Exorcism in the Orthodox Church

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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EXORCISM IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
By Reverend Father George C. Papademetriou, Ph.D.

The Doctrine of Evil

To understand the Orthodox Christian view and practice of exorcism, one must know the Orthodox presuppositions of evil and its doctrine of Satan. The Patristic evidence points to the fact that the cause of evil in the world is the devil. The devil was created by God as an Angel, who was free, and as a free agent chose to oppose the plan of God. That is, the devil is a fallen angel. Satan is not evil by nature but by will and action. In Satan there is no truth whatsoever; he is absolute falsehood and deception. Satan is not just a negation or deprivation of good, but a positive force with free will that always chooses evil. The devil has the ability to recognize Divine Power, as in the incident of recognizing Christ as the Son of God (St. Matthew 4:1-11); St. Luke 4:1-3). Satan has under his leadership legions and invisible powers, with their own "satanic teachings." The devil and evil spirits know that God exists and recognize true and devoted Christians, but pious Christians discern the plans of the devil. The devil, however, constantly employs every method of deception to enslave man to satanic forces and causes rebellion against God. He is the cause of corruption and disorder, a parasitic power in the world that will ultimately be destroyed by the power of God in the "last days." Because there is no compromise between God and the devil, the struggle will continue until the end.

The Orthodox doctrine of God is that He is Eternal, Uncreated and Incorporeal. All other creatures, both visible and invisible, were created by God as free. The power of the devil will ultimately be destroyed by the resurrection of the dead and the renewal of creation. salvation from all evil will be attained by obedience to God and his plan. This world is a battleground between the acceptance of good and evil. It must be pointed out that the world as the creation of God is not evil. What is evil is the satanic power, destroyed by the power of the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ.

The Orthodox Tradition of Exorcising

After examining the doctrine of Satan in the Orthodox Church, it is imperative to proceed to the method of repelling and exorcising the evil powers.  In the New Testament, Christ is sent out His Holy Apostles to heal and to "cast out devils" (St. Matthew 10:8, St. Luke 10:17-20). Christ, Himself often expels demons from the possessed (St. Mark 1:23-27; St. Luke 4:33-35, 9:43; St. Matthew 10:1; St. Mark 16:17; St. Matthew 7:22). The New Testament, however, rejected popular uses of magic incantations and rites to expel the satanic powers from people, because they took advantage of superstitious religiosity (Acts 19:13).

In the Name of Christ, one is able to cast out demons and to destroy the evil powers (St. Matthew 10:8). The Holy Fathers of the Church accepted this doctrine and expanded on it. Saint Justin Martyr (Apology 85;2) says that in the Name of Christ, the Son of God Who was crucified and rose again, every demon that is exorcised is defeated and submits (Library of the Greek Fathers and Church Writers, Athens: Apostolic Diakonia 1955, Vol. 3, pp. 288-89). The satanic powers are destroyed through the power of the Cross and the name of Christ. Objects possessed by demons, when exorcised in the Name of the Living God, are freed from the possession of evil. The Patristic evidence is abundant in the belief in possession and expulsion of the devil by the power of the word of God (St. Ignatios, Epistles to Philippians 3 and 12; Library of the Greek Fathers and Church Writers, Vol. 2, pp. 333 and 336; St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 4:14; Library, Vol 8, p. 82; Origen, Against Celsus, 6:44; Library, Vol. 10, p. 93).

The demonic possession of individuals and even objects, has been accepted by the Orthodox Church today in the Sacrament of Baptism, in exorcising satanic powers in the case of the evil eye (vaskania), and in exorcising the devil in the case of a possessed person. In the early Church, exorcisms were performed by a person specially trained and appointed to pray to drive out evil from those about to be baptized. Since the 4th century the place of the exorcist, as well as other functions and ministries, have been taken over by the priest. The priest prays to expel all evil, the spirit of error, of idolatry, of covetousness, of lying and every impure act that arises from the teachings of the devil. The renunciation of the devil in baptism is used in every baptism that is performed in the Orthodox Church. (Source: The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America)

(To be continued. Next: VASKANIA)

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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

January 21- St. Maximos the Confessor

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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ON JANUARY 21st OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES OUR VENERABLE FATHER MAXIMOS THE CONFESSOR

Saint Maximos, our holy Father, a Constantinopolitan, was born in 580 A.D. to a prosperous and pious Orthodox family of noble lineage. His baptismal name was Moschos. From an early age, Maximos displayed good conduct and a pure disposition. He was provided with an education in philosophy, rhetoric, and grammar. Possessed of a sharp mind and diligent character, he learned his lessons quickly. In short, he was prepared for a career at the Imperial Court. The young Maximos successfully completed his curriculum, excelling in expounding upon the philosophical and theological foundations of Orthodox Christian spirituality. He pursued what was good and useful, leaving behind what was injurious and useless to the soul. His soul was smitten with divine love. He only wished to please God. He was humble-minded and moderate. He was not puffed up due to his family's nobility. He was not proud on account of his own wisdom and virtue.

By the time St. Maximos reached his early thirties, he achieved a respected name in the Senate for his competence in government matters. Herakletos had heard good reports of Maximos and therefore retained him as a secretary, entrusting him with official Palace documents. He became head of the Imperial Chancellery or First Secretary to Emperor Herakletos (610-640 A.D.) He would often take counsel with Maximos, on various matters. In 627 A.D., Herakletos invaded Persia, overthrew Chosroes II, and recovered the True Cross which had been captured by the Persians. Immediately following the recovery of the holy relic of the True Cross, after an 18 year was with the Persians, the atmosphere at the Byzantine Court was zealous.

After resigning his post and repaired to the Monastery of the Theotokos at Scutari, across the Bosporos, that he might fulfill his love for quietude and prayer. He received the Monastic Tonsure and the name Maximos, and became thoroughly engaged in the ascetical life. He overcame the tyranny of the passions by daily meditation on the Holy Scripture and study of the writings of the Holy Fathers. He was held in high regard among the brotherhood of that monastery, surpassing all the brethren in ascetic struggles. After a few years, when the Egoumenos (Abbot) reposed, a vote was taken.  Father Maximos was then asked to take up the Office of Hegoumenos. He now no longer had the care of his own soul's salvation but also that of others, which role he took seriously in the knowledge that he would answer for his charges before Christ.

Maximos had come to be known as "Maximos the Wise" not only among fellow monastics but also with the diplomats and government officials with whom he had served. He would now prepare to defend the Apostolic Faith through God-inspired words. In both the East and West, he is acknowledged as the most significant theologian of his times. He expounded and acted upon the traditions handed down to him, that is, Mysteries (Sacraments), divine offices, Holy Scripture, Synods, Saints, and writings of the Holy Fathers.

The most influential of his early writings were The Ascetic Life, a catechetical piece on the two great commandments, and The Four Centuries of Love, consisting of practical discourses on the Christian life and prayer, and the practice of the virtues. Father Maximos taught that the virtues are natural. By nature, we have an appetite simply for what is good. Nature impels us to desire and move toward obtaining these virtues. They exist in all men because of the identical nature of men, but we do not all practice what is natural to us to an equal degree. With regard to asceticism, he comments that it was devised in order to ward off deception, which establishes itself through sensory perception. When deception is completely expelled, the soul immediately exhibits the splendor of its natural virtue. Father Maximos perceived the Holy Scripture as foretelling man's purpose since it was God Who said, "Let us make man according to Our image and likeness...And God made man according to the image of God He made him, male and female He made them. And God blessed them...And God saw all the things that He had made, and, behold, they were very good (Genesis 1:26, 27, 28, 31). Saint Maximos said that we are taught to speak to ourselves of the grace of adoption, since we are by grace worthy to call Father the One Who is Our Creator by nature. Thus by respecting the designation of Our Begetter in grace, we are eager to set on our life the features of the One Who gave us life. We sanctify His Name on earth in taking after Him as Father, in showing ourselves by our actions to be His Children."

In his work, entitled Four Centuries of Love, our Holy Father Maximos makes clear in the first letter, "First Century," that a Christian trains in love (agape): "Love is a good disposition of the soul by which one prefers no creature to the knowledge of God. It is impossible to attain to a lasting possession of such love if one has any attachment to earthly things." Saint Maximus encourages us, writing: "Love is begotten of detachment...In the "Third Century," Saint Maximos reminds one of the Christ-like response to passions, for example, resentment, by saying: "If you harbor resentment against anyone, pray for him and you will prevent the passion from being aroused; for by means of prayer you will separate you grief from the thought of the wrong he has done you." When you have become loving and compassionate toward him, you will wipe the passion completely from your soul. If someone regards you with resentment, be pleasant to him, be humble and agreeable in his company; and you will deliver him from his passion."

In the "Fourth Century," he wrote: "the one who loves Christ thoroughly imitates him as much as he can. Thus Christ did not cease to do good to men. Treated ungratefully and blasphemed, He was patient; beaten and put to death by them, He endured, not thinking ill of anyone at all. These three are the works of love of neighbor, in the absence of which a person who says he loves Christ or possesses His Kingdom deceived himself."  

The Lord summoned Saint Maximos to the heavenly Jerusalem, by revealing to him the day and hour of his repose. This ushered in great joy for the Martyr and Confessor, who then gladly surrendered his soul into the hands of Christ God, Whom he had loved from his youth and for Whom he had suffered so greatly. The heavenly man and earthly angel, Saint Maximos reposed in Lazika on the 21st day of January, in the year 662 A.D. at the age of 82.

After the internment of the holy relics of Saint Maximus in Schemarion, there appeared every night thee lamps over his tomb. They miraculously burned and illuminated the entire place. This wondrous phenomenon confirmed for many how much boldness the Venerable Maximos found before the Lord Christ, to Whom is due all glory, honor, and veneration, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

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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

Jesus' Triumph Over Satan (St. Matthew 4:1-11)

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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JESUS' TRIUMPH OVER SATAN (St. Matthew 4:1-11)

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' But He answered and said, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up. Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' Jesus said to him, 'It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' Then the devil left Him, and behold, Angels came and ministered to Him" (St. Matthew 4:1-11).

When one reads the above passage from the gospel one cannot but be convinced of Satan's existence. There are those, unfortunately, that deny the existence of the Evil One and/or evil all around us. It is a great mistake to believe that there is no evil and that all of it is just a myth. Thinking in this unrealistic way we mistakenly are convinced also that one cannot be influenced by evil and/or become a willing instrument of evil ourselves. 

Our Merciful God has given us a free will and, therefore, we are free to either do good or to do evil, the choice is up the individual to make. It is true that along with that awesome responsibility comes accountability. There is definitely, however, Divine Justice and Judgment Day for everyone when everything will be revealed before God all that we have done: thoughts, feelings, and actions. It is the Almighty God Who will then decide where we are to spend eternity, heaven or hell. No one can escape God's Divine judgment.

"The devil challenges Jesus' relationship to the Father. If You are the Son of God calls into question the Father's declaration of Jesus' sonship at His baptism (3:17). The devil wants Jesus to abuse His Divine powers, to act independently, detaching His will from the will of the Father. In His Divine Nature, the Son shares one will with the Father and the Spirit. He can do nothing of Himself (St. John 5:30). He has no operation that is distinct from His Father's. But in His humanity He possesses "free will" and at times must choose to remain in communion with His Father, to be obedient to the divine will.

By rejecting the first temptation, Jesus rejects a kingdom based on materialism, earthly well-being, the "bread which perishes" (see John 6:1-40). He teaches us not to love ease and comfort, to accept willingly the struggle necessary to purify us from evil. While Adam and Eve disregarded the Divine word given them, subordinating their souls to the passions of the body (Genesis 3), the New Adam conquers all temptations, that He might give our nature power to conquer the Adversary (Satan).

Satan puts God's power of protection to the test. Will Jesus depend on spectacular signs and self-aggrandizement, or will He humbly submit to persecution, humiliations, and death according to the Father's will?

 God's Kingdom is not one of earthly power and possessions. In the devil's offering of "the kingdoms of the world", Jesus was being asked to choose worldly power over the Kingdom of God. The devil is "the ruler of this world" (St. John 12:31; 16:11), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).

Jesus refuses to take a road that would lead Him away from the path of suffering and death for the redemption of the world, Jesus says simply, "away with you, Satan"--a command rather than a rebuke.

So all of us, without any exception, should be constantly vigilant so that we do not fall into temptation and become his victim and lose our soul and salvation. By turning to the Divinely inspired Holy Scripture we learn how to confront Evil One and his demons. The attention of the Christian should be given to our Redeemer Christ and to follow willingly and obediently the path to the Kingdom that He has shown us. We must not ever lose sight of Him Who saved us from evil and death. Instead, glorify Him and imitate Him in everything.

"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 

"Put on the Whole Armor of God..." (Eph 6:10-17)

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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"PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD..." (Ephesians 6:10-17)

All Orthodox Christians understand that one must struggle spiritually, unceasingly, and with determination in order to acquire a healthy spiritual life. Saint Paul explains what we need to do when he writes, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

"All who stand for good must wage a constant battle with the forces of evil. For the demons still have power in the world (v.12) until Christ comes again in glory. This is clearly acknowledged in the prayers at the conclusion of Orthodox baptism. Christians fight back with God's arms, that is, His uncreated divine energy, given to us (1:19-23; 3:16-21) and actively used by us. The Christian has "put on" (4:24) at baptism all of the qualities listed as armor in vv. 14-17. These qualities must be exercised in the conflict of growth: no struggle, no deification (theosis). (Source: Orthodox Study Bible pg. 451)   

The Orthodox Christian seeks the guidance and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit in order to learn how to pray correctly and properly. There are many wonderful Orthodox Prayer Books that one can purchase at the St. Andrew Bookstore or even online. In the meantime here are a few prayers that should help you to begin a prayer discipline:

The Third Prayer of Orthros (Matins)

From the early morning watch, our spirit rises to You, For Your commandments are for us as the light of life. Teach us, O God, Your righteousness, Your commandments, and Your judgments. Enlighten the eyes of our mind, that we may never slumber in sinfulness unto death. Cast out every darkness from our heart, And grant to us the Sun of Righteousness. Keep our life safe from evil influence And preserve in it the Seal of the Holy Spirit. Guide our steps on the road of peace. Give us this dawn and this day To raise up our morning prayers in gladness to You. For Yours is the dominion, and Yours is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, Of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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A Prayer of Saint Basil the Great

Blessed are You, O Lord Almighty, You have illumined the day with the light of the sun And the night you have brightened with the rays of the fiery moon; You have made us worthy to go through this day And to approach the beginning of the night. Hear our petitions and those of all Your people, And forgive us all our voluntary and involuntary sins. Receive our evening prayers, And send down upon the people of Your inheritance The multitude of Your mercy and compassionate love. Encompass us with Your holy Angels. Arm us with the weapons of your righteousness. Outline us with the mark of Your Truth. Guard us by Your power. Deliver us from every circumstance and influence of the adversary (Satan). Grant us once again, O Lord, that this present evening together with the approaching night, and all the days of our life, Will be perfect, holy, peaceful, sinless and without any scandalous imaginations, We pray for this through the intercessions of the Holy Theotokos and all the Saints who have pleased You through the ages. Amen.

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O Christ our God, At all times and at every hour, in heaven and on earth, You are worshipped and glorified; You are long-suffering, Most Merciful, Most compassionate, You love the righteous and have mercy upon the sinners; You call everyone to salvation through the promise of future blessings; Receive, O Lord, our prayers at this hour And direct our life toward Your Commandments. Sanctify our souls; make our bodies chaste; Correct our thoughts; purify our intentions; And deliver us from every grief and pain that comes from evil. Encompass us by Your holy Angels, So that guarded and guided by them We may attain to the unity of the faith

And to the knowledge of Your inapproachable glory, For You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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"O LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD AND SAVIOR, HAVE MERCY ON ME A SINNER!"

 The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

With sincere agape in Christ,

+Father George

Spiritual Warfare

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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SPIRITUAL WARFARE

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering is experienced by your brotherhood in the world" (1 Peter 5:8-9).

"The devil and his angels (demons) explore us individually, looking for our weaknesses. The enemy offers appealing visions to our eyes, music to our ears, to each of our senses setting forth whatever might tempt us to sin. He arouses our tongues to speak evil about others, and urges our hands to injure them. He sets forth profits to be earned by shady and immoral means and holds out earthly honors and false values to be preferred to heavenly ones. When he is unable to tempt us, he brings forth a threat of persecution so that fear may cause us to betray the faith. Thus we must always be alert for his many-faceted attacks, ready to resist him at every turn" (Orthodox Study Bible page 558).

Spiritual warfare is about bringing our thoughts into obedience to Christ. But we must do this gently, recognizing that our flesh is weak, but must nevertheless be trained, like children. Saint Isaac the Syrian says it never goes away so long as we are still in the body...Struggles with the passions are not really about the passions. Spiritual warfare is about our attention. When our attention wanders from Our Creator, from the awareness of God's nearness, and from the continual contemplation and prayer to God in our hearts, then the passions, the flashy red poisonous berries, get our attention.

"...Saint Paul says I am sure of better things for you, things that accompany salvation. Warfare is our lot so long as we live in the evil age.  But as Saint Paul also says, OUR WARFARE is not against flesh and blood, it's not against other people no matter how evil they seem to be. Our warfare is against our own thoughts (logismoi) and fears, or despondent tendencies. We each have our unique battles to fight, our own unseen martyrdom.

Since we are constantly under attack from the Evil One we must turn to prayer. You call out to God in prayer, not only in your mind and heart but with your body too. Cross yourself when you pray. Get out of bed and do prostrations (metanoies) as you pray. Light a candle before an icon, burn some incense and pray. Pray with your mind, heart, and body. Beg God to have mercy as you pray. The Jesus Prayer ("The Prayer of the Heart") is most appropriate.

Saint Andrew of Crete prays in the name of all of us who sin before God: "Take my heavy sinful burden away from me and give me tears of repentance!" We must shed tears of repentance because there are only two kinds of water which can wash away the filth of sin: the water of baptism and the tears of repentance. Furthermore, as Saint John Climacus asserts: "Greater than baptism itself is the fountain of tears after baptism, even though it is somewhat audacious to say so. For baptism is the washing away of evils that were in us before, but sins committed after baptism are washed away by tears. As baptism is received in infancy, we have all defiled it, but we cleanse it anew with tears. And if God in His love for mankind had not given us tears, those being saved would be few indeed and hard to find."

When we turn our attention to Jesus, then Jesus fights our battles. One of the desert Holy Fathers said that trying to confront our own wicked thoughts is like trying to drive off wild dogs by throwing biscuits at them. We end up feeding the very thing we are trying to drive away. But if we turn our attention to Christ as the priest says during the Divine Liturgy "let us be attentive", to the One Who saves, to the One Who made us and loves us and calls us to Himself, then the barking of the dogs (demons) fades away into the background. Then, Christ, Himself fights with us the spiritual battles, and we return to our natural place as worshippers of God, as those whose minds and hearts are attending to the one thing needful. (Source: Pravmir)

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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

The Forerunner - January 19 - Twelfth Sunday of Luke

Venerable Macarios of Egypt

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