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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Demonic Oppression - feels like the walls are caving in	Cris	Sunday, October 3, 2010
Question: Dear Brother, My husband has been away from the Church for 30 years, and this week he made his first confession since being away. Before we met, he was in the seminary for one year and decided it he wasn't being called to this vocation. Also, he had questions about his faith while there. He has never had anything to do with occult things, except once when a friend, who was new to Reikki visited us and said some Reikki prayers over him. We didn't know about Reikki at that time. If she continues to send Reikki prayers to him, I don't know. The difficulty he has had for the past seven years (since major back surgery after a severe auto accident) is chronic back pain, and a feeling that the walls are caving in on him-to the point he is very tense and in tears. This feeling comes and goes during the Mass, it happens when he is in the presence of a priest (but not during a casual conversation). It happened recently when he was in the hospital hallway as the priest approached to give him the Sacrament of the Sick. It also happened in our priest's office while discussing this. When this happens at Mass, I say the St. Michael prayer; bind all evil spirits in the virtue of my Baptism and the name of Jesus; I call on Jesus, Mary, St. Joseph, and the angels and saints to form a protective circle around him and the building and to remove whatever evil is attacking or/and afflicting him. Is it ok for me to disrupt my attention and prayer at Mass to assist him in this way? When he leaves the Church-the presence of Our Lord, or the priest, he is relieved. Occasionally, he experiences this when preparing for Mass. We visited the Exorcism priest for our Diocese and was told to see a therapist (which he did, no anxiety or psychiatric problems), begin spiritual direction (not yet begun this), and surround himself in prayer, devotions, the Sacraments and Sacramentals (doing this somewhat). Father's basic thought is that the devil does not want to let go of him for him to return to the Church and is making his return very difficult. My thinking is that the more he surrounds himself with Our Lord and His Holy Mother, prayer and the Sacrements; the more the devil will be blinded by Our Lord's light and will eventually abandon him. His return to the Church has been a slow process (tomorrow is his First Communion in 30 years!), and the devil is taking advantage of it. Am I correct that his retrurn to the Church and faithful prayer should not be rushed and should be in his own time? What is your opinion and advice for him, and for me to help him? Is this demonic oppression or something different, and to be treated differently? Dear Brother, I thank you for any help you can give us and I pray for God's blessing you and your ministry.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) Dear Cris: I am sorry to hear of your husband's suffering. I was about to say that the symptoms you described in your husband could be post-operative depression, or some other medical or psychiatric issue that is associated with having surgery, until you described his behavior around priests and the Mass. Under most circumstances when people have symptoms like this in the presence of Mass or a priest, and not elsewhere, it is a clue to demonic harassment of some sort, on some level. I would agree with the Exorcist that the devil is probably working overtime to make it difficult for your husband to return to the Church. As it is with all of us, and especially with those under attack from the devil, we need to persevere through it. Do not give up. The prayers you are doing to intervene in these attacks, even during Mass, are fine. We have taken seriously demonized clients to Mass and have had to do the same thing you are doing. The advice given by the Exorcist is some of the same advice I would give: therapist, spiritual direction, and heavy involvement in prayer, devotions, the Sacraments and Sacramentals. Do not do this "somewhat". Your husband needs to immerse himself in the Sacraments frequently (confession and Eucharist) and use the Church's Sacramentals extensively. The Church gives us those Sacramentals specifically for reasons like this -- to ward off evil. You and he should bless yourselves frequently with Holy Water, you can bless him with Holy Oil, appeal to the saints, especially those saints who are patrons of spiritual warfare. We have a list of Patron Saints for Those with Spiritual Afflictions. In addition, I would advise both you and your husband to follow the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance linked below. If, after several months of following this advice, there is still a problem, then your husband may need a Personal Consultation when there is an opening available. The Enemy will punish your husband for daring to return to the Church. You both must persevere in this. Our first Pope, His Holiness St. Peter advised: (1 Peter 5:9) "Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world." St. James offers similar advice: (James 4:7) "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Now, of course, St. James doesn't tell us when the devil will flee, but, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he promises that the devil shall flee eventually. This is why we need perseverance. We also need to be sure that we renounce all things in our life that demons can use as a lame excuse to hang-on to us no matter how trivial or great. That is where the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance comes in. We certainly will be in prayer for your husband and for you. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Demonic Oppression - feels like the walls are caving in

Cris

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Question:

Dear Brother,

My husband has been away from the Church for 30 years, and this week he made his first confession since being away. Before we met, he was in the seminary for one year and decided it he wasn't being called to this vocation. Also, he had questions about his faith while there.

He has never had anything to do with occult things, except once when a friend, who was new to Reikki visited us and said some Reikki prayers over him. We didn't know about Reikki at that time. If she continues to send Reikki prayers to him, I don't know.

The difficulty he has had for the past seven years (since major back surgery after a severe auto accident) is chronic back pain, and a feeling that the walls are caving in on him-to the point he is very tense and in tears.

This feeling comes and goes during the Mass, it happens when he is in the presence of a priest (but not during a casual conversation). It happened recently when he was in the hospital hallway as the priest approached to give him the Sacrament of the Sick. It also happened in our priest's office while discussing this.

When this happens at Mass, I say the St. Michael prayer; bind all evil spirits in the virtue of my Baptism and the name of Jesus; I call on Jesus, Mary, St. Joseph, and the angels and saints to form a protective circle around him and the building and to remove whatever evil is attacking or/and afflicting him. Is it ok for me to disrupt my attention and prayer at Mass to assist him in this way?

When he leaves the Church-the presence of Our Lord, or the priest, he is relieved. Occasionally, he experiences this when preparing for Mass.

We visited the Exorcism priest for our Diocese and was told to see a therapist (which he did, no anxiety or psychiatric problems), begin spiritual direction (not yet begun this), and surround himself in prayer, devotions, the Sacraments and Sacramentals (doing this somewhat).

Father's basic thought is that the devil does not want to let go of him for him to return to the Church and is making his return very difficult.

My thinking is that the more he surrounds himself with Our Lord and His Holy Mother, prayer and the Sacrements; the more the devil will be blinded by Our Lord's light and will eventually abandon him.

His return to the Church has been a slow process (tomorrow is his First Communion in 30 years!), and the devil is taking advantage of it. Am I correct that his retrurn to the Church and faithful prayer should not be rushed and should be in his own time?

What is your opinion and advice for him, and for me to help him? Is this demonic oppression or something different, and to be treated differently?

Dear Brother, I thank you for any help you can give us and I pray for God's blessing you and your ministry.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear Cris:

I am sorry to hear of your husband's suffering. I was about to say that the symptoms you described in your husband could be post-operative depression, or some other medical or psychiatric issue that is associated with having surgery, until you described his behavior around priests and the Mass.

Under most circumstances when people have symptoms like this in the presence of Mass or a priest, and not elsewhere, it is a clue to demonic harassment of some sort, on some level. I would agree with the Exorcist that the devil is probably working overtime to make it difficult for your husband to return to the Church.

As it is with all of us, and especially with those under attack from the devil, we need to persevere through it. Do not give up.

The prayers you are doing to intervene in these attacks, even during Mass, are fine. We have taken seriously demonized clients to Mass and have had to do the same thing you are doing.

The advice given by the Exorcist is some of the same advice I would give: therapist, spiritual direction, and heavy involvement in prayer, devotions, the Sacraments and Sacramentals. Do not do this "somewhat". Your husband needs to immerse himself in the Sacraments frequently (confession and Eucharist) and use the Church's Sacramentals extensively. The Church gives us those Sacramentals specifically for reasons like this -- to ward off evil.

You and he should bless yourselves frequently with Holy Water, you can bless him with Holy Oil, appeal to the saints, especially those saints who are patrons of spiritual warfare. We have a list of Patron Saints for Those with Spiritual Afflictions.

In addition, I would advise both you and your husband to follow the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance linked below.

If, after several months of following this advice, there is still a problem, then your husband may need a Personal Consultation when there is an opening available.

The Enemy will punish your husband for daring to return to the Church. You both must persevere in this.

Our first Pope, His Holiness St. Peter advised: (1 Peter 5:9) "Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world."

St. James offers similar advice: (James 4:7) "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

Now, of course, St. James doesn't tell us when the devil will flee, but, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he promises that the devil shall flee eventually. This is why we need perseverance.

We also need to be sure that we renounce all things in our life that demons can use as a lame excuse to hang-on to us no matter how trivial or great. That is where the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance comes in.

We certainly will be in prayer for your husband and for you.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.