WHETHER ALL PRIESTS MUST FUNCTION AS EXORCIST THEMSELVES?
Objection # 1: All priests must not become exorcist for they
are so busy with their pastoral functions as priest.
Objection #2: Further, some of them are not called by God to
do this laborious and dangerous ministry.
Objection #3: Further, they can become holy, perfect, and
merciful like the heavenly Father without becoming an exorcist.
Objection #4: Further, the bishops are already exorcist
themselves.
Objection #5: Nowhere in the Holy Bible that all priests
must become exorcist.
Objection #6: There are so many priestly duties greater than
laboring in the exorcism ministry.
Objection #7: There are few or no reports at all about
possession, oppression, demonic-obsession, and even infestation whereas
originating on demonic causes therefore this exorcism ministry must not be
looked on with so much emphasis or concern.
Objection #8: Many of the priests are doing their functions
already with faithfulness, fidelity, honesty, and loyalty to their superiors,
the Church, and to God, therefore, there’s no need to become exorcist.
Objection #9: The laity and the pagans can be converted and
become holy without the priests becoming exorcist.
Objection #10: All of the priests are greatly afraid and a
bunch of cowards. They cannot be able to fight Satan and his demons. They will
certainly die!
Objection #11: All priests are just priest and priest means “one
who offers sacrifices”. Therefore it is not there obligation nor must they be
selected to become exorcist.
On the contrary, Jesus Christ Himself is a priest and not a
bishop unlike his twelve disciples and apostles who were bishops in the sacred
scriptures.
I answer that, although it can be solidly said that the Lord
is God and of course He Himself is not a bishop, nevertheless, bishopric is
just an office or position like what the twelve disciples had. All bishops are
priests and the only thing they differ from all the priests of today is that
they have the fullness of the priesthood of the Lord not like the priests who
are just elders or presbyters of the laity. Therefore, like Jesus Christ the
Eternal Priest who in His Gospels done a one-third ministry of exorcism
recorded in the sacred scriptures, all of the priests are exorcists and must be
given an office of their respective bishops to exercise exorcism.
Reply to Obj. #1: Exorcism ministry is also a pastoral duty
and therefore it must also be attended by all the priests. Their becoming busy
is not sufficient if they will not minister to those are who more or less in
the verge of losing their souls to the devil and who are being attacked by
undetected and invisible enemies of the Faith. They must also do this ministry
for they have power to do so, and they are really called to hit million birds
with billion stones. It is a great stupidity to say that all the priests are
busy for all of us are busy, not just them. They are not special, and therefore
they are not different from us laity.
Reply to Obj. #2: All of them are called to this ministry of
exorcism the thing is they do not listen to God by being sensitive to their
gifts, talents, and coins they had received from the Master. They received
their power to drive out demons when they became priests right after their sacred
ordination. If they will not labor for this laborious and dangerous ministry of
exorcism, they will be, like in the Gospels, be thrown to the hellfire where
there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Reply to Obj. #3: This is impossible for in striving to
become holy, perfect, and merciful like the heavenly Father, the devil is
always there to drag away the priests from striving to perfection. All of us
are engaged in the Spiritual Warfare. Therefore to those who were vested by the
priesthood of the Lord, it is necessary to exercise their right to become
exorcist where holiness and perfection is required and practiced thus having
the strength to destroy the devil, and where merciful is greatly manifested
towards those persons who were under the power of Satan.
Reply to Obj. #4: Bishops are exorcist themselves for they
have the fullness of the priesthood of the Lord. Nevertheless, there are so
busy with supervising everything in their respective dioceses that they do not
have time to do exorcisms themselves. There must be, aside from the Bishop, to
exercise the power to drive out devils from the dioceses’ parishes that were
being taken care of the priests. Therefore, all the priests must become
exorcist.
Reply to Obj. #5: As I said above, Jesus Christ is the
Eternal Priest in the sacred scriptures. Although priests are all human,
nevertheless, it was said that, “You are a priest forever according to the
order of Melchizedek.” Therefore all the priests will not lose their identity
as priest even in eternity. And as priests, they have the talent to drive out
demons like what the Eternal Priest did in His earthly life. Therefore all of
them are exorcist, even if by word-for-word, you cannot search it in the Bible.
Reply to Obj. #6: Laboring on the Ministry of Exorcism is
also a great priestly duty for it was said, “The Son of God was revealed to
destroy the devil’s works (1 John 3:8).” Therefore, it is also the great duty
of the priests to labor on this ministry for they are the Alter Christus or the
Other Christ and therefore called to invoke the revealed God in order to
destroy the devil’s works who are our enemy from the beginning and the cause of
evil we have today. Priests must labor on this root of all pastoral ministries for
it is the great reason why we have the seven great sacraments – Baptism to wash
away the original sin; Confirmation to be solid in destroying the devil’s
works; Eucharist where the intimate relation of human race to God is restored; Matrimony
where the original will of God to the man and woman is made clear and right (Genesis
3:24-25) without malice where man and woman are supposed to know that they must
be a home of innocence and holiness just like Adam and Eve before these two
fell into original sin which must be guarded against after the Sacrament is
understood; Holy Orders where it brings back in sacredness what God has
created; Confession where it heals the fruits of original sin and brings back
the person to God’s sanctifying grace against Satan’s deadly sin; and Anointing
of the Sick where it restores the health and goodness of the person from
sickness which is the fruit of original sin.
Reply to Obj. #7: Actually, there are so many reports that
were junked, tagged, and belittled as psychological and psychiatric problems or
concerns. The Gospel reports about Christ driving out demons and helping those
oppressed by the enemy is still much greatly needed in these modern times for
the world of course is not as little as the world of Christ where He had done
exorcisms in His place and in His time before.
Reply to Obj. #8: As if it happens today. If they are really
so, then, they will be zealous for the Gospel and on laboring for it and on laboring
on what was said by God in the Gospels. There lack of faith in God that God
will help them in driving out demons is very lacking in them. What happens in
our Church today is rooted on the sad, poor, and sorry state of the
spirituality of the priests. Even the Church authority, I believe with
greatness, has not done his very best in saving and pastoring zealously for
souls. Even themselves are not faithful, honest, loyal, and conformed towards
the sacred scriptures whereas unorthodoxy and heresy which kills so many souls
is contagious and it’s on its height. All of them, all of their actions are not
solidly against the world. The world eats them up.
Reply to Obj. #9: Again, this is impossible. You cannot
become holy without battling wickedness and the devil. Our first Christians did
exorcisms that were seen by many pagans which led them into conversion and
Christianity. Lack of the exercise of the exorcism proves that the priesthood
is stupidity and a joke today. How can you also burn the hearts of many to
enter the religious life when the priests of today are not holy and serious in
their priesthood? Therefore all priests must become exorcist to become
frontrunners in living a holy life while battling the devil and his works.
Reply to Obj. #10: That’s the great reason why all of the
priests must become exorcist. So that, their faith and boldness in laboring for
God will be greatly manifested. They must be salt and light of the earth so
that is why they must not hid their respective works in a bushel basket. They
must be seen illuminating on the top of the mountain for all cities to see.
This will test and prove their great faith towards God, in laboring in this
ministry of exorcism.
Reply to Obj. #11: This ministry of exorcism is one of their
greatest offering to God. Their sacrifices in laboring for this ministry and
their offering of all the prayers, all the hardships, and all the sufferings
will be a great sacrifice most pleasing to God if this ministry is effective
and efficient in saving souls that are greatly loved by God. Therefore, all of
the priests must become exorcist so that their sacrifices offered to God will
be in its utmost greatness and abundance and in turn will give them
indescribable blessings and graces from God for their faithfulness to Him and
to God’s instituted ministry of exorcism.
Mary H. Distributist
