Last week we spoke on the devil, his origin, his ordinary and extraordinary activities, and ways to avoid his snares.  In that talk, we cited a work by the chief exorcist of Rome, Fr. Gabriel Amorth, called “An Exorcist, More Stories.”  In this book, Fr. Amorth presents four causes to explain how someone becomes victim to one of the six kinds of extraordinary diabolical evils.  Today we will speak on these four causes.

But first recall the six extraordinary diabolical evils:

Fr. Amorth lists four causes for these extraordinary activities of demons.    

Pure Divine permission.  Nothing at all happens unless God permits it.  God only allows a demon certain movements so that a greater good can come of it.  Thus, if a demon torments a just man, God allows this as a means to advance His glory and perfect the just man.  Fr. Amorth reminds us that in itself, diabolical harassment has nothing to do with being in the state of grace.

Recall the just man, Job.  The devil asks God for permission to try Job, saying, “Job is only good because Thou hast made Him exceedingly rich... let me despoil him then he shall no longer regard Thee.”  And so Job is despoiled, yet he holds fast to God.  Then Satan says, “if a man is afflicted in his body, then he will find cause to curse God, for man loves his body the most of all things.  Give me the body of Job and then he will turn against Thee.”  And so Job suffers a terrible ulcer, yet he receives the ailment with all patience, “if we have received good things from God, should we not also receive the bad.”  Finally, the test ends and Job receives twice what he had before.
   
St. Catherine of Siena also suffered diabolic attack.  Somehow, the devil was allowed to fill her  imagination with all manner of vile and disgusting images; the most fifthly and impure suggestions crowded her soul.  After this period, the devil filled her soul with a great despair.  Catherine saw herself a hundred times on the edge of a great abyss ready to fall over, but each time an invisible hand supported her.   Eventually, she became free of these torments and asked the blessed Savior, “Where was Thou, my divine Spouse, when I was abandoned and filled with fright?”  He replied, “I was with thee.”  “What!,” the saint answered, “Thou were present when all the impurities filled my soul!”  “I was there,” He said, “They were displeasing and painful to thee.  This conflict, therefore, was to thy merit, and thy victory was owing to my presence.”

Subjection to a curse.  A curse is the intention to harm another through the aid of demons.

 The book of Numbers records a soothsayer, Balaam, who is ordered by Balac, the king of Moab, to curse the Israelites who are becoming a growing threat to his reign.  “Come over and curse this people because it is mightier than I.”  Three times, in three different locations, Balaam tries to curse Israel, but instead each time God intervenes and Balaam blesses them... thereby foiling the work of demons.  This instance also reveals cursing as an ancient military strategy.

In Nepal, were I once worked for two years, a chicken was hexed and given to a disagreeable  government worker.  He ate it and that night had such terrible itching that he convulsed throughout the night with a burning desire to kill himself.  And here we have a good reason to bless our food!

On another occasion, villagers threw small firebrands towards neighboring villages cursing, “may your crops fail and cattle die.”  I threw some too, but with the blessing, “may your fields receive double and children have a happy life”... which received little favor. 

In some possession cases the victim ate a piece of cursed food for which ham is a popular item.  In order to free the possessed, the food has to leave the body the way it came in.  During the exorcism, this piece of meat will leave the body in the same manner as it went in and this meat will be in the same condition as when first consumed although it may be years later.  

Grave hardening in sin. Fr. Amorth says many who abandon themselves to sexual perversions, violence, and drugs fall into this group.  The growing homosexuality movement, widespread  contraception use, and huge pornography industry will give the demons a lot of room to do their work.  Fr. Amorth writes that abortion aggravates this situation and its repercussions are seen during exorcisms... which take a long time.  

Proximity to evil places and persons.  Under this category, Fr. Amorth says we open ourselves up to demoniac influence by visiting tarot card dealers, palm readers, and psychics.  To this list we could add many more: horoscopes, astrology, fortune telling, use of good luck charms, dream catchers, Ouija boards,... anything which tries to arrive at hidden knowledge or power to the neglect of God.

Nor is this a minor problem.  In 1999, psychic phone lines made 300 million dollars; in 1995, the CIA revealed it spent 20 million dollars to discover the usefulness of psychics to gather intelligence data on foreign powers; both Hilary Clinton and Nancy Reagan reportedly consulted with astrologers and psychics;  in 1995, Hilary was said to have spoken with the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt during a seance. 

Fr. Amorth includes in this category pornographic shows, violent horror movies, widespread rock music, especially in what he calls “satanic rock” performed in “churches of rock” such as stadiums, parks, and discotheques.  Considering the popularity of these practices, “We should not be surprised,” he says, “in the fall of faith and rise in superstition.”  It is Fr. Amorth’s conclusion that the rise of evil ailments in the world these days is owed to this last category of demonic presence.      

It is a presence becoming more and more pronounced.  In 1986, four guys in a bar in San Francisco decided to celebrate sin.  They named the event “Burning Man” and chose Black Rock Desert, Nevada, 15 miles from Empire, for the location.  Now from all over the world people converge on this spot every Labor Day weekend, build a tent city, and over four days indulge in all manner of sin.  In 2003, 30,000 “burners” participated in this Feast of Sin.  On the last day, the festival ended by everyone dancing around a 79 foot wooded man set aflame and burning, an idol of that man they hope to be one day ~ a man burning in hell for all eternity.   

May God preserve us from the deceits of the devil and all his snares.