of perseverance. But it is likewise very clear to those who fight the good fight, the grace of God is never wanting. And the blessings received by the faithful is beyond all expectations.
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