FIRST READING (Deuteronomy 18: 15-20)
Moses spoke to the people, saying: "A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen. This is exactly what you requested of the Lord, your God, at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let us not again hear the voice of the Lord, our God, nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.' And the Lord said to me, 'This was well said, I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him. Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it. But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die."'
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-9)
Refrain: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
1) Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him. (Refrain:)
2) Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us.
For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. (Refrain:)
3) Oh, that today you would hear his voice: "Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert, Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works." (Refrain:)
SECOND READING (1 Corinthians 7: 32-35)
Brothers and sisters: I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married woman, on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction.
Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
(Copyright 1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. Washington D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Copyright 1970, 1997, 1998 Contraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. Washington, D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
The English translation of some Psalm responses, some Alleluia and Gospel verses and the Lenten Gospel Acclamations, some Summaries, and the Titles and Conclusion of the Readings, from the Lectionary for Mass copyright 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc., Washington D.C. All rights reserved.
The poetic English translation of the sequences of the Roman Missal are taken from the Roman Missal approved by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, copyright 1964 by the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission of ICEL.)
- Years before he became famous for writing "The Exorcist", William Peter Blatty appeared on Groucho Marx's quiz show, "You Bet Your Life", posing as an Arab sheik with so many wives that he could not recall how many he had. Groucho was completely taken in. When Blatty revealed after a couple of minutes that it was a hoax, he told Groucho that he did it because George Fenneman, who was Groucho's sidekick and straight man, had told him that Groucho was an expert at spotting phonies. Groucho replied, "That is incorrect, because I've had Fenneman in my employ now for 14 years." When he won a substantial amount of money on the show, Marx asked Blatty what he intended to do with his winnings. He replied that he would take a year off from his job and write a novel. That novel turned out to be The Exorcist. (1)
In our gospel passage today, we hear what is the first of many exorcisms which our Lord performs and which are recounted in the three synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. And it is truly the first not only because it appears so early in Mark's gospel but because it is widely held that Mark's was the earliest of all the gospels and formed the basis for Matthew's and Luke's which were to follow. Most of these narratives are very simple ones stating only that Jesus orders the demons to leave their victims and they comply, perhaps after throwing them onto the ground and having them thrash about for a while. However, there is the exorcism recounted in Matthew (8:28-32) in which the demons are cast out into a herd of nearby swine who then throw themselves into the sea.
Needless to say, as soon as anyone hears the word "exorcism", they immediately think of that classic movie from 1973 complete with spinning heads and spontaneously moving furniture. As soon as I read the text for this week's lectionary, I just had to watch my newly acquired DVD of the Exorcist, which also happens to include a full-length commentary by the director, William Friedkin. It was this commentary, along with some facts I already knew and others researched on the internet which forms the basis for this homily.
My original interest in the movie stemmed from the fact that one of the minor characters in the movie, Fr. Tom, is portrayed by a Jesuit priest, Fr. Tom Bermingham SJ, who was an instructor at St. Andrew-on-Hudson, the former Jesuit novitiate in Poughkeepsie, New York (which is now the Culinary Institute of America) when I was a novice there in 1964. (He also subsequently appeared in both of the Amityville Horror movies.) I wondered how he had managed to secure this part and found out through some ex-Jesuit friends on one of the many email chat networks to which I belong, that Bill had been a student of Bermingham's when they were both at Brooklyn Prep. During that time, Tom had shared with Blatty what he knew about the case which would form much of the basis for his subsequent novel and the movie.
In his commentary, Friedkin notes many things which I found to be fascinating. For example, although all of our Lord's exorcisms in the gospels result in an "immediate" (a favorite word of Mark's) expulsion of the devil in each and every instance, modern day exorcisms have been known to take as much as several weeks to accomplish. Perhaps this shows us the difference between having a devil expelled by the Son of God as opposed to one being expelled by a son of man.
Another thing he points out is that when the doctors are examining Regan, the possessed 12 year old girl who is the subject of the movie, they put her through many different tests to determine why she is exhibiting these abnormal behaviors. In one case, they perform an arteriogram on her, in which dye is injected through the carotid artery into the brain so that it can be x-rayed for any abnormalities. Doctors from New York University actually performed the procedure in the movie and it was used for many years as a training film for radiologists.
Friedkin also points out that the novel is based on a true case of a fourteen-year-old boy who lived in Maryland, not far from Washington, in 1949. He also notes that most of the special effects of the possession (including the super-human strength, furniture moving, speaking in foreign tongues, use of obscenities, etc.) are compiled from the three or four cases of possession which are recognized by the Catholic Church and which have occurred in the last century.
The principal character in the movie is Fr. Damian Karras, a Jesuit priest on the Georgetown campus who is a psychiatrist and who counsels fellow priests. He is also undergoing a crisis of faith and confides in Fr. Tom, his good friend, that he is contemplating leaving the priesthood because he feels unworthy. Friedkin notes in his commentary that a contributing factor to this crisis of faith is that Karras feels overwhelmed by the suffering he sees all around him, especially as manifested in a homeless man whom he encounters in the subway and by his ailing elderly mother who lives alone in the apartment in which he grew up and whom he cares for on occasion. He feels that God has abandoned the world and there is no good left in it.
The most critical point in the movie for me was a conversation between Fr. Karras and Fr. Merrin, a fellow Jesuit who has done previous exorcisms and is taking the lead in Regan's. They have completed one session with Regan and are now taking a break before continuing the exorcism. They are sitting on the stairs outside her room when this conversation takes place.
- Karras: Why this girl? Doesn't make sense.
Merrin: I think the point is to make us despair, to see ourselves as animals and ugly, to reject the possibility that God could love us.
After this exchange, while Merrin excuses himself to use the bathroom, Karras goes back into the room to check on Regan. At that point, the devil uses her to imitate the voice of Karras' mother and bring back the guilt that Karras feels from placing his mother in Bellevue mental hospital prior to her death. If he can get him to doubt his faith, then he wins. And he does get Karras to leave the exorcism for a time which Merrin continues without him. It is only after speaking to Regan's mother who asks him if Regan will die does he regain the faith he needs to continue the exorcism. When he returns to the room, he finds Merrin dead. He grabs Regan and tells the devil to leave her and take him, which the devil does. Once possessed, Karras jumps through the bedroom window and dies from the fall and a tumble down seven flights of concrete stairs.
What does all of this mean for us? We are not possessed like Regan was. But there is a battle being waged inside of us every day of our lives, namely, the battle between good and evil. Like Fr. Karras', our faith is being tested every day. The question is: is our faith strong enough to weather the storm?
Literally. Consider the following short story.
- The fields were parched and brown from lack of rain, and the crops lay wilting from thirst. People were anxious and irritable as they searched the sky for any sign of relief. Days turned into arid weeks. No rain came.
The ministers of the local churches called for an hour of prayer on the town square the following Saturday. They requested that everyone bring an object of faith for inspiration.
At high noon on the appointed Saturday the towns-people turned out en masse, filling the square with anxious faces and hopeful hearts. The ministers were touched to see the variety of objects clutched in prayerful hands--holy books, crosses, rosaries.
When the hour ended, as if on magical command, a soft rain began to fall. Cheers swept the crowd as they held their treasured objects high in gratitude and praise. From the middle of the crowd one faith symbol seemed to overshadow all the others: A small nine-year-old child had brought an umbrella.
Have we rooted our faith in God's word which is given to us in the Scriptures? As we see the problems which beset others around us in the world, do we too feel, like Fr. Karras did, that God has abandoned the world and there is no good left in it?
There is good in the world and it is up to us to prove it by our acts of kindness which are driven by our faith. When we are confronted by the evil in the world, it is up to us to overcome it through our faith. When our faith is tested, when we lose a loved one, it is only through our faith that we can overcome the temptation to despair.
In the movie, the priests constantly speak to the demons with the words "the power of Christ compels you". It was only with their faith in the power of Christ that they could expel them from their victim. In our story, the most profound example of faith was provided by a nine-year-old who was sure that the power the people's prayer would bring rain for the crops. Likewise, it is only through our faith in the power of Christ to answer our prayers that we can overcome the demons that possess us.
1. Veracity unconfirmed. Found at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0087861/bio .
2. An Act of Faith by Laverne W. Hall. Reprinted from Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, pp. 198-199, copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery and Nancy Mitchell. Health Communications, Inc., Deerfield Beach, FL.
(Copyright 2009 by the Spirit through Deacon Sil Galvan, with a little help from the friends noted above. Permission is freely granted for use, in whole or in part, in oral presentations. For permission to use in writing, please contact the human intermediary at deaconsil@comcast.net.)
As you just heard in today's gospel, our Lord performs an exorcism on a man possessed by a devil. I think when most of us hear the word "exorcism", we cannot help but recall the 1973 movie which made a star out of a young actress named Linda Blair and which ranks as the thirteenth top grossing film of all time. But for the Church, the word "exorcist" has a much broader meaning than just the title of a movie. At one time, it used to be the second of four minor orders which preceded ordination, along with acolyte, lector and porter. In the early Church, exorcisms were not confined to the clergy, but could be performed by the faithful with a simple prayer. The reason for this was that it provided proof of the power of Christ's grace and the inability of demons to resist it.
One of the chief duties of exorcists was to take part in baptismal exorcisms. The reason for this use of exorcisms in baptism is the belief that the devil has greater power over the unbaptized than over the baptized because of original sin. So exorcisms were performed repeatedly over the catechumens in preparation for baptism, and are still a part of our baptismal rite to this day.
Over time and as conditions changed in the Church, the office of exorcist ceased altogether and their duties were taken over by clerics in major orders. And according to the present discipline of the Catholic Church, it is only priests who are authorized to use the exorcising power conferred by ordination. It is interesting to note that one of the instructions of the Roman Ritual advises the priest who performs an exorcism to be "a holy man, of a blameless life, intelligent, courageous, humble, and who should prepare for the exorcism by special acts of devotion and mortification, particularly by prayer and fasting (Mt. 17:20)." (1) If you have seen the movie, you may recall that the priest who performs the exorcism was questioning his faith at the time and felt unworthy to perform it.
Now you may be of the opinion that exorcisms only happened in earlier times in human history when the powers of evil seemed particularly strong or in the movies. However, what you may not realize about the movie "The Exorcist" is that it was supposedly based on material kept in a diary by a priest who performed an exorcism on a 13 year-old boy from the Washington, DC area in 1949. The story surfaced when a minister discussed his involvement in the incident. He reported that while the boy was sleeping nearby, he heard vibrating sounds from his bed and scratching sounds on the wall. During the rest of the night, he allegedly witnessed some strange events--a heavy armchair in which the boy sat seemingly tilted on its own and tipped over, and a pallet of blankets on which the sleeping boy lay inexplicably moved around the room. Some accounts reported that at other times, the boy would recite a stream of blasphemous curses intermingled with Latin phrases. (2)
So exorcisms can happen even in our own day. Of course, events like those reported in this incident are rare. However, exorcisms of demons happen on a much less dramatic level every day. Consider the following story.
- I lay on the floor, furiously kicking my legs and screaming until my throat felt raw--all because my foster mother had asked me to put my toys away. "I hate you," I shrieked. I was six years old and didn't understand why I felt so angry all the time.
I'd been living in foster care since I was two. My real mom couldn't give my five sisters and me the care we needed. Since we didn't have a dad or anyone else to care for us, we were put in different foster homes. I felt lonely and confused. I didn't know how to tell people that I hurt inside. Throwing a tantrum was the only way I knew to express my feelings.
Because I acted up, eventually my current foster mom sent me back to the adoption agency, just as the mom before had. I thought I was the most unlovable girl in the world.
Then I met Kate McCann. I was seven by that time and living with my third foster family when she came to visit. That day, Kate took me to a pumpkin farm. We had fun, but I didn't think I'd see her again. A few days later, a social worker came to the house to say that Kate wanted to adopt me. Then she asked me if I'd mind living with one parent instead of two. "All I want is someone who loves me," I said.
Kate visited the next day. She explained that it would take a year for the adoption to be finalized, but I could move in with her soon. I was excited but afraid, too. Kate and I were total strangers. I wondered if she'd change her mind once she got to know me.
Kate sensed my fear. "I know you've been hurt," she said, hugging me. "I know you're scared. But I promise I'll never send you away. We're a family now." To my surprise, her eyes were filled with tears. Suddenly I realized that she was as lonely as I was! "Okay... Mom," I said.
Eventually, I moved in with her. We did lots of great things together and every day, she told me she loved me. But love wasn't enough to heal the hurt inside me. I kept waiting for her to change her mind. I thought, "If I act bad enough, she'll leave me like the others."
So I tried to hurt her before she could hurt me. I picked fights over little things and threw tantrums when I didn't get my way. I slammed doors. If Mom tried to stop me, I'd hit her. But she never lost patience. She'd hug me and say she loved me anyway.
Because I was failing in school when I came to live with her, Mom was very strict about my homework. One day when I was watching TV, she came in and turned it off.
"You can watch it after you finish your homework," she said. I blew up. I picked up my books and threw them across the room. "I hate you and I don't want to live here anymore!" I screamed.
I waited for her to tell me to start packing. When she didn't, I asked, "Aren't you going to send me back?"
"I don't like the way you're behaving," she said, "but I'll never send you back. We're a family, and families don't give up on each other."
Then it hit me. This mom was different; she wasn't going to get rid of me. She really did love me. And I realized I loved her, too.
In 1985, when Mom formally adopted me, we celebrated at a restaurant. It felt good belonging to someone. But I was still scared. Could a mom really love me forever? My tantrums didn't disappear immediately, but as months passed, they happened less often.
Today I'm 16. I have a 3.4 grade point average, a horse named Dagger's Point, four cats, a dog, six doves and a bullfrog that lives in our backyard pond. And I have a dream: I want to be a veterinarian.
Mom and I like to do things together, like shopping and horseback riding. We smile when people say how much we look alike. They don't believe she's not my real mom.
I'm happier now than I ever imagined I could be. When I'm older, I'd like to get married and have kids, but if that doesn't work out, I'll adopt like Mom did. I'll pick a scared and lonely kid and then never, ever give up on her. I'm so glad my Mom didn't give up on me. (3)
I think you will agree that some of the antics of this young girl were similar to those of someone possessed. But that is the whole point: the girl in our story was possessed by the feeling that she was unloved. And it was only when Kate came into her life that that feeling was eliminated. And notice the effect that Kate's love had on her: she wanted to do the same thing for someone else. Just as abuse tends to be perpetuated in future generations, so are acts of kindness and love.
As we just remembered last month at Christmas, Christ came into the world to show us the Father's love for us, for all of us who at times are so much like the young girl in the story. We throw tantrums and get angry with God when life gets tough. But as we will find out beyond a doubt on Good Friday, God loved us enough to send his only Son to suffer and die so that we would know not only that he loves us, but the boundless extent of his love for us.
In the gospel passages of the last two weeks, we heard how Christ called his first disciples. If we have accepted the call of Christ to follow him, just as those first disciples did, then we must follow the example that he has given us and help to exorcize the demons in the lives of others through our self-sacrificing love. Our actions may not become the stuff that movies are made of, but you can be assured that they will be recorded....in heaven.
1. from the Catholic Encyclopedia web site at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05711a.htm.
2. from The Haunted Boy of Cottage City at http://www.strangemag.com/exorcistpage1.html . Copyright 1999 by Strange Magazine.
3. She Didn't Give Up On Me, as told to, and copyright 1994 by, Sharon Whitley. Excerpted from Woman's World Magazine. Reprinted with the author's permission from Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, pp. 67-70, copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger. Health Communications, Inc., Deerfield Beach, FL. (This resource, as well as many other Chicken Soup books, and a specially-priced Chicken Soup package of them, is available at a discount through the Homiletic Resource Center.)
(Copyright 2006 by the Spirit through Deacon Sil Galvan, with a little help from the friends noted above. Permission is freely granted for use, in whole or in part, in oral presentations. For permission to use in writing, please contact the human intermediary at deaconsil@comcast.net.)
Lord Jesus, you came to expel the demons in our lives. Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you came to show us the Father's love for us. Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you call us to help expel the demons in the lives of others through our love. Lord, have mercy.
Celebrant: Christ became one like us to empower us to overcome the demons that threaten us. In his name, we confidently bring our prayers and petitions to the Father.
Deacon/Lector: Our response is "Lord, hear our prayer."
That the leaders of the Church will live lives worthy of their calling, we pray to the Lord.
That the leaders of the nations of the world will do all in their power to eliminate injustice in their midst, we pray to the Lord.
That the sick, the terminally ill and those who are grieving the loss of a loved one will use their faith to ward off the demon of despair, we pray to the Lord.
That the Holy Spirit will continue to bless all those who instruct our children in our Catholic schools, we pray to the Lord.
That the Lord will bless and strengthen all those who have dedicated themselves to a life of celibacy, we pray to the Lord.
That all persecuted Christians will be strengthened in their faith and an example to others, we pray to the Lord.
That all of our brothers and sisters will be treated as our equals in the sight of God regardless of their race, color, nationality or religion, we pray to the Lord.
That all of those who have contracted the Corona virus will be healed, that those who have died will be welcomed into the loving arms of their Savior who suffered for them and that their grieving families will find strength in their faith, we pray to the Lord.
For all of the intentions we hold in our hearts and which we now recall in silence. (Pause) For all of these intentions, we pray to the Lord.
Celebrant: Merciful Father, you gave your Son all power in heaven and on earth. Grant us the grace of your Spirit, which was conferred on all of us at our baptisms, to triumph over the world with all of its temptations and the devil in all of his cunning. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.