My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
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THE ORTHODOX TRADITION OF EXORCISING VASKANIA (EVIL EYE)
By Reverend Father George C. Papademetriou, Ph.D.
"...He Who by death destroyed Death and brought to naught him who had the power of death, that is, thee, O Satan. I adjure thee by God, Who showed forth the Tree of Life, Who set in order the Cherubim and the fiery sword turned to guard it. Be rebuked and depart; for I adjure thee by Him Who walked on the surface of the sea as upon dry land and rebuked the tempest of the winds; Whose look drieth up the abyss and at Whose threat the mountains melt away. For He now through us rebuketh thee: be afraid, come forth, and depart from this His created image, and enter no again nor hide within it, neither meet it, nor possess it, neither by night or by day..." (Sacrament of Baptism: First Exorcism Prayer)
"Banish from him/her every evil and unclean spirit hidden and lurking in his heart: (thrice) the Spirit of error, the spirit of evil, the spirit of idolatry and of all uncleanness which worketh according to the teaching of the Devil..."
And when he who is being baptized is uncloaked and barefoot, the Priest turns to him with the hands upraised to the West and says three times:
Do thou renounce Satan? And all his works? And all his angels? And all adoration of him? And all his pomp?
And the catechumen or his sponsor says on his behalf: I do renounce them. And when he has answered three times, again the Priest asks him who is to be baptized:
Have you renounced Satan? And the catechumen or his sponsor answers: I have renounced him. And when he has said this three times the Priest says: blow and spit at him..." (Sacrament of Baptism: Service for the Catechumens).
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VASKANIA (EVIL EYE)
The exorcism of satanic powers is also performed by the Orthodox Church in other rites, such as that of the evil eye (vaskania).
Vaskania is simply a phenomenon that was accepted by primitive people as fact. They believed that certain people have such powerful feelings of jealousy and envy, that when they looked on some beautiful object or individual it brought destruction. Vaskania is recognized by the Church as the jealousy and envy of some people for things they do not possess, such as beauty, youth, courage or any other blessing. The Church essentially rejected Vaskania as contradicting the concept of Divine Providence. The prayers of the Church to avert the evil eye are, however, a silent recognition of this phenomenon as a morbid feeling of envy. The Church forbids people to go to "readers" or other individuals for use of magical rituals to overcome the evil eye. These readers take advantage of the weakness of superstitious people and destroy them spiritually and financially by playing upon their fear and imagination.
There is also secret rite performed by superstitious people to avert the evil eye, which verges on magic. Though the Church encourages even the laity to pray and exorcise evil, it rejects magical practices and rites.
The possession of individuals by the devil and demonic powers and the cure in the Name of Christ is evidenced in the New Testament (Acts 3:2-8, 9:32-42; 20:7-12; Matthew 10:8; Mark 16:17-18). The Church continues in its liturgical rites what Christ enacted in His Ministry. The Church recognizes the influence of the devil and renounces it in the name of Christ in prayers and fasting. The prayers of exorcism in the early Church were offered by special ministry through the exorcist. This is evidenced from the early prayers that have survived. From the 4th century onwards, the ministry of the exorcist has been fulfilled BY THE PRIEST.
Orthodox Prayers of Exorcism
All the Orthodox prayer books include prayers of exorcism used by priests to fight the power of evil. The Orthodox Book of Prayers (Efchologion To Mega) includes three prayers of exorcism by Saint Basil the Great and four by Saint John Chrysostomos. They are read "for those who suffer from demonic possessions and every other malady." Through these prayers, the devil is exorcised (renounced) "in the name of God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ and commanded to come out of the victim, who is liberated and redeemed by the Eternal God from the energies (powers) of the impure spirits. The great ills that humanity suffers are attributed to the devil and demonic powers."
From the Orthodox theological point of view, the following can be considered exorcists:
1. Christ is the exorcist par excellence for it is He Who won the victory over the power of the devil.
2. Priests in the performance of the holy Mysteria (Sacraments) and in preaching the word of God follow Christ's example.
3. ALL Orthodox Christians are exorcists as they struggle against personal sin and social evil. In fact, "the whole Church, past, present, and future has the task of an exorcist to banish sin, evil, injustice, spiritual death, the devil from the life of humanity." Archbishop Iakovos of blessed memory, in a sermon at the Sage Chapel, Cornell University, spoke on exorcism in the following manner: "Both healing and exorcising are ministered through prayers, which spring from faith in God and from love for man...All the prayers of healing and exorcism, composed by the Holy Fathers of the Church and in use since the 3rd Century, begin with the solemn declaration: In the Name, O Lord." (Exorcism and Exorcists in the Greek Orthodox Tradition, March 10, 1974.)
In summary, the four prayers of exorcism by Saint John Chrysostom and the three of Saint Basil ask in the Name of God to deliver the possessed from the captivity of the devil. Some can be healed by faith accompanied by fasting and purification. The use of exorcism must be made with discretion and great care.
(To be continued)
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George